Digest of Education Statistics
2003 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 63. Public elementary and secondary pupil to teacher ratios, by enrollment size, type, and level of school: Fall 1987 to fall 2001 

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    Enrollment size,      |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |1996 |1997 |1998 |1999 |2000 |2001
type, and level of school |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
__________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
            1             |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16
__________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____
All schools ..............| 17.9| 17.9| 17.9| 17.4| 17.6| 17.7| 17.8| 17.7| 17.8| 17.6| 17.2| 16.9| 16.6| 16.4| 16.3
  Under 300 ..............| 14.6| 14.8| 14.6| 14.0| 14.1| 14.1| 14.3| 14.1| 14.1| 14.0| 13.7| 13.6| 13.3| 13.1| 12.9
  300 to 499 .............| 17.6| 17.7| 17.6| 17.0| 17.1| 17.0| 17.3| 17.2| 17.1| 16.9| 16.5| 16.2| 15.8| 15.5| 15.4
  500 to 999 .............| 18.5| 18.4| 18.5| 18.0| 18.1| 18.1| 18.2| 18.1| 18.2| 17.9| 17.5| 17.1| 16.8| 16.7| 16.5
  1,000 to 1,499 .........| 18.5| 18.3| 18.5| 17.9| 18.2| 18.6| 18.5| 18.6| 18.7| 18.5| 18.1| 17.7| 17.6| 17.4| 17.4
  1,500 or more ..........| 19.4| 20.1| 19.4| 19.2| 19.6| 20.0| 19.7| 19.9| 20.0| 20.0| 19.7| 19.3| 19.3| 19.1| 19.0
                          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  Regular schools ........| 18.1| 18.0| 18.1| 17.6| 17.7| 17.8| 17.9| 17.8| 17.9| 17.7| 17.3| 17.0| 16.7| 16.5| 16.4
  Alternative ............| 16.0| 14.8| 16.0| 14.2| 15.8| 16.5| 17.4| 18.0| 16.6| 16.6| 16.5| 16.4| 15.8| 15.2| 14.9
  Special education ......|  6.2|  6.9|  6.2|  6.5|  6.8|  7.0|  7.4|  6.9|  7.2|  7.4|  7.6|  7.3|  7.2|  7.0|  6.4
  Vocational .............| 13.0| --- | 13.0| 13.0| 12.3| 13.0| 13.1| 12.9| 12.7| 12.9| 12.9| 13.1| 13.0| 12.7| 12.7
                          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  Elementary schools .....| 18.6| 18.6| 18.6| 18.1| 18.2| 18.1| 18.2| 18.0| 18.1| 17.8| 17.4| 17.0| 16.7| 16.5| 16.3
    Regular ..............| 18.7| 18.7| 18.7| 18.2| 18.2| 18.1| 18.3| 18.0| 18.1| 17.9| 17.4| 17.0| 16.7| 16.5| 16.3
      Under 300 ..........| 16.6| 16.7| 16.6| 16.0| 16.1| 15.9| 16.0| 15.7| 15.7| 15.6| 15.3| 15.1| 14.6| 14.4| 14.1
      300 to 499 .........| 18.3| 18.3| 18.3| 17.6| 17.6| 17.5| 17.7| 17.5| 17.5| 17.2| 16.8| 16.4| 16.1| 15.8| 15.6
      500 to 999 .........| 19.4| 19.4| 19.4| 18.8| 18.8| 18.7| 18.8| 18.5| 18.6| 18.3| 17.8| 17.4| 17.1| 16.9| 16.8
      1,000 to 1,499 .....| 20.1| 20.0| 20.1| 19.5| 19.6| 19.7| 19.7| 19.6| 19.7| 19.4| 18.8| 18.4| 18.3| 18.1| 18.0
      1,500 or more ......| 19.5| 18.9| 19.5| 19.9| 20.9| 20.3| 21.2| 20.4| 20.9| 21.2| 20.7| 19.9| 20.0| 20.5| 20.2
                          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  Secondary schools ......| 17.2| 17.2| 17.2| 16.6| 16.9| 17.3| 17.3| 17.5| 17.6| 17.5| 17.3| 17.0| 16.8| 16.6| 16.6
    Regular ..............| 17.3| 17.1| 17.3| 16.7| 17.0| 17.4| 17.4| 17.6| 17.7| 17.6| 17.4| 17.1| 16.9| 16.7| 15.5
      Under 300 ..........| 12.4| 12.7| 12.4| 12.3| 12.3| 12.3| 12.6| 12.7| 12.8| 12.7| 12.5| 12.5| 12.0| 12.0| 11.9
      300 to 499 .........| 15.5| 15.4| 15.5| 14.9| 15.1| 15.3| 15.5| 15.7| 15.7| 15.5| 15.3| 15.1| 14.6| 14.5| 14.4
      500 to 999 .........| 16.8| 16.6| 16.8| 16.1| 16.4| 16.7| 16.7| 16.8| 16.9| 16.7| 16.4| 16.2| 16.0| 15.8| 11.2
      1,000 to 1,499 .....| 17.9| 17.7| 17.9| 17.2| 17.5| 17.9| 17.8| 17.9| 18.0| 17.9| 17.5| 17.2| 17.1| 16.8| 16.8
      1,500 or more ......| 19.5| 19.5| 19.5| 19.3| 19.6| 20.0| 19.6| 19.9| 20.0| 20.0| 19.7| 19.3| 19.2| 18.9| 18.8
                          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  Combined schools .......| 15.5| 15.9| 15.5| 14.5| 15.0| 14.8| 15.3| 15.1| 15.0| 14.7| 14.4| 13.4| 13.4| 13.7| 13.4
    Under 300 ............|  9.5|  9.8|  9.5|  8.9|  9.3|  9.3|  9.6|  9.3|  9.0|  8.7|  8.6|  8.9|  9.1|  9.2|  9.1
    300 to 499 ...........| 14.4| 15.3| 14.4| 14.2| 14.3| 14.4| 14.8| 14.4| 14.7| 14.3| 14.0| 13.6| 13.8| 13.5| 13.1
    500 to 999 ...........| 17.6| 17.1| 17.6| 16.3| 16.7| 15.6| 16.5| 16.6| 16.6| 16.6| 16.2| 15.5| 14.9| 15.8| 15.6
    1,000 to 1,499 .......| 19.0| 18.5| 19.0| 17.8| 17.9| 18.6| 18.6| 18.3| 18.2| 18.4| 18.0| 16.9| 16.9| 17.5| 18.1
    1,500 or more ........| 18.8| 18.8| 18.8| 17.7| 18.6| 18.9| 18.8| 19.5| 19.6| 19.3| 19.3| 18.7| 19.2| 18.6| 18.9
                          |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |     |
  Ungraded ...............|  5.9|  6.8|  5.9|  6.4|  6.5|  6.9|  7.1|  6.7|  6.9|  5.9|  6.2|  5.9|  5.3|  7.0|  6.3
__________________________|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____

---Not available.

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 for schools by states 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, The NCES Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 1987-88 through 2001-02. (This table was prepared August 2003.)


2003 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest