Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, pupil/teacher ratios, and new teacher hires: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2031

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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	3,619	3,166		453	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	3,529	3,099		429	²	54,867	49,484	5,382	²	15.5	16.0		12.5	²	---	---	---
2011	3,524	3,103		421		54,790	49,522	5,268		15.5	16.0		12.5		241	173	68
2012	3,540	3,109		431	²	55,104	49,771	5,333	²	15.6	16.0		12.4	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		299	192	107
2016	3,653	3,169		483	²	56,369	50,615	5,754	²	15.4	16.0		11.9	²	---	---	---
2017	3,652	3,170		482		56,406	50,686	5,720		15.4	16.0		11.9		296	229	66
2018	3,652	3,170		482	²	56,304	50,694	5,610	²	15.4	16.0		11.6	²	---	---	---
2019	3,679	3,198		481		56,282	50,796	5,486		15.3	15.9		11.4		---	---	---
2020	3,677	3,196	³	481	⁵	55,377	49,375	6,002	⁵	15.1	15.4	³	12.5	⁵	205	163	41
2021	3,698	3,214	⁴	483	⁵	55,493	49,433	6,060	⁵	15.0	15.4	⁴	12.5	⁵	---	---	---
2022⁵	3,656	3,176		480		55,201	49,262	5,939		15.1	15.5		12.4		---	---	---
2023⁵	3,662	3,181		481		54,834	49,012	5,822		15.0	15.4		12.1		---	---	---
2024⁵	3,684	3,200		484		54,344	48,707	5,636		14.8	15.2		11.6		---	---	---
2025⁵	3,688	3,203		485		53,737	48,228	5,510		14.6	15.1		11.4		---	---	---
2026⁵	3,674	3,191		484		52,994	47,644	5,350		14.4	14.9		11.1		---	---	---
2027⁵	3,674	3,189		485		52,647	47,370	5,277		14.3	14.9		10.9		---	---	---
2028⁵	3,671	3,186		485		52,365	47,184	5,181		14.3	14.8		10.7		---	---	---
2029⁵	3,673	3,187		486		52,124	47,028	5,096		14.2	14.8		10.5		---	---	---
2030⁵	3,672	3,186		486		51,930	46,940	4,990		14.1	14.7		10.3		---	---	---
2031⁵	3,676	3,188		487		51,792	46,890	4,902		14.1	14.7		10.1		---	---	---

---Not available.

¹A 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.

²Estimated.

³Includes imputations for all levels of teachers in Illinois and Utah.

⁴Includes imputations for all levels of teachers in Nevada and prekindergarten teachers in California.

⁵Projected.

NOTE: Data in this table represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data for teachers are expressed in full-time equivalents (FTE). Counts of private school enrollment include prekindergarten through grade 12 in schools offering kindergarten or higher grades. Counts of private school teachers exclude teachers who teach only prekindergarten students. 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. 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, 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 2021-22; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989-90 through 2019-20; 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), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2015-16, 2017-18, and 2020-21, "Private School Teacher Data File," 2017-18 and 2020-21; Elementary and Secondary Teacher Projection Model, through 2031. (This table was prepared March 2023.)

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