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Back-to-School Fast Facts

In fall 2020, about 49.4 million public school students attended elementary and secondary schools either in person, online, or some combination of the two.

49.4 million students in public schools

Estimated $667 billion spent related to public school education in 2018–19

Fast Facts by Topic

Additional references on each of these topics are highlighted within each fact.

 Assessments

ACT scores  New!

Adult literacy

Advanced mathematics and science courses  New!

Arts

International comparisons of achievement

Long-term trends in reading and mathematics achievement  New!

Mathematics

Reading

SAT scores  New!

Science

State-by-state rankings

 Early Childhood

Child care

Early literacy activities

Knowledge and skills of young children

Preprimary education enrollment

 Elementary and Secondary

Access to the internet

Bullying

Career and technical education

Charter schools

Closed schools  New!

Condition of public school facilities

Distance learning  New!

Dropout rates

Educational institutions

English language learners

Enrollment trends

Expenditures

High school graduation rates

Homeschooling

Knowledge and skills at kindergarten

Libraries  New!

NCES surveys on students and teachers

Public and private school comparison

Public school choice programs

Public school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

School crime

School ID codes and searches

School safety and security measures

School uniforms

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, by gender  New!

State-level statistics

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities, inclusion of

Sustainable Development Goals

Teacher characteristics and trends

Teacher qualifications

Title I

Transportation  New!

Violence prevention

Written plans for emergency scenarios

 Postsecondary and Beyond

Adult learning  New!

Adult skills in an international context  New!

College crime

Degrees conferred by race/ethnicity and sex

Distance learning

Educational attainment

Employment rates of young adults

Endowments  New!

Enrollment

Expenditures

Financial aid

Graduation rates

Highest enrollment   New!

Historically Black Colleges and Universities  New!

Immediate transition to college

Income of young adults

International educational attainment  New!

Libraries  New!

Most popular majors

NCES surveys on students and teachers

Race/ethnicity of college faculty

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, by gender  New!

Student debt

Students with disabilities  New!

Time to degree  New!

Title IX

Tuition costs of colleges and universities

 Resources

Back-to-school statistics

Coronavirus pandemic resources

Educational associations

Glossary  New!

Historical reports

Ordering NCES publications and products