The 2018 edition of the Digest of Education Statistics is the 54th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977–78, 1983–84, and 1985–86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). To qualify for inclusion in the Digest, material must be nationwide in scope and of current interest and value. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to data on educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. Although the Digest contains important information on federal education funding, more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices.
The Digest contains seven chapters: All Levels of Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, Postsecondary Education, Federal Funds for Education and Related Activities, Outcomes of Education, International Comparisons of Education, and Libraries and Use of Technology. Each chapter is divided into a number of topical subsections. Preceding the seven chapters is an Introduction that provides a brief overview of current trends in American education, which supplements the tabular materials in chapters 1 through 7. The Digest concludes with two appendixes. The first appendix, Guide to Sources, provides a brief synopsis of the surveys used to generate the Digest tables; the second, Definitions, is included to help readers understand terms used in the Digest.
The Digest can be accessed from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/Digest. Tables from each Digest edition since 1995 can be viewed by selecting the edition year from a drop-down menu. All tables that appear in the print version of the Digest are also included in the online version. In addition, the online version of recent editions includes a number of supplemental “web-only” tables. (Web-only tables are identified as such in the print version’s comprehensive List of Reference Tables.) In the online version, Digest tables are available both in HTML format and as downloadable Excel files. The most current versions of Digest tables are posted to the NCES website on a rolling basis before the entire edition of the report has been completed. The “Most Current Digest Tables” page provides access to the most recent versions of all tables, including any tables already completed for an edition currently in progress.
In addition to providing updated versions of many statistics that have appeared in previous years, this edition incorporates new material on the following topics:
Percentage of related children ages 5 to 17 living in poverty, by locale, region, and state (web-only table 102.45)
Percentage distribution of children ages 5 through 17 attending kindergarten through grade 12, by locale, highest education level of parents/guardians in household, and number of parents in household (web-only table 102.90)
Percentage distribution of adults age 25 and over, by highest level of educational attainment, age group, and locale (web-only table 104.25)
Public elementary and secondary school enrollment, by school locale and state (web-only table 203.72)
Number and percentage distribution of private elementary and secondary students, number of teachers and pupil/teacher ratio, and number and average enrollment size of schools, by religious affiliation of school (web-only table 205.45)
Number and percentage distribution of private elementary and secondary schools and students, and private schools and enrollment as a percentage of total public and private schools and enrollment, by locale (web-only table 205.90)
Percentage and percentage distribution of homeschooled students ages 5 through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12, by reasons their parents gave for homeschooling, the one reason their parents identified as most important, and race/ethnicity of child (web-only table 206.15)
Percentage distribution of principals in public elementary and secondary schools, by school locale and selected characteristics (web-only table 212.15)
Staff employed and pupil/staff ratios in public elementary and secondary school systems, by type of assignment and locale (web-only table 213.60)
Number and percentage distribution of public elementary and secondary charter schools and students, and charter schools and enrollment as a percentage of total public schools and enrollment, by locale (web-only table 216.92)
Percentage of students ages 5 through 17 enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 who took any school-related courses online and who took courses from various providers, by selected child, parent, and household characteristics (table 218.16)
Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR), by selected student characteristics and locale (web-only table 219.47)
Number of 16- to 24-year-old high school dropouts (status dropouts) and percentage of dropouts among persons 16 to 24 years old (status dropout rate), by race/ethnicity and racial/ethnic subgroup (web-only table 219.82)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score, by percentage of students in school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, grade, and school locale (web-only table 221.25)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score and percentage distribution of 12th-graders, by whether student uses a computer at home, whether student has access to the Internet at home, and other selected characteristics (web-only table 221.36)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by school locale and state (web-only table 221.72)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics scale score, by percentage of students in school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, grade, and school locale (web-only table 222.25)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics scale score of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by school locale and state (web-only table 222.75)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science scale score, by percentage of students in school eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, grade, and school locale (web-only table 223.17)
Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science scale score of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by school locale and state (web-only table 223.23)
