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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 208.20. Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, pupil/teacher ratios, and new teacher hires: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2031
Year Teachers (in
thousands)
Enrollment (in
thousands)
Pupil/teacher ratio Number of new teacher
hires (in
thousands)1
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.)

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