Table 3.

Enrollment in educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869-70 through fall 2021

[In thousands]
Year	Total enroll- ment, all levels	Elemen- tary and secon- dary, total	Public elementary and secondary schools			Private elementary and secondary schools1						Postsecondary degree- granting institutions2
			Total	Prekinder- garten through grade 8	Grades 9 through 12	Total		Prekinder- garten through grade 8		Grades 9 through 12		Total	Public	Private
1	2	3	4	5	6	7		8		9		10	11	12
1869-70	—	—	6,872	6,792	80	—		—		—		52	—	—
1879-80	—	—	9,868	9,757	110	—		—		—		116	—	—
1889-90	14,491	14,334	12,723	12,520	203	1,611		1,516		95		157	—	—
1899-1900	17,092	16,855	15,503	14,984	519	1,352		1,241		111		238	—	—
1909-10	19,728	19,372	17,814	16,899	915	1,558		1,441		117		355	—	—
1919-20	23,876	23,278	21,578	19,378	2,200	1,699		1,486		214		598	—	—
1929-30	29,430	28,329	25,678	21,279	4,399	2,651		2,310		341		1,101	—	—
1939-40	29,539	28,045	25,434	18,832	6,601	2,611		2,153		458		1,494	797	698
1949-50	31,151	28,492	25,111	19,387	5,725	3,380		2,708		672		2,659	1,355	1,304
Fall 1959	44,497	40,857	35,182	26,911	8,271	5,675		4,640		1,035		3,640	2,181	1,459
Fall 1969	59,055	51,050	45,550	32,513	13,037	5,500	3	4,200	3	1,300	3	8,005	5,897	2,108
Fall 1979	58,221	46,651	41,651	28,034	13,616	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	11,570	9,037	2,533
Fall 1980	58,305	46,208	40,877	27,647	13,231	5,331		3,992		1,339		12,097	9,457	2,640
Fall 1981	57,916	45,544	40,044	27,280	12,764	5,500	3	4,100	3	1,400	3	12,372	9,647	2,725
Fall 1982	57,591	45,166	39,566	27,161	12,405	5,600	3	4,200	3	1,400	3	12,426	9,696	2,730
Fall 1983	57,432	44,967	39,252	26,981	12,271	5,715		4,315		1,400		12,465	9,683	2,782
Fall 1984	57,150	44,908	39,208	26,905	12,304	5,700	3	4,300	3	1,400	3	12,242	9,477	2,765
Fall 1985	57,226	44,979	39,422	27,034	12,388	5,557		4,195		1,362		12,247	9,479	2,768
Fall 1986	57,709	45,205	39,753	27,420	12,333	5,452	3	4,116	3	1,336	3	12,504	9,714	2,790
Fall 1987	58,254	45,488	40,008	27,933	12,076	5,479		4,232		1,247		12,767	9,973	2,793
Fall 1988	58,485	45,430	40,189	28,501	11,687	5,242	3	4,036	3	1,206	3	13,055	10,161	2,894
Fall 1989	59,680	46,141	40,543	29,150	11,393	5,599		4,468		1,131		13,539	10,578	2,961
Fall 1990	60,683	46,864	41,217	29,876	11,341	5,648	3	4,512	3	1,136	3	13,819	10,845	2,974
Fall 1991	62,087	47,728	42,047	30,503	11,544	5,681		4,550		1,131		14,359	11,310	3,049
Fall 1992	63,181	48,694	42,823	31,086	11,737	5,870	3	4,746	3	1,125	3	14,487	11,385	3,103
Fall 1993	63,837	49,532	43,465	31,502	11,963	6,067		4,950		1,118		14,305	11,189	3,116
Fall 1994	64,385	50,106	44,111	31,896	12,215	5,994	3	4,856	3	1,138	3	14,279	11,134	3,145
Fall 1995	65,020	50,759	44,840	32,338	12,502	5,918		4,756		1,163		14,262	11,092	3,169
Fall 1996	65,911	51,544	45,611	32,762	12,849	5,933	3	4,755	3	1,178	3	14,368	11,120	3,247
Fall 1997	66,574	52,071	46,127	33,071	13,056	5,944		4,759		1,185		14,502	11,196	3,306
Fall 1998	67,033	52,526	46,539	33,344	13,195	5,988	3	4,776	3	1,212	3	14,507	11,138	3,369
Fall 1999	67,725	52,875	46,857	33,486	13,371	6,018		4,789		1,229		14,850	11,376	3,474
Fall 2000	68,685	53,373	47,204	33,686	13,517	6,169	3	4,906	3	1,264	3	15,312	11,753	3,560
Fall 2001	69,920	53,992	47,672	33,936	13,736	6,320		5,023		1,296		15,928	12,233	3,695
Fall 2002	71,015	54,403	48,183	34,114	14,069	6,220	3	4,915	3	1,306	3	16,612	12,752	3,860
Fall 2003	71,551	54,639	48,540	34,201	14,339	6,099		4,788		1,311		16,911	12,859	4,053
