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Digest of Education Statistics
2012 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 3. Enrollment in educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869-70 through fall 2021
[In thousands]
Year Total enroll-
ment, all levels
Elemen-
tary and secon-
dary, 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 75,277 54,849 49,361 34,409 14,952 5,488   4,179   1,309   20,428 14,811 5,617
                             
Fall 2010 75,892 54,876 49,484 34,625 14,860 5,391 3  4,091 3  1,300 3  21,016 15,143 5,873
Fall 20114 75,950 54,956 49,636 34,849 14,787 5,320   4,060   1,260   20,994 15,110 5,884
Fall 20124 76,344 55,091 49,828 35,076 14,752 5,263   4,039   1,224   21,253 15,290 5,963
Fall 20134 76,773 55,288 50,067 35,301 14,766 5,221   4,033   1,188   21,485 15,453 6,032
Fall 20144 77,331 55,599 50,407 35,502 14,905 5,192   4,037   1,155   21,731 15,627 6,104
                             
Fall 20154 77,898 55,957 50,773 35,735 15,038 5,183   4,053   1,130   21,941 15,775 6,166
Fall 20164 78,523 56,330 51,146 36,029 15,116 5,185   4,085   1,100   22,194 15,954 6,239
Fall 20174 79,246 56,722 51,524 36,329 15,195 5,198   4,122   1,076   22,524 16,191 6,333
Fall 20184 79,993 57,098 51,880 36,639 15,241 5,218   4,158   1,061   22,895 16,456 6,439
Fall 20194 80,746 57,507 52,260 36,956 15,304 5,247   4,193   1,054   23,239 16,708 6,532
                             
Fall 20204 81,509 57,975 52,688 37,278 15,410 5,287   4,228   1,059   23,534 16,921 6,613
Fall 20214 82,199 58,444 53,113 37,598 15,515 5,331   4,263   1,068   23,755 17,082 6,673
—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 2013-008, Projections of Education Statistics to 2021. Fall 2011 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. 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 2010-11; 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 2021; 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 2012, Enrollment component. (This table was prepared January 2013.)

2012 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest