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Number and percentage of public school K-12 teachers, by survey years, workforce categories relative to a specific school, and employment background: 1987–88, 1990–91, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2003–04, and 2007–08

Workforce category and
employment background
1987-88 1990-91 1993-94 1999-2000 2003-04 2007-08
Number Per-
cent
  Number Per-
cent
  Number Per-
cent
  Number Per-
cent
  Number Per-
cent
  Number Per-
cent
 
Total workforce at the
  start of the year 
2,323,200 100.0   2,559,500 100.0   2,561,300 100.0   3,002,300 100.0   3,250,600 100.0   3,404,500 100.0  
                                     
Continuing teachers in schools  2,022,400 87.1   2,230,600 87.2   2,245,000 87.7   2,599,300 86.6   2,816,700 86.7   2,933,600 86.2  
                                     
New hires in schools  300,800 12.9   328,900 12.8   316,300 12.3   403,000 13.4   433,900 13.3   470,900 13.8  
Transfers at the start of the year1  161,400 6.9   178,700 7.0   165,800 6.5   223,000 7.4   235,800 7.3   269,900 7.9  
Within the same school district  83,900 3.6   99,700 3.9   95,300 3.7   98,600 3.3   132,100 4.1   123,600 3.6  
Outside the school district  77,500 3.3   78,900 3.1   70,500 2.8   124,400 4.1   103,700 3.2   146,300 4.3  
From the same state  56,000 2.4   60,400 2.4   45,400 1.8   83,600 2.8   68,900 2.1   103,600 3.0  
From out-of-state  21,500 0.9   18,500 0.7   16,300 0.6   27,100 0.9   22,700 0.7   27,700 0.8  
From a private school      8,900 0.3   13,700 0.5   12,100 0.4   15,000 0.4  
New entrants  139,400 6.0   150,200 5.9   150,500 5.9   180,000 6.0   198,100 6.1   201,000 5.9  
Returning teachers  80,100 3.4   59,500 2.3   48,000 1.9   55,200 1.8   73,100 2.2   54,500 1.6  
Delayed entrants  22,600 1.0   39,100 1.5   44,400 1.7   51,600 1.7   50,600 1.6   54,000 1.6  
Recent graduates  36,800 1.6   51,600 2.0   58,100 2.3   73,100 2.4   74,500 2.3   92,500 2.7  
— Not available.
1 The subcategories of teachers who transferred at the start of the year are based on the main activity before teaching at their current school for the 1987-88, 1990-91, and 1993-94 year and on the main activity in the last school year for the 1999-2000, 2003-04, and 2007-08 survey years. The 1987-88 and 1990-91 surveys did not include information about private school teaching as main activity in the year before teaching in their current school.
NOTE: Public school teachers include K-12 teachers from traditional public schools and charter schools. Continuing teachers are teachers who were working in the same school the previous year. New hires are teachers who were not working in their current school the previous year. Returning teachers are teachers whose main activity the previous year was not working as a K-12 teacher but had previous experience working as a K-12 teacher. Delayed entrants are teachers who started working as K-12 teachers during the survey year, had no previous experience as a K-12 teacher, and were not in school the previous year. Recent graduates are teachers who started working as K-12 teachers during the survey year, had no previous experience as a K-12 teacher, and were in school the previous year. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public Teacher Questionnaire," 1987-88, Public Teacher Questionnaire, 1999-91, "Public Teacher Questionnaire," 1993-94, "Public Teacher Questionnaire," 1999-2000, "Public School Teacher Data File," 2003-04, and "Public School Teacher Data File," 2007-08.