Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, pupil/teacher ratios, and new teacher hires: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2029

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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		---	---	---
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	3,512	3,099	413	²	54,867	49,484	5,382	²	15.6	16.0	13.0	²	---	---	---
2011	3,508	3,103	405		54,790	49,522	5,268		15.6	16.0	13.0		241	173	68
2012	3,517	3,109	408	²	55,104	49,771	5,333	²	15.7	16.0	13.1	²	---	---	---
2013	3,555	3,114	441		55,440	50,045	5,396		15.6	16.1	12.2		---	---	---
2014	3,594	3,132	461	²	55,888	50,313	5,575	²	15.6	16.1	12.1	²	---	---	---
2015	3,633	3,151	482		56,189	50,438	5,751		15.5	16.0	11.9		325	218	107
2016	3,653	3,169	483	²	56,369	50,615	5,754	²	15.4	16.0	11.9	²	351	257	94
2017	3,652	3,170	482		56,406	50,686	5,720		15.4	16.0	11.9		329	241	89
2018³	3,639	3,157	482		56,367	50,650	5,717		15.5	16.0	11.9		317	226	91
2019³	3,661	3,176	485		56,350	50,634	5,716		15.4	15.9	11.8		351	258	93
2020³	3,670	3,184	486		56,368	50,654	5,714		15.4	15.9	11.8		340	248	92
2021³	3,684	3,197	488		56,343	50,643	5,700		15.3	15.8	11.7		346	253	92
2022³	3,708	3,217	491		56,434	50,721	5,713		15.2	15.8	11.6		357	263	94
2023³	3,731	3,237	494		56,480	50,768	5,712		15.1	15.7	11.6		357	262	95
2024³	3,758	3,260	498		56,460	50,758	5,702		15.0	15.6	11.5		363	267	96
2025³	3,786	3,284	502		56,404	50,704	5,700		14.9	15.4	11.4		367	269	97
2026³	3,813	3,307	506		56,370	50,672	5,699		14.8	15.3	11.3		368	270	98
2027³	3,842	3,332	510		56,439	50,734	5,704		14.7	15.2	11.2		373	274	99
2028³	3,880	3,364	516		56,605	50,885	5,720		14.6	15.1	11.1		384	283	101
2029³	3,909	3,390	520		56,806	51,068	5,738		14.5	15.1	11.0		377	280	97

---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; Statistics of Nonpublic Elementary and Secondary Schools, 1955 through 1980; 1983-84, 1985-86, and 1987-88 Private School Survey; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1981-82 through 2017-18; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2017-18; Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), "Public School Teacher Data File" and "Private School Teacher Data File," 1999-2000 through 2011-12; National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), 2015-16; Elementary and Secondary Teacher Projection Model, 1973 through 2029; and New Teacher Hires Projection Model, 1988 through 2029. (This table was prepared December 2019.)

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