In fall 2009, about 75.2 million people were enrolled in American schools and colleges (table 1). About 4.7 million people were employed as elementary and secondary school teachers or as college faculty, in full-time equivalents (FTE). Other professional, administrative, and support staff at educational institutions totaled 5.4 million. All data for 2009 in this Introduction are projected. Some data for other years are projected or estimated as noted. In discussions of historical trends, different time periods and specific years are cited, depending on the timing of important changes as well as the availability of relevant data.
Elementary/Secondary Education
Enrollment
A pattern of annual increases in total public elementary and secondary school enrollment
began in 1985 (table 3). Between 1985 and 2009,
public school enrollment rose 26 percent, from 39.4 million to 49.8 million (table
2). Private school enrollment grew more slowly than public school enrollment
during this period, rising 5 percent, from 5.6 million to 5.8 million. As a result,
the percentage of elementary and secondary students enrolled in private schools
declined from 12.4 percent in 1985 to 10.5 percent in 2009.
In public schools between 1985 and 2009, there was a 29 percent increase in elementary enrollment (prekindergarten through grade 8), compared with a 20 percent increase in secondary enrollment (table 2). Part of the relatively fast growth in public elementary school enrollment resulted from the expansion of prekindergarten programs (table 37). Between 1985 and 2007, enrollment in prekindergarten increased 614 percent, while enrollment in other elementary grades (including kindergarten through grade 8 plus ungraded elementary programs) increased 23 percent. The number of children enrolled in prekindergarten increased from 0.2 million in 1985 to 1.1 million in 2007, and the number enrolled in other elementary grades increased from 26.9 million to 33.1 million. Public secondary school enrollment declined 8 percent from 1985 to 1990, but then started increasing. For most of the period after 1992, secondary enrollment increased more rapidly than elementary enrollment, leading to relatively large secondary enrollment gains in recent years. For example, between 1999 and 2009, public secondary school enrollment rose 11 percent, compared with 4 percent for public elementary school enrollment (table 2). Overall, public school enrollment rose 6 percent between 1999 and 2009.
Since the enrollment rates of 5- and 6-year-olds, 7- to 13-year-olds, and 14- to 17-year-olds changed by about 2 or fewer percentage points between 1985 and 2008, increases in public and private elementary and secondary school enrollment have been driven primarily by increases in the number of children in these age groups (tables 7 and 15). Increases in both the enrollment rate of 3- and 4-year-old children (from 39 percent in 1985 to 53 percent in 2008) and the number of children in this age group (from 7.1 million to 8.3 million) also contributed to overall enrollment increases.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) forecasts record levels of total elementary and secondary enrollment through at least 2018, reflecting expected increases in the size of the school-age population. For public schools, the projected fall 2009 enrollment is expected to be a new record, and new records are expected every year through 2018, the last year for which NCES enrollment projections have been developed (table 3). Public elementary school enrollment (prekindergarten through grade 8) is projected to increase by 9 percent between 2009 and 2018. Public secondary school enrollment (grades 9 through 12) is expected to increase 6 percent between 2009 and 2018. Overall, total public school enrollment is expected to increase 8 percent between 2009 and 2018.
Teachers
A projected 3.7 million full-time-equivalent (FTE) elementary and secondary school
teachers were engaged in classroom instruction in fall 2009 (table
4). This number has risen 12 percent since 1999. The 2009 projected number
of FTE teachers includes 3.2 million public school teachers and 0.5 million private
school teachers.
The number of public school teachers has risen faster than the number of public school students over the past 10 years, resulting in declines in the pupil/teacher ratio (table 64). In the fall of 2009, there were a projected 15.3 public school pupils per teacher, compared with 16.1 public school pupils per teacher 10 years earlier.
The average salary for public school teachers in 2008–09 was $53,910, about 2 percent higher than in 1998–99, after adjustment for inflation (table 78). The salaries of public school teachers have generally maintained pace with inflation since 1990–91.
