Digest of Education Statistics
2008 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Previous Page Download Excel Excel format (30KB)


Table 64. Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2017
Year Teachers (in thousands) Enrollment (in thousands) Pupil/teacher ratio
Total Public Private Total Public Private Total Public Private
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1955 1,286 1,141 145 1  35,280 30,680 4,600 1  27.4 26.9 31.7 1 
1960 1,600 1,408 192 1  42,181 36,281 5,900 1  26.4 25.8 30.7 1 
1965 1,933 1,710 223   48,473 42,173 6,300   25.1 24.7 28.3  
1970 2,292 2,059 233   51,257 45,894 5,363   22.4 22.3 23.0  
                         
1971 2,293 2,063 230 1  51,271 46,071 5,200 1  22.4 22.3 22.6 1 
1972 2,337 2,106 231 1  50,726 45,726 5,000 1  21.7 21.7 21.6 1 
1973 2,372 2,136 236 1  50,445 45,445 5,000 1  21.3 21.3 21.2 1 
1974 2,410 2,165 245 1  50,073 45,073 5,000 1  20.8 20.8 20.4 1 
1975 2,453 2,198 255 1  49,819 44,819 5,000 1  20.3 20.4 19.6 1 
                         
1976 2,457 2,189 268   49,478 44,311 5,167   20.1 20.2 19.3  
1977 2,488 2,209 279   48,717 43,577 5,140   19.6 19.7 18.4  
1978 2,479 2,207 272   47,637 42,551 5,086   19.2 19.3 18.7  
1979 2,461 2,185 276 1  46,651 41,651 5,000 1  19.0 19.1 18.1 1 
1980 2,485 2,184 301   46,208 40,877 5,331   18.6 18.7 17.7  
                         
1981 2,440 2,127 313 1  45,544 40,044 5,500 1  18.7 18.8 17.6 1 
1982 2,458 2,133 325 1  45,166 39,566 5,600 1  18.4 18.6 17.2 1 
1983 2,476 2,139 337   44,967 39,252 5,715   18.2 18.4 17.0  
1984 2,508 2,168 340 1  44,908 39,208 5,700 1  17.9 18.1 16.8 1 
1985 2,549 2,206 343   44,979 39,422 5,557   17.6 17.9 16.2  
                         
1986 2,592 2,244 348 1  45,205 39,753 5,452 1  17.4 17.7 15.7 1 
1987 2,631 2,279 352   45,488 40,008 5,479   17.3 17.6 15.6  
1988 2,668 2,323 345   45,430 40,189 5,242 1  17.0 17.3 15.2 1 
1989 2,713 2,357 356   46,141 40,543 5,599   17.0 17.2 15.7  
1990 2,759 2,398 361 1  46,864 41,217 5,648 1  17.0 17.2 15.6 1 
                         
1991 2,797 2,432 365   47,728 42,047 5,681   17.1 17.3 15.6  
1992 2,827 2,459 368 1  48,500 42,823 5,677 1  17.2 17.4 15.4 1 
1993 2,874 2,504 370   49,133 43,465 5,668   17.1 17.4 15.3  
1994 2,925 2,552 373 1  49,898 44,111 5,787 1  17.1 17.3 15.5 1 
1995 2,974 2,598 376   50,759 44,840 5,918   17.1 17.3 15.7  
                         
1996 3,051 2,667 384 1  51,544 45,611 5,933 1  16.9 17.1 15.5 1 
1997 3,138 2,746 391   52,071 46,127 5,944   16.6 16.8 15.2  
1998 3,230 2,830 400 1  52,526 46,539 5,988 1  16.3 16.4 15.0 1 
1999 3,319 2,911 408   52,875 46,857 6,018   15.9 16.1 14.7  
2000 3,366 2,941 424 1  53,373 47,204 6,169 1  15.9 16.0 14.5 1 
                         
2001 3,440 3,000 441   53,992 47,672 6,320   15.7 15.9 14.3  
2002 3,476 3,034 442 1  54,403 48,183 6,220 1  15.7 15.9 14.1 1 
2003 3,490 3,049 441   54,639 48,540 6,099   15.7 15.9 13.8  
2004 3,538 3,091 447 1  54,882 48,795 6,087 1  15.5 15.8 13.6 1 
2005 3,593 3,143 450   55,187 49,113 6,073   15.4 15.6 13.5  
                         
2006 3,632 3,180 452 2 55,394 49,299 6,095 2 15.2 15.5 13.5 2
20072  3,663 3,204 459   55,710 49,644 6,066   15.2 15.5 13.2  
20082  3,713 3,246 467   55,879 49,825 6,054   15.0 15.3 13.0  
20092  3,760 3,286 474   56,116 50,067 6,049   14.9 15.2 12.8  
20102  3,808 3,326 482   56,400 50,353 6,047   14.8 15.1 12.5  
                         
20112  3,859 3,369 489   56,781 50,722 6,059   14.7 15.1 12.4  
20122  3,914 3,417 497   57,275 51,194 6,081   14.6 15.0 12.2  
20132  3,970 3,465 505   57,817 51,701 6,116   14.6 14.9 12.1  
20142  4,034 3,520 513   58,446 52,284 6,162   14.5 14.9 12.0  
20152  4,101 3,579 522   59,127 52,910 6,217   14.4 14.8 11.9  
                         
20162  4,171 3,640 531   59,786 53,503 6,283   14.3 14.7 11.8  
20172  4,244 3,704 540   60,443 54,087 6,356   14.2 14.6 11.8  
1 Estimated. 
2 Projected.
NOTE: Data for teachers are expressed in full-time equivalents (FTE). Counts of private school teachers and enrollment include prekindergarten through grade 12 in schools offer-ing kindergarten or higher grades. Counts of public school teachers and enrollment include prekindergarten through grade 12. The pupil/teacher ratio includes teachers for students with disabilities and other special teachers, while these teachers are generally excluded from class size calculations. Ratios for public schools reflect totals reported by states and differ from totals reported for schools or school districts. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary Day Schools, 1955–56 through 1984–85; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1985–86 through 2006–07; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989–90 through 2005–06; Projections of Education Statistics to 2017; and unpublished data. (This table was prepared October 2008.)

2008 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Previous Page Download Excel Excel format (30KB)