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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 105.30. Enrollment in elementary, secondary, and degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869-70 through fall 2025
[In thousands]
Year Total
enrollment,
all levels
Elementary
and secondary,
total
Public elementary
and secondary schools
Private elementary
and secondary schools1
Degree-granting
postsecondary
institutions2
Total Prekindergarten
through grade 8
Grades 9
through 12
Total Prekindergarten
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 1985 57,226 44,979 39,422 27,034 12,388 5,557   4,195   1,362   12,247 9,479 2,768
                             
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 73,449 55,201 49,291 34,204 15,086 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 75,163 54,849 49,361 34,409 14,952 5,488   4,179   1,309   20,314 14,811 5,503
                             
Fall 2010 75,886 54,867 49,484 34,625 14,860 5,382 3 4,084 3 1,299 3 21,019 15,142 5,877
Fall 2011 75,800 54,790 49,522 34,773 14,749 5,268   3,977   1,291   21,011 15,116 5,894
Fall 2012 75,748 55,104 49,771 35,018 14,753 5,333 3 4,031 3 1,302 3 20,644 14,885 5,760
Fall 2013 75,816 55,440 50,045 35,251 14,794 5,396   4,084   1,312   20,376 14,746 5,630
Fall 20144 75,661 55,454 50,132 35,249 14,883 5,322   4,006   1,316   20,207 14,655 5,552
                             
Fall 20154 75,810 55,546 50,268 35,298 14,970 5,278   3,968   1,311   20,264 14,789 5,475
Fall 20164 76,136 55,620 50,385 35,402 14,983 5,235   3,938   1,298   20,516 14,964 5,552
Fall 20174 76,633 55,661 50,477 35,451 15,026 5,183   3,899   1,284   20,972 15,287 5,686
Fall 20184 77,075 55,665 50,528 35,491 15,037 5,136   3,873   1,263   21,410 15,604 5,807
Fall 20194 77,479 55,726 50,618 35,543 15,075 5,108   3,867   1,242   21,753 15,852 5,900
                             
Fall 20204 77,875 55,862 50,774 35,559 15,215 5,088   3,871   1,217   22,013 16,038 5,975
Fall 20214 78,321 55,998 50,928 35,541 15,387 5,070   3,877   1,194   22,323 16,261 6,062
Fall 20224 78,759 56,146 51,084 35,558 15,526 5,062   3,885   1,177   22,613 16,471 6,143
Fall 20234 79,187 56,291 51,225 35,712 15,514 5,065   3,904   1,161   22,896 16,673 6,223
Fall 20244 79,565 56,416 51,338 35,878 15,460 5,078   3,923   1,155   23,149 16,858 6,291
Fall 20254 79,800 56,510 51,420 36,052 15,368 5,090   3,943   1,147   23,290 16,967 6,323
—Not available.
1 Beginning in fall 1985, 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. Fall 2014 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. 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 1979; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 1989-90 through 2013-14; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1991-92 through 2013-14; National Elementary and Secondary Enrollment Projection Model, 1972 through 2025; Opening (Fall) Enrollment in Higher Education, 1959; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1969, 1979, and 1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:90-99); IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2015, Fall Enrollment component; and Enrollment in Degree-Granting Institutions Projection Model, 1980 through 2025. (This table was prepared February 2016.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest