Table 3.

Enrollment in educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869-70 through fall 2020

[In thousands]
Year	Total enroll-ment, all levels	Elementary and secondary, total	Public elementary and secondary schools			Private elementary and secondary schools1						Postsecondary degree- granting institutions2
			Total	Prekinder- garten through grade 8	Grades 9 through 12	Total		Prekinder-garten through grade 8		Grades 9 through 12		Total		Public	Private
1	2	3	4	5	6	7		8		9		10		11	12
1869-70	—	—	6,872	6,792	80	—		—		—		52		—	—
1879-80	—	—	9,868	9,757	110	—		—		—		116		—	—
1889-90	14,491	14,334	12,723	12,520	203	1,611		1,516		95		157		—	—
1899-1900	17,092	16,855	15,503	14,984	519	1,352		1,241		111		238		—	—
1909-10	19,728	19,372	17,814	16,899	915	1,558		1,441		117		355		—	—
1919-20	23,876	23,278	21,578	19,378	2,200	1,699		1,486		214		598		—	—
1929-30	29,430	28,329	25,678	21,279	4,399	2,651		2,310		341		1,101		—	—
1939-40	29,539	28,045	25,434	18,832	6,601	2,611		2,153		458		1,494		797	698
1949-50	31,151	28,492	25,111	19,387	5,725	3,380		2,708		672		2,659		1,355	1,304
Fall 1959	44,497	40,857	35,182	26,911	8,271	5,675		4,640		1,035		3,640		2,181	1,459
Fall 1969	59,055	51,050	45,550	32,513	13,037	5,500	3	4,200	3	1,300	3	8,005		5,897	2,108
Fall 1979	58,221	46,651	41,651	28,034	13,616	5,000	3	3,700	3	1,300	3	11,570		9,037	2,533
Fall 1980	58,305	46,208	40,877	27,647	13,231	5,331		3,992		1,339		12,097		9,457	2,640
Fall 1981	57,916	45,544	40,044	27,280	12,764	5,500	3	4,100	3	1,400	3	12,372		9,647	2,725
Fall 1982	57,591	45,166	39,566	27,161	12,405	5,600	3	4,200	3	1,400	3	12,426		9,696	2,730
Fall 1983	57,432	44,967	39,252	26,981	12,271	5,715		4,315		1,400		12,465		9,683	2,782
Fall 1984	57,150	44,908	39,208	26,905	12,304	5,700	3	4,300	3	1,400	3	12,242		9,477	2,765
Fall 1985	57,226	44,979	39,422	27,034	12,388	5,557		4,195		1,362		12,247		9,479	2,768
Fall 1986	57,709	45,205	39,753	27,420	12,333	5,452	3	4,116	3	1,336	3	12,504		9,714	2,790
Fall 1987	58,254	45,488	40,008	27,933	12,076	5,479		4,232		1,247		12,767		9,973	2,793
Fall 1988	58,485	45,430	40,189	28,501	11,687	5,242	3	4,036	3	1,206	3	13,055		10,161	2,894
Fall 1989	59,680	46,141	40,543	29,150	11,393	5,599		4,468		1,131		13,539		10,578	2,961
Fall 1990	60,683	46,864	41,217	29,876	11,341	5,648	3	4,512	3	1,136	3	13,819		10,845	2,974
Fall 1991	62,087	47,728	42,047	30,503	11,544	5,681		4,550		1,131		14,359		11,310	3,049
Fall 1992	63,181	48,694	42,823	31,086	11,737	5,870	3	4,746	3	1,125	3	14,487		11,385	3,103
Fall 1993	63,837	49,532	43,465	31,502	11,963	6,067		4,950		1,118		14,305		11,189	3,116
Fall 1994	64,385	50,106	44,111	31,896	12,215	5,994	3	4,856	3	1,138	3	14,279		11,134	3,145
Fall 1995	65,020	50,759	44,840	32,338	12,502	5,918		4,756		1,163		14,262		11,092	3,169
Fall 1996	65,911	51,544	45,611	32,762	12,849	5,933	3	4,755	3	1,178	3	14,368		11,120	3,247
Fall 1997	66,574	52,071	46,127	33,071	13,056	5,944		4,759		1,185		14,502		11,196	3,306
Fall 1998	67,033	52,526	46,539	33,344	13,195	5,988	3	4,776	3	1,212	3	14,507		11,138	3,369
Fall 1999	67,725	52,875	46,857	33,486	13,371	6,018		4,789		1,229		14,850		11,376	3,474
Fall 2000	68,685	53,373	47,204	33,686	13,517	6,169	3	4,906	3	1,264	3	15,312		11,753	3,560
Fall 2001	69,920	53,992	47,672	33,936	13,736	6,320		5,023		1,296		15,928		12,233	3,695
Fall 2002	71,015	54,403	48,183	34,114	14,069	6,220	3	4,915	3	1,306	3	16,612		12,752	3,860
Fall 2003	71,551	54,639	48,540	34,201	14,339	6,099		4,788		1,311		16,911		12,859	4,053
Fall 2004	72,154	54,882	48,795	34,178	14,618	6,087	3	4,756	3	1,331	3	17,272		12,980	4,292
