Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, pupil/teacher ratios, and new teacher hires: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2024

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Table 208.20.

Year	Teachers (in thousands)				Enrollment (in thousands)				Pupil/teacher ratio				Number of new teacher hires (in thousands)¹
Year	Total	Public	Private		Total	Public	Private		Total	Public	Private		Total	Public	Private
1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		10	11	12	13
1955	1,286	1,141	145	²	35,280	30,680	4,600	²	27.4	26.9	31.7	²	—	—	—
1960	1,600	1,408	192	²	42,181	36,281	5,900	²	26.4	25.8	30.7	²	—	—	—
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	²	51,271	46,071	5,200	²	22.4	22.3	22.6	²	—	—	—
1972	2,337	2,106	231	²	50,726	45,726	5,000	²	21.7	21.7	21.6	²	—	—	—
1973	2,372	2,136	236	²	50,445	45,445	5,000	²	21.3	21.3	21.2	²	—	—	—
1974	2,410	2,165	245	²	50,073	45,073	5,000	²	20.8	20.8	20.4	²	—	—	—
1975	2,453	2,198	255	²	49,819	44,819	5,000	²	20.3	20.4	19.6	²	—	—	—

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	²	46,651	41,651	5,000	²	19.0	19.1	18.1	²	—	—	—
1980	2,485	2,184	301		46,208	40,877	5,331		18.6	18.7	17.7

1981	2,440	2,127	313	²	45,544	40,044	5,500	²	18.7	18.8	17.6	²	—	—	—
1982	2,458	2,133	325	²	45,166	39,566	5,600	²	18.4	18.6	17.2	²	—	—	—
1983	2,476	2,139	337		44,967	39,252	5,715		18.2	18.4	17.0		—	—	—
1984	2,508	2,168	340	²	44,908	39,208	5,700	²	17.9	18.1	16.8	²	—	—	—
1985	2,549	2,206	343		44,979	39,422	5,557		17.6	17.9	16.2		—	—	—

1986	2,592	2,244	348	²	45,205	39,753	5,452	²	17.4	17.7	15.7	²	—	—	—
1987	2,631	2,279	352		45,488	40,008	5,479		17.3	17.6	15.6		—	—	—
1988	2,668	2,323	345	²	45,430	40,189	5,242	²	17.0	17.3	15.2	²	—	—	—
1989	2,713	2,357	356		46,141	40,543	5,599		17.0	17.2	15.7		—	—	—
1990	2,759	2,398	361	²	46,864	41,217	5,648	²	17.0	17.2	15.6	²	—	—	—

1991	2,797	2,432	365		47,728	42,047	5,681		17.1	17.3	15.6		—	—	—
1992	2,823	2,459	364	²	48,694	42,823	5,870	²	17.2	17.4	16.1	²	—	—	—
1993	2,868	2,504	364		49,532	43,465	6,067		17.3	17.4	16.7		—	—	—
1994	2,922	2,552	370	²	50,106	44,111	5,994	²	17.1	17.3	16.2	²	—	—	—
1995	2,974	2,598	376		50,759	44,840	5,918		17.1	17.3	15.7		—	—	—

1996	3,051	2,667	384	²	51,544	45,611	5,933	²	16.9	17.1	15.5	²	—	—	—
1997	3,138	2,746	391		52,071	46,127	5,944		16.6	16.8	15.2		—	—	—
1998	3,230	2,830	400	²	52,526	46,539	5,988	²	16.3	16.4	15.0	²	—	—	—
1999	3,319	2,911	408		52,875	46,857	6,018		15.9	16.1	14.7		305	222	83
2000	3,366	2,941	424	²	53,373	47,204	6,169	²	15.9	16.0	14.5	²	—	—	—

2001	3,440	3,000	441		53,992	47,672	6,320		15.7	15.9	14.3		—	—	—
2002	3,476	3,034	442	²	54,403	48,183	6,220	²	15.7	15.9	14.1	²	—	—	—
2003	3,490	3,049	441		54,639	48,540	6,099		15.7	15.9	13.8		311	236	74
2004	3,536	3,091	445	²	54,882	48,795	6,087	²	15.5	15.8	13.7	²	—	—	—
2005	3,593	3,143	450		55,187	49,113	6,073		15.4	15.6	13.5		—	—	—

2006	3,622	3,166	456	²	55,307	49,316	5,991	²	15.3	15.6	13.2	²	—	—	—
2007	3,656	3,200	456		55,201	49,291	5,910		15.1	15.4	13.0		327	246	80
2008	3,670	3,222	448	²	54,973	49,266	5,707	²	15.0	15.3	12.8	²	—	—	—
2009	3,647	3,210	437		54,849	49,361	5,488		15.0	15.4	12.5		—	—	—
2010	3,529	3,099	429	²	54,867	49,484	5,382	²	15.5	16.0	12.5	²	—	—	—

2011	3,524	3,103	421		54,790	49,522	5,268		15.5	16.0	12.5		241	173	68
2012	3,523	3,109	414	³	54,952	49,771	5,181	³	15.6	16.0	12.5	³	321	247	74
2013³	3,527	3,120	407		55,036	49,942	5,094		15.6	16.0	12.5		319	250	69
2014³	3,520	3,122	398		54,965	49,986	4,979		15.6	16.0	12.5		310	244	66
2015³	3,521	3,129	391		54,994	50,094	4,899		15.6	16.0	12.5		316	249	67

2016³	3,525	3,138	387		55,077	50,229	4,848		15.6	16.0	12.5		318	250	68
2017³	3,577	3,185	392		55,447	50,584	4,863		15.5	15.9	12.4		364	288	76
2018³	3,617	3,224	393		55,719	50,871	4,848		15.4	15.8	12.3		358	283	74
2019³	3,660	3,264	395		56,031	51,183	4,848		15.3	15.7	12.3		361	286	76
2020³	3,700	3,302	398		56,404	51,547	4,856		15.2	15.6	12.2		362	285	76

2021³	3,743	3,342	401		56,779	51,910	4,869		15.2	15.5	12.1		367	289	77
2022³	3,788	3,383	405		57,151	52,260	4,891		15.1	15.4	12.1		371	292	79
2023³	3,840	3,429	410		57,524	52,601	4,922		15.0	15.3	12.0		381	300	81
2024³	3,881	3,466	415		57,872	52,920	4,952		14.9	15.3	11.9		375	293	81

—Not available.

¹ A teacher is considered to be a new hire for a public or private school if the teacher had not taught in that control of school in the previous year. A teacher who moves from a public to private or a private to public school is considered a new teacher hire, but a teacher who moves from one public school to another public school or one private school to another private school is not considered a new teacher hire.

² Estimated.

³ 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 2012-13; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2011-12; Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Teacher Data File" and "Private School Teacher Data File," 1999-2000 through 2011-12; Elementary and Secondary Teacher Projection Model, 1973 through 2024; and New Teacher Hires Projection Model, 1988 through 2024. (This table was prepared March 2015.)

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