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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 208.10. Public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios, by selected school characteristics: Selected years, fall 1990 through fall 2013
Selected school characteristic 1990 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20101 2011 2012 2013
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
All schools 17.4 17.7 17.8 17.6 17.2 16.9 16.6 16.4 16.3 16.2 16.4 16.2 16.0 15.8 15.7 15.7 16.0 16.4 16.3 16.2 16.3
Enrollment size of school                                          
Under 300 14.0 14.1 14.1 14.0 13.7 13.6 13.3 13.1 12.9 12.8 13.0 12.8 12.7 12.7 12.7 12.5 12.6 12.9 12.8 12.7 12.7
300 to 499 17.0 17.2 17.1 16.9 16.5 16.2 15.8 15.5 15.4 15.3 15.5 15.2 15.0 14.9 15.0 14.8 15.2 15.4 15.4 15.3 15.4
500 to 999 18.0 18.1 18.2 17.9 17.5 17.1 16.8 16.7 16.5 16.5 16.6 16.4 16.2 15.9 15.9 15.9 16.3 16.7 16.7 16.6 16.7
1,000 to 1,499 17.9 18.6 18.7 18.5 18.1 17.7 17.6 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.6 17.3 16.9 16.7 16.5 16.5 16.8 17.3 17.1 17.0 17.1
1,500 or more 19.2 19.9 20.0 20.0 19.7 19.3 19.3 19.1 19.0 18.9 19.2 19.1 18.8 18.6 18.1 18.3 18.7 19.5 19.0 18.8 19.1
                                           
Type                                          
Regular schools 17.6 17.8 17.9 17.7 17.3 17.0 16.7 16.5 16.4 16.3 16.5 16.3 16.1 15.9 15.8 15.8 16.1 16.5 16.4 16.4 16.5
Alternative 14.2 18.0 16.6 16.6 16.5 16.4 15.8 15.2 14.9 14.9 15.0 14.4 14.0 14.7 13.5 14.2 14.3 14.8 14.7 14.7 14.3
Special education 6.5 6.9 7.2 7.4 7.6 7.3 7.2 7.0 6.4 7.0 7.3 7.4 6.2 6.6 7.1 6.8 7.1 6.9 7.1 6.9 6.6
Vocational 13.0 12.9 12.7 12.9 12.9 13.1 13.0 12.7 12.7 9.9 10.3 11.5 12.0 13.3 11.3 10.7 10.2 11.7 11.8 11.6 11.7
                                           
Percent of students eligible for
      free or reduced-price lunch
                                         
25 percent or less 16.8 16.4 16.4 16.3 16.1 16.5 16.9 17.5 16.4 16.4
26 percent to 50 percent 16.2 16.1 15.8 15.7 15.7 16.1 16.5 16.2 16.3 16.3
51 percent to 75 percent 15.9 15.6 15.3 15.2 15.4 15.8 16.2 15.8 16.1 16.2
More than 75 percent 15.9 15.5 15.4 15.0 15.1 15.6 16.0 15.5 16.2 16.4
                                           
Level and size                                          
Elementary schools 18.1 18.0 18.1 17.8 17.4 17.0 16.7 16.5 16.3 16.2 16.3 16.0 15.8 15.6 15.6 15.5 15.9 16.3 16.3 16.3 16.3
Regular 18.2 18.0 18.1 17.9 17.4 17.0 16.7 16.5 16.3 16.2 16.3 16.0 15.8 15.6 15.6 15.5 15.9 16.3 16.3 16.3 16.4
Under 300 16.0 15.7 15.7 15.6 15.3 15.1 14.6 14.4 14.1 13.9 14.0 13.7 13.6 13.5 13.7 13.5 13.7 14.0 14.0 13.9 14.0
300 to 499 17.6 17.5 17.5 17.2 16.8 16.4 16.1 15.8 15.6 15.5 15.6 15.3 15.2 15.1 15.2 15.0 15.4 15.6 15.7 15.6 15.6
500 to 999 18.8 18.5 18.6 18.3 17.8 17.4 17.1 16.9 16.8 16.7 16.8 16.5 16.3 16.0 16.0 16.0 16.5 16.9 16.9 16.9 17.0
1,000 to 1,499 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.4 18.8 18.4 18.3 18.1 18.0 18.0 18.1 17.7 17.2 17.0 16.7 16.8 17.2 17.8 17.7 17.7 17.7
1,500 or more 19.9 20.4 20.9 21.2 20.7 19.9 20.0 20.5 20.2 20.3 20.8 20.5 19.6 19.4 18.0 18.1 18.5 19.3 19.0 18.7 19.0
                                           
Secondary schools 16.6 17.5 17.6 17.5 17.3 17.0 16.8 16.6 16.6 16.7 16.9 16.8 16.6 16.4 16.3 16.2 16.4 16.8 16.5 16.5 16.6
Regular 16.7 17.6 17.7 17.6 17.4 17.1 16.9 16.7 16.7 16.8 17.0 16.9 16.8 16.6 16.4 16.3 16.6 16.9 16.7 16.6 16.7
Under 300 12.3 12.7 12.8 12.7 12.5 12.5 12.0 12.0 11.9 12.0 12.3 12.0 12.2 12.0 12.1 11.9 11.9 12.2 12.0 12.0 12.0
300 to 499 14.9 15.7 15.7 15.5 15.3 15.1 14.6 14.5 14.4 14.4 14.7 14.7 14.6 14.4 14.4 14.3 14.3 14.6 14.6 14.5 14.4
500 to 999 16.1 16.8 16.9 16.7 16.4 16.2 16.0 15.8 15.7 15.8 16.0 15.9 15.8 15.6 15.4 15.4 15.6 15.8 15.7 15.6 15.7
1,000 to 1,499 17.2 17.9 18.0 17.9 17.5 17.2 17.1 16.8 16.8 16.9 17.2 17.0 16.8 16.5 16.5 16.3 16.6 16.9 16.6 16.5 16.6
1,500 or more 19.3 19.9 20.0 20.0 19.7 19.3 19.2 18.9 18.8 18.8 19.0 19.0 18.8 18.5 18.2 18.2 18.6 19.3 18.8 18.7 18.9
                                           
Combined schools 14.5 15.1 15.0 14.7 14.4 13.4 13.4 13.7 13.4 13.5 13.8 13.9 14.1 14.7 13.4 13.9 14.0 15.4 14.4 14.3 14.6
Under 300 8.9 9.3 9.0 8.7 8.6 8.9 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.1 9.5 9.2 9.5 10.1 9.2 8.9 9.1 9.2 9.4 9.1 9.1
300 to 499 14.2 14.4 14.7 14.3 14.0 13.6 13.8 13.5 13.1 13.1 14.4 13.4 13.9 14.3 13.7 13.9 13.8 13.6 13.3 13.2 13.5
500 to 999 16.3 16.6 16.6 16.6 16.2 15.5 14.9 15.8 15.6 16.0 15.4 15.8 15.9 16.0 15.2 15.6 15.8 16.9 15.6 15.5 15.5
1,000 to 1,499 17.8 18.3 18.2 18.4 18.0 16.9 16.9 17.5 18.1 17.7 17.5 17.4 16.4 17.3 15.9 16.7 17.9 19.2 18.1 17.8 17.9
1,500 or more 17.7 19.5 19.6 19.3 19.3 18.7 19.2 18.6 18.9 19.1 19.2 18.7 20.0 20.3 18.0 21.7 21.7 25.7 23.4 23.0 24.6
                                           
Ungraded 6.4 6.7 6.9 5.9 6.2 5.9 5.3 7.0 6.3 6.8 9.6 8.0 7.7 7.2 7.3 5.5 8.5 5.3 6.0 5.6 2.9
                                           
Level, type, and percent of
      students eligible for free
      or reduced-price lunch
                                         
Elementary, regular                                          
25 percent or less 16.6 16.4 16.2 16.2 16.0 16.4 16.8 17.4 16.4 16.4
26 to 50 percent 16.0 15.8 15.5 15.6 15.6 16.0 16.4 16.3 16.3 16.3
51 to 75 percent 15.7 15.5 15.1 15.2 15.2 15.7 16.0 15.9 16.1 16.1
More than 75 percent 16.0 15.6 15.4 15.1 15.2 15.8 16.1 15.7 16.4 16.6
Secondary, regular                                          
25 percent or less 17.5 17.0 16.9 16.8 16.6 16.8 17.2 17.8 16.6 16.7
26 to 50 percent 16.9 16.8 16.4 16.4 16.2 16.5 16.8 16.4 16.6 16.5
51 to 75 percent 16.9 16.7 16.3 16.1 16.4 16.5 17.1 16.1 16.7 16.8
More than 75 percent 16.2 16.7 16.2 15.7 15.9 16.0 16.5 15.5 16.5 16.9
—Not available.
1 Includes imputations for California and Wyoming.
NOTE: Pupil/teacher ratios are based on data reported by types of schools rather than by instructional programs within schools. Only includes schools that reported both enrollment and teacher data. Ratios are based on data reported by schools and may differ from data reported in other tables that reflect aggregate totals reported by states.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 1990-91 through 2013-14. (This table was prepared October 2015.)

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