Among public schools with any of grades 9 to 12 (or ungraded equivalent), percentage of schools with students enrolled or classes offered in selected courses or programs, and percentage of 9th- to 12th-graders enrolled in these courses or programs, by locale (web-only table 225.72)
Percentage of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders whose school reported offering selected classes and percentage of 8th-graders whose school reported having students who take high school math classes, by selected student and school characteristics (web-only table 225.75)
Percentage distribution of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders, by number of days absent from school in the last month and school locale (web-only table 227.52)
Number of active shooter incidents at educational institutions and number of casualties, by level of institution (web-only table 228.15)
Number of active shooter incidents at educational institutions, number and type of guns used, and number and characteristics of shooters, by level of institution (web-only table 228.16)
Percentage distribution of students in grades 9–12, by number of times they reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the previous 12 months and selected student characteristics (web-only table 228.42)
Percentage of students ages 12–18 who reported that gangs were present at school during the school year, by grade, control of school, and urbanicity (web-only table 230.20a)
Percentage of students ages 12–18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, by type of bullying and selected student and school characteristics (web-only table 230.45)
Percentage of students ages 12–18 who reported being bullied at school during the school year, percentage of bullied students reporting various types of power imbalances in favor of someone who bullied them, and percentage distribution of bullied students, by whether they thought the bullying would happen again and selected student and school characteristics (web-only table 230.51)
Percentage of students ages 12–18 reporting that they were victimized, that they were in a physical fight, or that alcohol or illegal drugs were available or used at school, by school locale, type of victimization, number of times in a fight, and type of drug (web-only table 230.85)
Percentages of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders reporting use and availability of heroin and narcotics other than heroin, by grade and recency of use (web-only table 232.65)
Percentages of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders reporting use of heroin and narcotics other than heroin during past 12 months, by grade and selected student and family characteristics (web-only table 232.65a)
Percentages of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders who reported thinking that people are at great risk of harming themselves if they engage in activities related to use of heroin and narcotics other than heroin, by grade and type of activity (web-only table 232.65b)
Unadjusted and geographically adjusted current expenditure per pupil in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by locale, function, and district poverty level (web-only table 236.85)
Percentage distribution of all 2009 9th-graders and those who ever attended a postsecondary institution, by socioeconomic status in 2009 and selected postsecondary outcomes (web-only table 302.44)
Percentage distribution of all 2009 9th-graders and those who ever attended a postsecondary institution, by poverty status in 2009 and 2012 and selected postsecondary outcomes (web-only table 302.45)
Percentage distribution of fall 2009 9th-graders, by high school locale in 2009, high school completion status, postsecondary enrollment and work status or plans, and postsecondary attainment status (web-only table 302.46)
Total fall enrollment in private nonprofit degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by state or jurisdiction (table 304.21)
Total fall enrollment in private for-profit degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by state or jurisdiction (table 304.22)
Employees in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by employment status, sex, control and level of institution, and primary occupation (web-only table 314.35)
Employees in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity, sex, employment status, control and level of institution, and primary occupation (web-only table 314.45)
Ratios of full-time-equivalent (FTE) students to FTE staff and FTE faculty in public degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by level of institution and state or jurisdiction (web-only table 314.55)
Ratios of full-time-equivalent (FTE) students to FTE staff and FTE faculty in private degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by level of institution and state or jurisdiction (web-only table 314.65)
Percentage distribution of first-time, full-time bachelor's degree-seeking students at 4-year postsecondary institutions 6 years after entry, by completion and enrollment status at first institution attended, sex, race/ethnicity, control of institution, and percentage of applications accepted (table 326.15)
Percentage distribution of first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking students at 2-year postsecondary institutions 3 years after entry, by completion and enrollment status at first institution attended, sex, race/ethnicity, and control of institution (table 326.25)
Number of degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students entering a postsecondary institution and percentage of students 4, 6, and 8 years after entry, by completion and enrollment status at the same institution, institution level and control, attendance level and status, Pell Grant recipient status, and acceptance rate (table 326.27)
Average amount of aid awarded to part-time or part-year postbaccalaureate students receiving financial aid, by type of aid, level of study, and control and level of institution (web-only table 332.42)
Percentage distribution of persons 25 to 64 years old, by labor force and employment status and earnings, educational attainment, and locale (web-only table 501.45)
Thomas D. Snyder
Supervisor
Annual Reports and Information Staff