Student Performance
Most of the student performance data in the Digest are drawn from the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP assessments have been conducted using three
basic designs: the national main NAEP, state NAEP, and long-term trend NAEP. The
national main NAEP and state NAEP provide current information about student performance
in a variety of subjects, while long-term trend NAEP provides information on performance
since the early 1970s in reading and mathematics only. Results from long-term trend
NAEP are included in the discussion in chapter 2 of the Digest, while the information
in this Introduction includes only results from the national main and state NAEP.
The main NAEP reports current information for the nation and specific geographic regions of the country. The assessment program includes students drawn from both public and nonpublic schools and reports results for student achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12. The main NAEP assessments follow the frameworks developed by the National Assessment Governing Board and use the latest advances in assessment methodology. The state NAEP is identical in content to the national main NAEP, but the state NAEP reports information only for public school students. Chapter 2 presents more information on the NAEP designs and methodology, and additional details appear in Appendix A: Guide to Sources
Reading
Reported on a scale of 0 to 500, national average reading scores of 4th- and 8th-graders
were higher in 2007 than in 1992, by 4 and 3 points, respectively (table
123). These 2007 scores were also higher than the 2005 scores. The reading
score of 12th-graders was 6 points lower in 2005 (the most recent assessment year
for grade 12) than in 1992. In the most recent assessment, females at each grade
level outscored their male counterparts. For example, 12th-grade females scored
13 points higher than males in 2005. Average scores were higher in 2007 than in
1992 for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander 4th-graders (ranging
from 6 to 16 points) and for White, Black, and Hispanic 8th-graders (ranging from
5 to 7 points), while scores were lower in 2005 than in 1992 for White, Black, and
Hispanic 12th-graders (ranging from 5 to 7 points).
The 2007 main NAEP reading assessment of states found that the average reading proficiency of public school 4th- and 8th-graders varied across participating jurisdictions (the 50 states, the Department of Defense overseas and domestic schools, and the District of Columbia). For 4th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 220, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 197 in the District of Columbia to 236 in Massachusetts (table 120). For 8th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 261, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 241 in the District of Columbia to 273 in the Department of Defense schools, Massachusetts, and Vermont (table 121).
Mathematics
From 2007 to 2009, gains in average NAEP mathematics scores seen in earlier years
continued at grade 8 but not at grade 4. At grade 8, the average NAEP mathematics
score (reported on a scale of 0 to 500) increased 2 points from 2007 to 2009 and
was higher in 2009 than in any previous assessment year (table
138). At grade 4, the average score in 2009 was unchanged from the score
in 2007 but still higher than the scores in the six assessment years from 1990 to
2005. From 2007 to 2009, no significant score changes occurred at grade 4 for males
or females or for any of the racial/ethnic groups. At grade 8, average scores increased
from 2007 to 2009 for both male and female students as well as for White, Black,
Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students. For American Indian/Alaska Native
8th-graders, no measurable differences were detected in average scores over the
assessment years.
The 2009 main NAEP assessment of states found that the average mathematics proficiency of public school 4th- and 8th-graders varied across participating jurisdictions (the 50 states, the Department of Defense overseas and domestic schools, and the District of Columbia). For 4th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 239, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 219 in the District of Columbia to 251 in New Hampshire and 252 in Massachusetts (table 135). For 8th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 282, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 254 in the District of Columbia to 299 in Massachusetts (table 136).
Science
NAEP has assessed the science abilities of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in both
public and private schools since 1996, using a separate scale of 0 to 300 for each
grade. The national average 4th-grade science score increased from 147 in 1996 to
151 in 2005; there was no measurable change in the 8th-grade score; and the 12th-grade
score decreased from 150 in 1996 to 147 in 2005 (table
140). Certain subgroups outperformed others in science in 2005. For example,
males outperformed females at all three grades. Male 4th-graders had a higher average
score in 2005 than in 1996, and both male and female 12th-graders had lower scores
in 2005 than in 1996. White students scored higher, on average, than Black and Hispanic
students at all three grades in 2005. At grade 4, average scores were higher for
White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students in 2005 than in 1996.
At grade 8, the average score for Black students was higher in 2005 than in 1996,
but the scores did not measurably change for other racial/ethnic groups. At grade
12, there were no measurable changes in average scores for any racial/ethnic group
when comparing results from 2005 with those from 1996.
International Comparisons
The 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessed
students' mathematics and science performance at grade 4 in 36 countries and at
grade 8 in 48 countries. The assessment is curriculum based and measures what students
have actually learned against the subject matter that is expected to be taught in
the participating countries by the end of grades 4 and 8. At both grades, TIMSS
scores are reported on a scale of 0 to 1,000, with the scale average fixed at 500.
In 2007, the average mathematics scores of U.S. 4th-graders (529) and 8th-graders
(508) were higher than the scale average (tables 405
and 406). U.S. 4th-graders scored higher in mathematics,
on average, than their counterparts in 23 countries and lower than those in 8 countries
(table 405). Average mathematics scores in the
other 4 countries were not measurably different from the U.S. average. At grade
8, the average U.S. mathematics score was higher than those of students in 37 countries
in 2007 and below the average scores of students in 5 countries (table 406). Average
8th-grade mathematics scores in the other 5 countries were not measurably different
from the U.S. average. The average science scores of both U.S. 4th-graders (539)
and eighth-graders (520) were higher than the fixed TIMSS scale average of 500 in
2007 (tables 410 and 411). The average U.S. 4th-grade science score was higher than
those of students in 25 countries, lower than those of students in 4 countries,
and not measurably different from those in the remaining 6 countries (table 410).
At grade 8, the average U.S. science score was higher than the average scores of
students in 35 of the 47 other countries, lower than those in 9 countries, and not
measurably different from those in the other 3 countries (table 411).
In the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006, U.S. 15-year-old students' average mathematics literacy score of 474 was lower than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 498 and placed U.S. 15-year-olds in the bottom quarter of participating OECD nations (table 402). Fifteen-year-old students in 23 of the 29 other participating OECD-member countries outperformed their U.S. peers. There was no measurable change in U.S. 15-year-olds' average mathematics literacy score between 2003 and 2006, in its relationship to the OECD average, or in its relative position to the countries whose scores increased or decreased. In PISA 2006, U.S. 15-year-old students' average science literacy score of 489 was lower than the OECD average of 500 and placed U.S. 15-year-olds in the bottom third of participating OECD nations. Fifteen-year-old students in 16 of the 29 other participating OECD-member countries outperformed their U.S. peers in terms of average scores.
High School Graduates and Dropouts
About 3,329,000 high school students are expected to graduate during the 2008–09
school year (table 103), including about 3,019,000 public school graduates and 311,000
private school graduates. High school graduates include only recipients of diplomas,
not recipients of equivalency credentials. The number of high school graduates projected
for 2009–10 is lower than the record-high projection for 2008–09, but exceeds the
high point during the baby boom era in 1975–76, when 3,142,000 students earned diplomas.
In 2006–07, an estimated 73.9 percent of public high school students graduated on
time—that is, received a diploma 4 years after beginning their freshman year (table
105).
