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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 208.10. Public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios, by selected school characteristics: Fall 2009 through fall 2019
Selected school characteristic 2009 20101 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 20192
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
All schools 16.0 16.4 16.3 16.4 16.3 16.2 16.2 16.2 16.1 16.1 15.9
Enrollment size of school                      
Under 300 12.6 12.9 12.8 12.8 12.7 12.7 12.8 12.8 12.7 12.7 12.6
300 to 499 15.2 15.4 15.4 15.5 15.4 15.3 15.3 15.2 15.2 15.1 14.9
500 to 999 16.3 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.4 16.4 16.3
1,000 to 1,499 16.8 17.3 17.1 17.1 17.1 16.9 16.9 17.0 16.8 17.0 16.8
1,500 or more 18.7 19.5 19.0 19.0 19.1 19.0 19.0 18.9 18.8 18.8 18.6

Type
                     
Regular schools 16.1 16.5 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.3 16.3 16.3 16.2 16.2 16.1
Alternative 14.3 14.8 14.7 14.8 14.3 14.5 14.4 14.4 13.9 14.0 14.4
Special education 7.1 6.9 7.1 7.2 6.6 7.0 7.4 7.2 7.3 7.3 6.3
Vocational 10.2 11.7 11.8 11.6 11.8 11.8 11.9 11.8 11.7 12.0 11.9

Percent of students eligible for
    free or reduced-price lunch
                     
25 percent or less 16.5 16.8 16.9 16.5 16.5 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.2 16.4 16.3
26 percent to 50 percent 16.1 16.5 16.2 16.4 16.3 16.2 16.2 16.1 16.0 16.2 16.0
51 percent to 75 percent 15.8 16.2 15.8 16.2 16.1 16.0 16.0 15.9 15.9 15.9 15.8
More than 75 percent 15.6 16.0 15.5 16.3 16.5 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.2 16.1 15.9

Level and size
                     
Prekindergarten 19.0 18.8 19.3 18.4 15.9 17.5 18.3 18.1 18.3 18.5 18.1

Elementary schools
16.0 16.4 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.2 16.1 16.1 16.0 16.0 15.8
Regular 16.0 16.4 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.2 16.2 16.1 16.0 16.0 15.8
Under 300 13.7 14.0 13.9 14.0 13.9 13.7 13.7 13.7 13.7 13.6 13.4
300 to 499 15.5 15.8 15.8 15.8 15.8 15.6 15.5 15.5 15.4 15.3 15.2
500 to 999 16.8 17.2 17.3 17.3 17.3 17.0 17.0 17.0 16.8 16.9 16.7
1,000 to 1,499 17.2 17.8 17.8 18.0 18.0 17.5 17.3 17.3 17.2 17.3 17.2
1,500 or more 16.9 17.3 17.5 17.4 18.1 17.7 17.8 17.8 16.4 15.8 15.9

Middle schools
15.7 16.2 16.1 16.1 16.1 16.0 15.9 15.9 16.0 16.1 16.0
Regular 15.7 16.2 16.1 16.1 16.1 16.0 15.9 15.9 16.0 16.2 16.0
Under 300 13.3 13.7 13.6 13.7 13.7 13.6 13.6 13.5 13.7 13.7 13.5
300 to 499 14.4 14.7 14.7 14.8 14.8 14.7 14.7 14.7 14.8 15.0 14.6
500 to 999 15.7 16.2 16.1 16.1 16.1 16.0 15.9 15.9 15.9 16.1 16.0
1,000 to 1,499 17.4 18.1 17.8 17.8 17.8 17.5 17.5 17.5 17.5 17.7 17.5
1,500 or more 18.9 19.9 19.4 19.3 19.4 19.3 19.1 19.0 18.6 19.1 18.5

Secondary and high schools
16.3 16.7 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.4 16.4 16.2
Regular 16.6 16.9 16.6 16.6 16.6 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.6 16.6 16.4
Under 300 11.8 12.1 11.8 11.8 11.9 11.7 11.9 12.1 11.9 11.9 11.6
300 to 499 14.5 14.6 14.5 14.4 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.5 14.4 14.3 13.9
500 to 999 15.3 15.5 15.3 15.3 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.5 15.5 15.4 15.1
1,000 to 1,499 16.4 16.7 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.4 16.5 16.2
1,500 or more 18.8 19.3 18.8 18.9 18.9 18.9 18.8 18.7 18.6 18.7 18.5

Other, ungraded, and not
    applicable/not reported
14.0 14.7 14.3 14.5 14.3 14.1 15.2 15.1 15.0 15.3 14.9
Regular 16.3 17.0 16.3 16.6 16.9 16.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 16.8
Under 300 11.0 10.9 11.0 11.3 11.0 10.8 11.1 11.4 11.0 11.1 11.0
300 to 499 14.3 14.9 14.3 14.2 14.5 14.5 14.7 15.4 14.8 14.6 14.2
500 to 999 15.9 16.7 15.9 16.1 15.9 15.4 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.5 16.4
1,000 to 1,499 17.9 18.9 17.9 17.4 17.6 17.5 17.7 17.5 16.8 17.2 17.5
1,500 or more 26.0 27.8 26.0 25.2 26.2 22.0 25.2 23.8 23.7 22.9 22.4

Level, type, and percent of
    students eligible for free
    or reduced-price lunch
                     
Elementary, regular                      
25 percent or less 16.7 17.1 16.9 16.8 16.7 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.2 16.3 16.2
26 to 50 percent 16.1 16.5 16.4 16.5 16.4 16.1 16.1 15.9 15.8 15.8 15.7
51 to 75 percent 15.7 16.0 15.9 16.2 16.1 15.8 15.8 15.8 15.6 15.6 15.5
More than 75 percent 15.8 16.2 15.8 16.6 16.7 16.6 16.5 16.4 16.3 16.2 16.0

Middle, regular
                     
25 percent or less 15.6 16.1 16.1 15.9 15.9 15.8 16.0 15.9 15.7 15.9 15.7
26 to 50 percent 16.0 16.5 16.2 16.4 16.2 16.1 16.2 16.0 16.1 16.3 16.1
51 to 75 percent 15.6 16.1 15.8 16.0 16.0 15.8 15.8 15.8 15.9 16.1 16.0
More than 75 percent 15.5 16.1 15.4 16.2 16.3 16.2 16.1 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.2

Secondary and high, regular
                     
25 percent or less 16.8 17.1 17.3 16.7 16.7 16.7 16.9 16.8 16.5 16.7 16.6
26 to 50 percent 16.5 16.8 16.3 16.5 16.4 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.4 16.6 16.3
51 to 75 percent 16.5 17.2 16.1 16.7 16.7 16.9 16.9 16.8 16.8 16.7 16.4
More than 75 percent 15.9 16.5 15.5 16.4 16.8 16.8 17.0 17.1 16.8 16.5 16.2
1 Includes imputations for California and Wyoming.
2 Includes imputations for California.
NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Includes only schools that reported both enrollment and teacher data. Ratios are based on data reported by schools and may differ from data reported in other tables that reflect aggregate totals reported by states. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2009-10 through 2019-20. (This table was prepared November 2021.)

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