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Back-to-School Fast Facts

In fall 2020, about 48.1 million public school students attended elementary and secondary schools either in person, online, or some combination of the two.

48.1 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

Adult literacy  New!

Advanced mathematics and science courses

Arts

International comparisons of achievement

Long-term trends in reading and mathematics achievement

Mathematics

Reading

SAT scores

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  New!

Bullying

Career and technical education

Charter schools

Closed schools

Condition of public school facilities

Distance learning

Dropout rates

Educational institutions

English language learners

Enrollment trends

Expenditures

High school graduation rates

Homeschooling

Knowledge and skills at kindergarten

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

State-level statistics

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities, inclusion of

Sustainable Development Goals

Teacher characteristics and trends

Teacher qualifications

Title I

Transportation

Violence prevention

Written plans for emergency scenarios

 Library

Libraries

 Postsecondary and Beyond

Adult learning

Adult skills in an international context

College crime

Degrees conferred by race and sex

Distance learning

Educational attainment  New!

Employment rates of young adults  New!

Endowments

Enrollment

Expenditures

Financial aid

Graduation rates  New!

Highest enrollment

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Immediate transition to college  New!

Income of young adults  New!

International comparisons of education outcomes

Most popular majors

NCES surveys on students and teachers

Race/ethnicity of college faculty  New!

Student debt

Students with disabilities

Time to degree

Title IX  New!

Tuition costs of colleges and universities

 Resources

Back-to-school statistics

Coronavirus pandemic resources

Educational associations

Glossary

Historical reports

Ordering NCES publications and products