Fall 2005	72,674	55,187	49,113	34,204	14,909	6,073		4,724		1,349		17,487		13,022	4,466
Fall 2006	73,066	55,307	49,316	34,235	15,081	5,991	3	4,631	3	1,360	3	17,759		13,180	4,579
Fall 2007	73,451	55,203	49,293	34,205	15,087	5,910		4,546		1,364		18,248		13,491	4,757
Fall 2008	74,076	54,973	49,266	34,286	14,980	5,707	3	4,365	3	1,342	3	19,103		13,972	5,131
Fall 2009	75,290	54,862	49,373	34,418	14,955	5,488		4,179		1,309		20,428		14,811	5,617
Fall 20104	75,720	54,704	49,306	34,637	14,668	5,398		4,092		1,306		21,016		15,143	5,873
Fall 20114	76,321	54,746	49,422	34,892	14,530	5,324		4,057		1,266		21,575		15,640	5,934
Fall 20124	76,522	54,905	49,642	35,129	14,512	5,263		4,034		1,229		21,617		15,668	5,949
Fall 20134	76,988	55,133	49,914	35,368	14,545	5,219		4,025		1,194		21,855		15,836	6,019
Fall 20144	77,708	55,455	50,268	35,579	14,689	5,187		4,027		1,160		22,253		16,121	6,132
Fall 20154	78,448	55,836	50,659	35,829	14,830	5,176		4,042		1,134		22,612		16,378	6,234
Fall 20164	79,169	56,214	51,038	36,161	14,877	5,176		4,073		1,103		22,955		16,624	6,331
Fall 20174	79,879	56,617	51,430	36,491	14,939	5,187		4,110		1,077		23,262		16,847	6,415
Fall 20184	80,588	57,009	51,803	36,803	15,000	5,206		4,146		1,060		23,579		17,078	6,502
Fall 20194	81,309	57,438	52,204	37,121	15,083	5,234		4,181		1,052		23,871		17,292	6,579
Fall 20204	82,014	57,939	52,666	37,444	15,222	5,273		4,216		1,056		24,075		17,444	6,632

—Not available.

1 Beginning in fall 1980, data include estimates for an expanded universe of private schools. Therefore, direct comparisons with earlier years should be avoided.

2 Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 include resident degree-credit students enrolled at any time during the academic year. Beginning in 1959, data include all resident and extension students enrolled at the beginning of the fall term.

3 Estimated.

4  Projected data from NCES 2011-026, Projections of Education Statistics to 2020. Fall 2010 data for degree-granting institutions are actual.

NOTE: Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 reflect enrollment for the entire school year. Elementary and secondary enrollment includes students in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian), but generally excludes homeschooled children and students in subcollegiate departments of colleges and in federal schools. Based on the National Household Education Survey, the homeschooled children numbered approximately 1.5 million in 2007. Excludes preprimary pupils in private schools that do not offer kindergarten or above. Postsecondary data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. (See Appendix A: Guide to Sources for details.) 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, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education, 1870 to 1910; Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1919-20 through 1949-50; Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1959 through 1980; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 1981-82 through 2009-10; Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2007); Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2009-10; Projections of Education Statistics to 2020; Opening (Fall) Enrollment in Higher Education, 1959; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1969 through 1985; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:86-99); and IPEDS Spring 2001 through Spring 2011, Enrollment component. (This table was prepared November 2011.)