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Digest of Education Statistics
2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 105.40. Number of teachers in elementary and secondary schools, and faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control of institution: Selected years, fall 1970 through fall 2030
[In thousands]
Year All levels Elementary and
secondary teachers1 
Degree-granting institutions
instructional staff2 
Total Public Private Total Public Private Total Public Private
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1970 2,766 2,373 393 2,292 2,059 233 474 314 160
1975 3,081 2,641 440 2,453 2,198 2553 628 443 185

1980
3,171 2,679 492 2,485 2,184 301 6863,4 4953,4 1913,4
1981 3,145 2,636 509 2,440 2,127 3133 705 509 196
1982 3,168 2,639 529 2,458 2,133 3253 7103,4 5063,4 2043,4
1983 3,200 2,651 549 2,476 2,139 337 724 512 212
1984 3,225 2,673 552 2,508 2,168 3403 7173,4 5053,4 2123,4

1985
3,264 2,709 555 2,549 2,206 343 7153,4 5033,4 2123,4
1986 3,314 2,754 560 2,592 2,244 3483 7223,4 5103,4 2123,4
1987 3,424 2,832 592 2,631 2,279 352 793 553 240
1988 3,472 2,882 590 2,668 2,323 345 8043 5593 2453
1989 3,537 2,934 603 2,713 2,357 356 824 577 247

1990
3,577 2,972 604 2,759 2,398 3613 8173 5743 2443
1991 3,623 3,013 610 2,797 2,432 365 826 581 245
1992 3,700 3,080 621 2,823 2,459 3643 8773 6213 2573
1993 3,784 3,154 629 2,868 2,504 364 915 650 265
1994 3,846 3,205 640 2,922 2,552 3703 9233 6533 2703

1995
3,906 3,255 651 2,974 2,598 376 932 657 275
1996 4,006 3,339 666 3,051 2,667 3843 9543 6723 2823
1997 4,127 3,441 687 3,138 2,746 391 990 695 295
1998 4,230 3,527 703 3,230 2,830 4003 9993 6973 3033
1999 4,347 3,624 723 3,319 2,911 408 1,028 713 315

2000
4,432 3,683 750 3,366 2,941 4243 1,0673 7413 3253
2001 4,554 3,771 783 3,440 3,000 441 1,113 771 342
2002 4,631 3,829 802 3,476 3,034 4423 1,1553 7943 3613
2003 4,663 3,840 823 3,490 3,049 441 1,174 792 382
2004 4,773 3,909 863 3,536 3,091 4453 1,2373 8183 4183

2005
4,883 3,984 899 3,593 3,143 450 1,290 841 449
2006 4,941 4,020 921 3,619 3,166 4533 1,3223 8533 4683
2007 5,028 4,077 951 3,656 3,200 456 1,372 877 495
2008 5,063 4,106 957 3,670 3,222 4483 1,3933 8843 5093
2009 5,086 4,123 963 3,647 3,210 437 1,439 914 525

2010
5,038 4,044 994 3,529 3,099 4293 1,5103 9453 5653
2011 5,049 4,057 991 3,524 3,103 421 1,524 954 570
2012 5,072 4,067 1,004 3,540 3,109 4313 1,5313 9583 5733
2013 5,101 4,082 1,018 3,555 3,114 441 1,545 969 577
2014 5,146 4,102 1,044 3,594 3,132 4613 1,5523 9703 5823

2015
5,185 4,122 1,063 3,633 3,151 482 1,552 971 581
2016 5,199 4,144 1,055 3,653 3,169 4833 1,546 974 572
2017 5,198 4,142 1,055 3,652 3,170 482 1,546 973 573
2018 5,195 4,152 1,044 3,652 3,170 4823 1,543 982 561
2019 5,228 4,182 1,046 3,679 3,198 481 1,549 984 565

20205 
5,136 4,112 1,024 3,647 3,171 476 1,489 941 548
20216  --- --- --- 3,664 3,186 478 --- --- ---
20226  --- --- --- 3,631 3,158 473 --- --- ---
20236  --- --- --- 3,624 3,152 472 --- --- ---
20246  --- --- --- 3,617 3,146 471 --- --- ---

20256 
--- --- --- 3,609 3,139 470 --- --- ---
20266  --- --- --- 3,576 3,111 465 --- --- ---
20276  --- --- --- 3,547 3,086 461 --- --- ---
20286  --- --- --- 3,533 3,074 459 --- --- ---
20296  --- --- --- 3,513 3,057 456 --- --- ---
20306  --- --- --- 3,498 3,044 454 --- --- ---
---Not available.
1 Includes teachers in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian). Teachers are reported in terms of full-time equivalents.
2 Includes full-time and part-time faculty with the rank of instructor or above in colleges, universities, professional schools, and 2-year colleges. Excludes teaching assistants. Headcounts are used to report data for faculty. 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.
3 Estimated on the basis of enrollment and staff counts in adjacent years.
4 Inclusion of institutions is not consistent with surveys for 1987 and later years.
5 Data for elementary and secondary schools are projected; data for degree-granting institutions are actual.
6 Projected.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Projections in this table were calculated after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and take into account the expected impacts of the pandemic. 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, 1970 and 1975; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1980 through 2019; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2019-20; Elementary and Secondary Teacher Projection Model, through 2030; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Staff" survey, 1970 and 1975; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Staff Survey" (IPEDS-S:87-99); IPEDS Winter 2001-02 through Winter 2011-12, Human Resources component, Fall Staff section; IPEDS Spring 2014 through Spring 2021, Human Resources component, Fall Staff section; U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, EEO-6, 1981 and 1983; and unpublished data. (This table was prepared March 2022.)

2021 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest