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Digest of Education Statistics
2022 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 207.40. Percentage of elementary and secondary school children whose parents were involved in school activities, by selected child, parent, and school characteristics: Selected years, 2003 through 2019
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected child, parent, or school characteristic Percent of children whose parents reported the following types of involvement in school activities
2003 2012 2016 2019
Attended a general school or PTO/PTA1 meeting Attended a parent-teacher conference Attended a class event Volunteered at school Attended a general school or PTO/PTA1 meeting Attended a parent-teacher conference Attended a class event Volunteered at school Attended a general school or PTO/PTA1 meeting Attended a parent-teacher conference Attended a class event Volunteered at school Attended a general school or PTO/PTA1 meeting Attended a parent-teacher conference Attended a class event Volunteered at school
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13     14     15     16     17
Total 87.7   (0.37) 77.1   (0.42) 69.9   (0.42) 41.8   (0.61) 87.4   (0.41) 75.8   (0.43) 74.4   (0.45) 41.7   (0.49) 88.6   (0.47) 77.7   (0.53) 79.3   (0.54) 43.4   (0.67) 88.7   (0.38) 75.2   (0.55) 79.3   (0.54) 43.0   (0.60)
Sex of child                                                                                            
Male 87.4   (0.49) 77.7   (0.63) 67.4   (0.75) 41.2   (0.88) 87.1   (0.66) 76.4   (0.61) 72.3   (0.65) 40.0   (0.71) 87.5   (0.80) 78.6   (0.74) 77.2   (0.97) 41.9   (0.82) 88.1   (0.55) 76.2   (0.71) 77.8   (0.80) 41.1   (0.78)
Female 87.9   (0.56) 76.5   (0.63) 72.6   (0.62) 42.4   (0.83) 87.7   (0.50) 75.1   (0.61) 76.7   (0.68) 43.5   (0.88) 89.8   (0.56) 76.6   (0.76) 81.6   (0.60) 45.0   (0.87) 89.2   (0.58) 74.2   (0.78) 80.9   (0.67) 45.0   (0.94)

Race/ethnicity of child
                                                                                               
White 88.7   (0.50) 76.3   (0.62) 74.1   (0.65) 48.3   (0.82) 89.1   (0.50) 77.2   (0.56) 81.5   (0.54) 49.6   (0.72) 90.6   (0.52) 78.8   (0.67) 85.8   (0.63) 49.1   (0.83) 90.2   (0.43) 76.0   (0.63) 84.5   (0.61) 49.1   (0.76)
Black 88.7   (0.85) 78.7   (1.35) 63.3   (1.54) 31.9   (1.64) 85.0   (1.35) 76.1   (1.35) 68.0   (1.66) 30.3   (1.33) 87.2   (1.72) 78.9   (1.60) 72.2   (2.02) 33.9   (1.81) 88.1   (1.17) 76.7   (1.68) 76.2   (1.62) 35.6   (1.67)
Hispanic 82.6   (1.05) 78.1   (1.10) 60.9   (1.36) 27.7   (1.23) 85.7   (0.98) 72.8   (1.08) 64.0   (1.34) 31.7   (1.14) 86.7   (0.98) 74.6   (1.38) 71.3   (1.29) 35.9   (1.49) 87.3   (0.87) 72.5   (1.30) 72.5   (1.12) 35.2   (1.52)
Asian/Pacific Islander 88.5 2 (2.14) 77.7 2 (3.03) 65.1 2 (3.65) 33.8 2 (2.69) 83.0   (1.72) 71.5   (2.01) 65.8   (2.21) 35.2   (2.22) 80.0   (3.59) 76.4   (2.25) 71.1   (2.49) 41.7   (2.96) 83.1   (1.81) 73.1   (2.18) 69.5   (2.66) 40.9   (2.15)
Asian ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 82.5   (1.80) 71.5   (2.03) 65.0   (2.30) 34.0   (2.33) 79.5   (3.71) 76.4   (2.36) 71.9   (2.57) 41.4   (3.07) 82.7   (1.87) 72.8   (2.16) 68.6   (2.73) 40.3   (2.14)
Pacific Islander ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 90.7   (3.96) 71.4   (8.97) 79.0   (6.32) 54.3   (11.37) 92.0   (5.24) 78.7   (10.09) 52.3   (11.66) 48.2   (10.95) 92.2   (5.18) 77.8   (8.72) 88.3   (6.63) 54.2   (12.87)
American Indian/Alaska
    Native
85.1   (5.22) 85.1   (6.68) 69.5   (7.37) 18.9   (5.57) 85.1   (4.91) 79.9   (6.85) 75.6   (6.61) 42.3   (8.61) 93.0   (3.05) 87.5   (4.36) 80.1   (7.45) 59.4   (10.56) 91.0   (3.41) 81.7   (7.38) 79.4   (5.85) 44.4   (8.72)
Two or more races 87.2   (2.45) 74.9   (3.63) 72.3   (2.84) 47.7   (3.79) 88.8   (1.30) 78.4   (2.31) 76.0   (2.52) 45.3   (2.57) 91.2   (1.37) 78.1   (2.29) 83.1   (2.07) 48.0   (3.17) 89.2   (1.62) 78.8   (1.70) 82.8   (1.97) 45.7   (2.68)

Highest education level of
    parents/guardians in the
    household
                                                                                               
Less than a high school
    diploma
69.8 3 (2.04) 67.8 3 (2.50) 42.4 3 (2.42) 15.6 3 (2.04) 77.0   (1.79) 63.3   (1.88) 48.0   (2.04) 18.3   (1.72) 76.4   (2.98) 69.8   (2.74) 54.3   (2.75) 25.0   (2.70) 81.8   (2.05) 67.6   (2.87) 60.9   (2.82) 24.8   (2.72)
High school diploma or
    equivalent
83.8 3 (0.91) 75.4 3 (0.94) 62.1 3 (1.28) 30.3 3 (1.27) 82.1   (1.42) 72.2   (1.23) 62.3   (1.45) 27.6   (1.38) 82.2   (1.34) 73.1   (1.55) 69.5   (1.70) 26.5   (1.99) 82.3   (1.14) 70.7   (1.48) 68.9   (1.40) 28.4   (1.50)
Vocational/technical or
    some college
88.5 3 (0.67) 78.0 3 (1.02) 69.1 3 (0.94) 38.8 3 (1.25) 87.5   (0.62) 75.4   (1.02) 76.1   (0.99) 39.0   (1.14) 89.2   (0.75) 75.7   (1.08) 78.2   (1.21) 34.7   (1.20) 87.4   (0.92) 74.8   (1.12) 77.0   (1.08) 36.9   (1.35)
Associate's degree 88.6 3 (1.27) 76.6 3 (1.68) 73.0 3 (1.76) 39.7 3 (1.67) 88.9   (0.91) 79.5   (1.13) 80.5   (1.37) 44.9   (1.77) 90.2   (1.08) 77.6   (1.30) 83.4   (1.45) 44.8   (1.70) 89.0   (0.91) 76.2   (1.31) 82.7   (1.12) 41.0   (1.55)
Bachelor's degree/some
    graduate school
92.0 3 (0.73) 79.8 3 (0.89) 80.1 3 (0.94) 53.9 3 (1.30) 92.1   (0.53) 79.9   (0.62) 85.0   (0.63) 55.0   (1.11) 92.9   (0.57) 81.5   (0.96) 87.3   (0.71) 54.0   (1.18) 92.2   (0.50) 77.7   (0.77) 86.1   (0.77) 53.6   (1.26)
Graduate/professional degree 94.6 3 (0.74) 79.5 3 (1.00) 80.8 3 (1.10) 61.7 3 (1.57) 95.1   (0.47) 83.0   (0.68) 90.1   (0.59) 61.8   (1.30) 95.3   (0.47) 83.8   (0.75) 92.7   (0.60) 64.9   (1.05) 94.5   (0.38) 80.2   (0.94) 90.0   (0.57) 58.2   (1.06)

Family income (in current
    dollars)
                                                                                               
$20,000 or less 79.8   (1.43) 74.6   (1.33) 56.6   (1.42) 26.1   (1.45) 79.9   (1.15) 69.4   (1.36) 57.2   (1.31) 24.1   (1.18) 79.5   (2.18) 73.7   (1.89) 61.4   (1.98) 24.2   (1.78) 83.3   (1.45) 74.1   (1.99) 63.9   (2.28) 24.4   (1.93)
$20,001 to $50,000 85.1   (0.67) 77.3   (0.85) 66.2   (0.94) 34.6   (1.14) 84.3   (0.73) 74.5   (1.04) 67.2   (1.28) 31.1   (1.22) 85.0   (1.12) 76.0   (1.18) 70.2   (1.47) 31.9   (1.63) 84.5   (0.97) 72.3   (1.21) 71.6   (1.29) 32.0   (1.42)
$50,001 to $75,000 89.9   (0.79) 76.8   (0.96) 74.5   (1.03) 46.0   (1.26) 88.7   (0.97) 77.3   (1.23) 77.3   (1.19) 43.7   (1.40) 88.7   (1.02) 78.3   (1.13) 81.2   (1.35) 39.7   (1.65) 86.5   (1.22) 73.4   (1.63) 77.4   (1.59) 39.0   (1.77)
$75,001 to $100,000 94.0   (0.80) 79.4   (1.28) 77.6   (1.34) 51.5   (1.71) 89.9   (0.88) 77.3   (1.15) 81.9   (1.13) 47.8   (1.24) 91.4   (0.87) 75.9   (1.23) 83.5   (1.32) 49.2   (1.53) 89.5   (0.93) 75.0   (1.21) 80.4   (1.32) 42.7   (1.44)
Over $100,000 93.9   (0.71) 77.9   (1.21) 80.7   (1.03) 61.1   (1.19) 92.5   (0.92) 79.0   (0.80) 85.5   (0.96) 57.6   (1.05) 93.6   (0.62) 80.8   (0.95) 90.5   (0.70) 59.1   (0.99) 93.1   (0.38) 78.1   (0.75) 88.1   (0.52) 56.0   (0.91)

Poverty status4
                                                                                               
Poor5 79.4   (1.55) 74.5   (1.37) 56.7   (1.57) 26.8   (1.55) 82.5   (1.08) 71.3   (1.29) 60.0   (1.52) 26.8   (1.28) 81.1   (1.68) 74.8   (1.90) 62.3   (1.78) 26.6   (1.77) 83.4   (1.04) 75.1   (1.61) 65.8   (1.73) 27.7   (1.99)
Near-poor6 85.1   (0.89) 77.9   (1.05) 64.8   (0.98) 32.5   (1.31) 83.7   (0.78) 75.2   (0.97) 66.5   (1.22) 31.2   (1.35) 85.8   (1.14) 76.4   (1.24) 71.4   (1.42) 33.0   (1.86) 85.6   (1.20) 71.2   (1.56) 74.0   (1.40) 32.8   (1.31)
Nonpoor7 91.0   (0.46) 77.6   (0.58) 75.7   (0.51) 49.5   (0.76) 90.4   (0.51) 77.5   (0.55) 82.2   (0.61) 50.6   (0.71) 91.7   (0.48) 78.9   (0.66) 86.9   (0.57) 51.7   (0.78) 90.9   (0.37) 76.4   (0.59) 84.2   (0.55) 49.8   (0.69)

Control of school and
    enrollment level of child
                                                                                               
Public school 86.7   (0.40) 75.9   (0.45) 68.0   (0.47) 38.5   (0.64) 86.5   (0.43) 74.8   (0.45) 72.9   (0.50) 39.0   (0.52) 88.2   (0.50) 76.7   (0.56) 77.8   (0.60) 40.3   (0.69) 87.9   (0.41) 73.9   (0.61) 78.0   (0.57) 39.9   (0.62)
Elementary (kindergarten
    to grade 8)
90.9   (0.40) 85.1   (0.42) 71.7   (0.57) 42.8   (0.75) 90.0   (0.42) 82.4   (0.47) 76.0   (0.64) 44.1   (0.69) 91.0   (0.59) 84.8   (0.62) 80.5   (0.70) 44.6   (0.89) 91.5   (0.43) 82.8   (0.67) 82.0   (0.66) 44.0   (0.72)
Secondary (grades 9 to 12) 76.9   (1.06) 54.8   (1.03) 59.4   (1.06) 28.5   (0.98) 77.8   (0.92) 55.5   (1.04) 65.1   (0.90) 26.2   (0.71) 81.2   (0.88) 56.1   (1.21) 71.0   (1.01) 29.4   (0.95) 79.2   (0.93) 52.3   (1.16) 68.2   (1.02) 29.8   (0.89)
Private school 95.8   (0.61) 86.6   (1.02) 85.8   (1.20) 68.6   (1.57) 96.2   (0.58) 86.9   (1.13) 90.1   (1.18) 69.5   (1.63) 92.2   (1.39) 87.3   (1.21) 93.5   (1.14) 72.6   (1.91) 95.4   (0.65) 87.4   (1.26) 91.2   (1.16) 72.1   (1.82)
Elementary (kindergarten
    to grade 8)
96.6   (0.70) 91.6   (0.93) 88.4   (1.23) 73.3   (1.91) 97.4   (0.63) 91.2   (1.47) 91.8   (1.39) 74.4   (1.87) 92.1   (1.76) 90.5   (1.51) 94.2   (1.41) 78.2   (2.27) 95.9   (0.76) 91.3   (1.41) 92.3   (1.40) 75.9   (2.17)
Secondary (grades 9 to 12) 93.3   (1.55) 72.3   (2.49) 78.3   (2.77) 54.8   (2.82) 92.5   (1.20) 73.6   (2.19) 84.9   (2.08) 54.6   (2.44) 92.5   (2.36) 78.7   (1.89) 91.5   (1.30) 57.5   (2.80) 93.6   (1.28) 74.4   (2.10) 87.5   (2.02) 59.3   (2.53)

Locale of household8
                                                                                               
City ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 86.1   (0.76) 74.9   (0.84) 68.4   (0.93) 36.3   (0.98) 86.4   (1.02) 78.7   (1.10) 75.5   (1.25) 42.2   (1.39) 88.3   (0.67) 76.5   (1.05) 77.1   (0.96) 42.6   (1.27)
Suburban ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 88.3   (0.63) 74.9   (0.74) 74.5   (0.76) 44.2   (0.83) 90.0   (0.65) 77.5   (0.88) 80.9   (0.79) 45.5   (0.88) 89.2   (0.52) 75.1   (0.68) 79.2   (0.78) 43.5   (0.78)
Town ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 87.3   (1.27) 76.9   (1.78) 76.5   (1.92) 37.3   (1.90) 87.4   (1.51) 77.0   (1.72) 76.3   (1.76) 34.9   (1.99) 87.0   (1.35) 76.8   (1.94) 80.0   (1.60) 37.7   (1.91)
Rural ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 87.6   (0.87) 78.0   (0.76) 81.0   (0.97) 46.1   (1.15) 89.8   (1.02) 76.3   (1.34) 84.2   (1.15) 44.0   (1.75) 88.6   (0.69) 72.3   (1.35) 83.1   (1.16) 45.3   (1.30)

Enrollment level of child and
    locale of household
                                                                                               
Elementary                                                                                                
City ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 88.9   (0.77) 81.1   (0.93) 71.7   (1.15) 40.4   (1.25) 88.8   (1.25) 86.9   (1.13) 78.3   (1.41) 46.4   (1.85) 91.6   (0.81) 84.7   (1.08) 81.4   (1.17) 47.7   (1.55)
Suburban ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 91.8   (0.62) 83.6   (0.71) 77.8   (0.97) 50.6   (0.96) 92.4   (0.75) 85.4   (0.95) 83.4   (0.96) 51.1   (1.13) 92.5   (0.52) 83.9   (0.84) 83.1   (0.92) 47.7   (0.94)
Town ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 91.2   (1.39) 83.4   (2.30) 77.9   (2.37) 41.2   (2.41) 90.9   (1.74) 84.8   (1.98) 79.5   (2.52) 37.4   (2.58) 89.8   (1.35) 84.6   (2.25) 84.0   (1.75) 39.5   (2.44)
Rural ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 91.0   (0.74) 85.0   (0.84) 84.1   (1.00) 51.6   (1.41) 92.4   (1.17) 82.2   (1.67) 86.1   (1.57) 47.5   (2.10) 92.3   (0.73) 80.8   (1.59) 85.8   (1.41) 49.7   (1.59)
Secondary                                                                                                
City ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 78.0   (1.47) 57.2   (1.64) 59.1   (1.81) 24.8   (1.38) 79.6   (1.66) 55.6   (1.92) 67.3   (1.74) 30.4   (1.57) 79.6   (1.41) 54.9   (1.80) 65.9   (1.89) 28.9   (1.67)
Suburban ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 79.8   (1.47) 54.0   (1.58) 66.3   (1.55) 28.7   (1.35) 84.1   (1.18) 58.7   (1.61) 74.8   (1.35) 32.2   (1.26) 81.3   (1.21) 54.2   (1.46) 69.7   (1.40) 33.3   (1.24)
Town ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 76.6   (2.38) 59.2   (2.81) 72.6   (2.35) 26.6   (2.24) 78.1   (3.12) 55.9   (3.63) 67.8   (3.32) 28.1   (3.18) 79.9   (3.55) 57.3   (4.21) 69.8   (4.04) 33.1   (3.46)
Rural ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) ---   (†) 79.2   (2.05) 60.6   (1.86) 73.5   (2.20) 32.7   (1.76) 83.6   (1.72) 61.9   (1.87) 79.7   (1.68) 35.5   (2.07) 79.3   (1.67) 50.3   (2.00) 76.3   (1.70) 33.8   (1.79)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
1 PTO stands for Parent Teacher Organization and PTA stands for Parent Teacher Association.
2 The 2003 questionnaire included a single item for "Asian or Pacific Islander," whereas questionnaires for later years included one item for Asian and a separate item for Pacific Islander.
3 In 2003, education level was not collected for the second parent in a same sex couple.
4 The Census Bureau's poverty threshold is a dollar amount that varies depending on a family's size and composition and is updated annually to account for inflation. In 2019, for example, the poverty threshold for a family of four with two children was $25,926. Survey respondents are asked to select the range within which their income falls, rather than giving the exact amount of their income; therefore, the measure of poverty status is an approximation.
5 Poor children are those whose family incomes were below the poverty threshold in the year prior to data collection.
6 Near-poor children are those whose family incomes ranged from the poverty threshold to 199 percent of the poverty threshold.
7 Nonpoor children are those whose family incomes were at or above 200 percent of the poverty threshold.
8 Based on zip code of the household.
NOTE: National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) administrations prior to 2012 were administered via telephone with an interviewer. NHES:2012 and NHES:2016 used self-administered paper-and-pencil questionnaires that were mailed to respondents. Measurable differences between estimates for years prior to 2012 and estimates for later years could reflect actual changes in the population, or the changes could be due to the mode change from telephone to mail. For NHES:2019, the majority of data were collected using a web-based survey instrument that respondents accessed with credentials they received in a mailed invitation. Paper surveys were used for nonresponse follow-up and for a small experiment. Includes children enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12 and ungraded students. Excludes homeschooled children. Responding parents reported on their own activities and the activities of their spouse/other adults in the household. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Some data have been revised from previously published figures.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003, 2012, 2016, and 2019). (This table was prepared April 2021.)

2022 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest