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Digest of Education Statistics: 2011
Digest of Education Statistics: 2011

NCES 2012-001
May 2012


Table 69. Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2020
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 2,823 2,459 364 1  48,694 42,823 5,870 1  17.2 17.4 16.1 1 
1993 2,868 2,504 364   49,532 43,465 6,067   17.3 17.4 16.7  
1994 2,922 2,552 370 1  50,106 44,111 5,994 1  17.1 17.3 16.2 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 3,622 3,166 456 1  55,307 49,316 5,991 1  15.3 15.6 13.2 1 
2007 3,634 3,178 456   55,203 49,293 5,910   15.2 15.5 13.0  
2008 3,670 3,222 448 1  54,973 49,266 5,707 1  15.0 15.3 12.8 1 
2009 3,647 3,210 437   54,862 49,373 5,488   15.0 15.4 12.5  
20102 3,668 3,240 428   54,704 49,306 5,398   14.9 15.2 12.6  
                         
20112 3,679 3,253 426   54,746 49,422 5,324   14.9 15.2 12.5  
20122 3,696 3,274 422   54,905 49,642 5,263   14.9 15.2 12.5  
20132 3,725 3,306 419   55,133 49,914 5,219   14.8 15.1 12.4  
20142 3,752 3,334 419   55,455 50,268 5,187   14.8 15.1 12.4  
20152 3,782 3,364 418   55,836 50,659 5,176   14.8 15.1 12.4  
                         
20162 3,814 3,395 419   56,214 51,038 5,176   14.7 15.0 12.4  
20172 3,846 3,425 420   56,617 51,430 5,187   14.7 15.0 12.3  
20182 3,876 3,454 422   57,009 51,803 5,206   14.7 15.0 12.3  
20192 3,910 3,485 425   57,438 52,204 5,234   14.7 15.0 12.3  
20202 3,939 3,510 429   57,939 52,666 5,273   14.7 15.0 12.3  
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 offering 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 1980-81; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1981-82 through 2009-10; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2009-10; Projections of Education Statistics to 2020. (This table was prepared February 2012.)