Fall 2004	72,154	54,882	48,795	34,178	14,618	6,087	3	4,756	3	1,331	3	17,272	12,980	4,292
Fall 2005	72,674	55,187	49,113	34,204	14,909	6,073		4,724		1,349		17,487	13,022	4,466
Fall 2006	73,066	55,307	49,316	34,235	15,081	5,991	3	4,631	3	1,360	3	17,759	13,180	4,579
Fall 2007	73,451	55,203	49,293	34,205	15,087	5,910		4,546		1,364		18,248	13,491	4,757
Fall 2008	74,076	54,973	49,266	34,286	14,980	5,707	3	4,365	3	1,342	3	19,103	13,972	5,131
Fall 2009	75,277	54,849	49,361	34,409	14,952	5,488		4,179		1,309		20,428	14,811	5,617
Fall 2010	75,892	54,876	49,484	34,625	14,860	5,391	3	4,091	3	1,300	3	21,016	15,143	5,873
Fall 20114	75,950	54,956	49,636	34,849	14,787	5,320		4,060		1,260		20,994	15,110	5,884
Fall 20124	76,344	55,091	49,828	35,076	14,752	5,263		4,039		1,224		21,253	15,290	5,963
Fall 20134	76,773	55,288	50,067	35,301	14,766	5,221		4,033		1,188		21,485	15,453	6,032
Fall 20144	77,331	55,599	50,407	35,502	14,905	5,192		4,037		1,155		21,731	15,627	6,104
Fall 20154	77,898	55,957	50,773	35,735	15,038	5,183		4,053		1,130		21,941	15,775	6,166
Fall 20164	78,523	56,330	51,146	36,029	15,116	5,185		4,085		1,100		22,194	15,954	6,239
Fall 20174	79,246	56,722	51,524	36,329	15,195	5,198		4,122		1,076		22,524	16,191	6,333
Fall 20184	79,993	57,098	51,880	36,639	15,241	5,218		4,158		1,061		22,895	16,456	6,439
Fall 20194	80,746	57,507	52,260	36,956	15,304	5,247		4,193		1,054		23,239	16,708	6,532
Fall 20204	81,509	57,975	52,688	37,278	15,410	5,287		4,228		1,059		23,534	16,921	6,613
Fall 20214	82,199	58,444	53,113	37,598	15,515	5,331		4,263		1,068		23,755	17,082	6,673

—Not available.

1 Beginning in fall 1980, data include estimates for an expanded universe of private schools. Therefore, direct comparisons with earlier years should be avoided.

2 Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 include resident degree-credit students enrolled at any time during the academic year. Beginning in 1959, data include all resident and extension students enrolled at the beginning of the fall term.

3 Estimated.

4 Projected data from NCES 2013-008, Projections of Education Statistics to 2021. Fall 2011 data for degree-granting institutions are actual.

NOTE: Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 reflect enrollment for the entire school year. Elementary and secondary enrollment includes students in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian), but generally excludes homeschooled children and students in subcollegiate departments of colleges and in federal schools. Based on the National Household Education Survey, the homeschooled children numbered approximately 1.5 million in 2007. Excludes preprimary pupils in private schools that do not offer kindergarten or above. Postsecondary data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education, 1870 to 1910; Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1919-20 through 1949-50; Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1959 through 1980; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 1981-82 through 2010-11; Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2007); Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2009-10; Projections of Education Statistics to 2021; Opening (Fall) Enrollment in Higher Education, 1959; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1969 through 1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:86-99); and IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2012, Enrollment component. (This table was prepared January 2013.)