The number of General Educational Development (GED) credentials issued by the states to GED test passers rose from 330,000 in 1977 to 487,000 in 2000 (table 107). A record number of 648,000 GED credentials were issued in 2001. In 2002, there were revisions to the GED test and to the data reporting procedures. In 2001, test takers were required to successfully complete all five components of the GED or else begin the five-part series again with the new test that was introduced in 2002. Prior to 2002, reporting was based on summary data from the states on the number of GED credentials issued. As of 2002, reporting has been based on individual GED candidate- and test-level records collected by the GED Testing Service. In 2008, about 469,000 passed the GED tests, up from 330,000 in 2002, the first year of the new test series. 1
The percentage of dropouts among 16- to 24-year-olds has shown some decreases over the past 20 years. This percentage, known as the status dropout rate, includes all people in the 16- to 24-year-old age group who are not enrolled in school and who have not completed a high school program, regardless of when they left school. (People who left school but went on to receive a GED credential are not treated as dropouts in this measure.) Between 1988 and 2008, the status dropout rate declined from 12.9 percent to 8.0 percent (table 108). Although the status dropout rate declined for both Blacks and Hispanics during this period, their rates in 2008 (9.9 and 18.3 percent, respectively) remained higher than the rate for Whites (4.8 percent) in 2008. This measure is based on the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which excludes people in prisons, people in the military, and other people not living in households.
Educational Technology
The number of computers in public elementary and secondary schools has increased.
In 2005, the average public school contained 154 instructional computers, compared
with 90 in 1998 (table 425). One important technological advance that has come to
classrooms following the introduction of computers has been connections to the Internet.
The percentage of instructional rooms with access to the Internet increased from
51 percent in 1998 to 94 percent in 2005 (figure 29). Nearly all schools had access
to the Internet in 2005 (table 425).
Postsecondary Education
College Enrollment
College enrollment was a projected 19.6 million in fall 2009, higher than in any
previous year (table 3). College enrollment is expected to continue setting new
records from fall 2010 through fall 2018. Between fall 2009 and fall 2018, enrollment
is expected to increase by 9 percent. Despite decreases in the size of the traditional
college-age population (18 to 24 years old) during the late 1980s and early 1990s,
total enrollment increased during this period (tables 7, 15, 189, and 204). The
traditional college-age population rose 14 percent between 1998 and 2008, which
was reflected by an increase of 32 percent in college enrollment. Between 1998 and
2008, the number of full-time students increased by 37 percent, compared to a 24
percent increase in part-time students (table 189). During the same time period,
the number of males enrolled increased 29 percent, while the number of females enrolled
increased 34 percent.
Faculty
In fall 2007, degree-granting institutions—defined as postsecondary institutions
that grant an associate's or higher degree and are eligible for Title IV federal
financial aid programs—employed 1.4 million faculty members, including 0.7 million
full-time and 0.7 million part-time faculty (table 245). In addition, degree-granting
institutions employed 0.3 million graduate assistants.
Postsecondary Degrees
During the 2007–08 academic year, postsecondary degrees numbered 750,000 associate's
degrees; 1,563,000 bachelor's degrees; 625,000 master's degrees; 91,300 first-professional
degrees; and 63,700 doctor's degrees (table 268). Between 1997–98 and 2007–08, the
number of degrees conferred rose at all levels. The number of associate's degrees
was 34 percent higher in 2007–08 than in 1997–98, the number of bachelor's degrees
was 32 percent higher, the number of master's degrees was 45 percent higher, the
number of first-professional degrees was 16 percent higher, and the number of doctor's
degrees was 38 percent higher.
Between 1997–98 and 2007–08, the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to males increased 28 percent, while the number awarded to females increased 35 percent. As a result, females earned 57 percent of all bachelor's degrees in 2007–08, compared with 56 percent in 1997–98. Between 1997–98 and 2007–08, the number of White students earning bachelor's degrees increased 25 percent, compared with the larger increases of 55 percent for Black students, 86 percent for Hispanic students, 52 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander students, and 46 percent for American Indian/Alaska Native students (table 285). In 2007–08, White students earned 72 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded (vs. 76 percent in 1997–98), Black students earned 10 percent (vs. 8 percent in 1997–98), Hispanic students earned 8 percent (vs. 6 percent in 1997–98), and Asian/Pacific Islander students earned 7 percent (vs. 6 percent in 1997–98). American Indian/Alaska Native students earned about 1 percent of the degrees in both years.
Undergraduate Prices
For the 2008–09 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and
board were estimated to be $12,283 at public institutions and $31,233 at private
institutions (table 334). Between 1998–99 and 2008–09, prices for undergraduate
tuition, room, and board at public institutions rose 32 percent, and prices at private
institutions rose 24 percent, after adjustment for inflation.
Educational Attainment
The U.S. Census Bureau collects annual statistics on the educational attainment of the population. Between 1999 and 2009, the percentage of the adult population 25 years of age and over who had completed high school rose from 83 percent to 87 percent, and the percentage of adults with a bachelor's degree increased from 25 percent to 30 percent (table 8). High school completers include those people who graduated from high school with a diploma, as well as those who completed high school through equivalency programs. The percentage of young adults (25- to 29-year-olds) who had completed high school in 2009 was about the same as it was in 1999 (89 and 88 percent, respectively). The percentage of young adults who had completed a bachelor's degree increased from 28 percent in 1999 to 31 percent in 2009.
Education Expenditures
Expenditures for public and private education, from prekindergarten through graduate school (excluding postsecondary schools not awarding associate's or higher degrees), are estimated at $1.1 trillion for 2008–09 (table 26). Expenditures of elementary and secondary schools are expected to total $661 billion, while those of degree-granting postsecondary institutions are expected to total $432 billion. Total expenditures for education are expected to amount to 7.6 percent of the gross domestic product in 2008–09, about 0.7 percentage points higher than in 1998–99.
Interpreting Statistics
Readers should be aware of the limitations of statistics. These limitations vary with the exact nature of a particular survey. For example, estimates based on a sample of institutions will differ somewhat from the figures that would have been obtained if a complete census had been taken using the same survey procedures. Standard errors are available for sample survey data appearing in this report. In most cases, standard errors for all items appear in the printed table. In some cases, only standard errors for key items appear in the printed table. Standard errors that do not appear in the tables are available from NCES upon request. Although some of the surveys conducted by NCES are census or universe surveys (which attempt to collect information from all potential respondents), all surveys are subject to design, reporting, and processing errors and errors due to nonresponse. Differences in sampling, data collection procedures, coverage of target population, timing, phrasing of questions, scope of nonresponse, interviewer training, data processing, coding, and so forth mean that the results from the different sources may not be strictly comparable. More information on survey methodologies can be found in Appendix A: Guide to Sources.
Estimates presented in the text and figures are rounded from original estimates, not from a series of roundings. Percentages in the text are rounded to whole numbers, while ratios and percentage distributions are normally presented to one decimal place, where applicable.
Unless otherwise noted, all data in this report are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Unless otherwise noted, all financial data are in current dollars, meaning not adjusted for changes in the purchasing power of the dollar due to inflation. Price indexes for inflation adjustments can be found in table 32.
Common data elements are collected in different ways in different surveys. Since the Digest relies on a number of data sources, there are discrepancies in definitions and data across tables in the volume. For example, several different surveys collect data on public school enrollment, and while similar, the estimates are not identical. The definitions of racial/ethnic groups also differ across surveys, particularly with respect to persons of two or more races. Individual tables note the definitions used in the given studies.
All statements cited in the text about differences between two or more groups or changes over time were tested for statistical significance and are statistically significant at the .05 level. Various test procedures were used, depending on the nature of the statement tested. The most commonly used test procedures were t tests, equivalence tests, and linear trend tests. Equivalence tests were used to determine whether two statistics are substantively equivalent or substantively different. This was accomplished by using a hypothesis test to determine whether the confidence interval of the difference between sample estimates is substantively significant (i.e., greater or less than a preset substantively important difference). In most cases involving percentages, a difference of 3.0 was used to determine substantive equivalence or difference. In some comparisons involving only very small percentages, a lower difference was used. In cases involving only relatively large values, a larger difference was used, such as $1,000 in the case of annual salaries. Linear trend tests were conducted by evaluating the significance of the slope of a simple regression of the data over time, and a t test comparing the end points.