Table 76.

Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2021

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		54,849	49,361	5,488		15.0	15.4	12.5
2010	3,542	3,099	443	1	54,876	49,484	5,391	1	15.5	16.0	12.2	1
20112	3,679	3,246	432		54,956	49,636	5,320		14.9	15.3	12.3
20122	3,711	3,283	428		55,091	49,828	5,263		14.8	15.2	12.3
20132	3,738	3,312	426		55,288	50,067	5,221		14.8	15.1	12.3
20142	3,782	3,357	425		55,599	50,407	5,192		14.7	15.0	12.2
20152	3,830	3,403	427		55,957	50,773	5,183		14.6	14.9	12.1
20162	3,881	3,451	430		56,330	51,146	5,185		14.5	14.8	12.1
20172	3,935	3,500	434		56,722	51,524	5,198		14.4	14.7	12.0
20182	3,988	3,549	439		57,098	51,880	5,218		14.3	14.6	11.9
20192	4,045	3,601	444		57,507	52,260	5,247		14.2	14.5	11.8
20202	4,102	3,651	451		57,975	52,688	5,287		14.1	14.4	11.7
20212	4,151	3,694	457		58,444	53,113	5,331		14.1	14.4	11.7

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 2010-11; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2009-10; Projections of Education Statistics to 2021. (This table was prepared May 2012.)