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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 209.23. Number and percentage distribution of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by race/ethnicity and selected teacher and school characteristics: Academic year 2020-21
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Selected teacher or school characteristic Number of teachers (in thousands) Race/ethnicity
Total American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Two or more races White
Total American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Hispanic Pacific Islander Two or more races
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Teacher characteristics       Percentage distribution of teachers in each racial/ethnic group, by teacher characteristic
Total 3,764   (44.5) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
Sex                                                            
Male 873   (16.5) 23.2   (0.31) 23.8   (0.58) 32.8   (3.94) 23.1   (1.61) 22.0   (1.08) 24.6   (0.90) 32.7   (5.52) 23.5   (1.82) 23.1   (0.35)
Female 2,890   (34.7) 76.8   (0.31) 76.2   (0.58) 67.2   (3.94) 76.9   (1.61) 78.0   (1.08) 75.4   (0.90) 67.3   (5.52) 76.5   (1.82) 76.9   (0.35)
Age                                                            
Under 30 535   (11.3) 14.2   (0.23) 14.6   (0.52) 8.2   (2.30) 16.2   (1.57) 11.0   (0.85) 16.3   (0.82) 5.9 ! (2.09) 18.5   (1.89) 14.1   (0.26)
30 to 39 1,016   (14.3) 27.0   (0.29) 27.2   (0.66) 27.3   (4.04) 28.7   (2.02) 26.0   (1.09) 26.8   (0.96) 18.4   (4.51) 32.0   (2.06) 27.0   (0.32)
40 to 49 1,073   (14.6) 28.5   (0.27) 28.9   (0.63) 31.1   (3.98) 28.6   (1.78) 28.9   (1.25) 28.9   (0.92) 42.6   (6.28) 26.9   (1.89) 28.4   (0.31)
50 to 59 841   (14.4) 22.3   (0.27) 21.2   (0.57) 23.7   (3.50) 20.5   (1.60) 22.5   (1.19) 21.1   (0.82) 24.1   (5.30) 16.7   (1.64) 22.6   (0.30)
60 and over 300   (10.7) 8.0   (0.24) 8.2   (0.37) 9.6   (2.59) 6.0   (0.73) 11.5   (0.81) 6.9   (0.50) 9.1 ! (2.83) 5.9   (0.96) 7.9   (0.27)
Highest degree earned                                                            
Less than bachelor's 31   (2.6) 0.8   (0.07) 1.0   (0.13) 3.8 ! (1.51)   (†) 0.7   (0.19) 1.0   (0.19)   (†) 1.3 ! (0.51) 0.8   (0.08)
Bachelor's 1,437   (24.7) 38.2   (0.41) 41.1   (0.80) 44.0   (4.50) 30.5   (1.91) 34.0   (1.35) 48.3   (1.16) 43.8   (5.99) 40.6   (2.44) 37.4   (0.43)
Master's 1,928   (27.2) 51.2   (0.41) 46.5   (0.73) 42.4   (4.15) 54.1   (1.90) 51.5   (1.32) 41.7   (1.02) 46.0   (6.22) 46.3   (2.24) 52.4   (0.43)
Education specialist1 318   (7.3) 8.4   (0.20) 9.0   (0.41) 9.2   (2.64) 10.9   (1.23) 10.5   (0.86) 7.3   (0.56) 6.7 ! (2.70) 10.2   (1.30) 8.3   (0.22)
Doctor's 51   (2.8) 1.4   (0.07) 2.4   (0.22)   (†) 3.8   (0.67) 3.3   (0.47) 1.6   (0.28)   (†) 1.7 ! (0.62) 1.1   (0.07)
Years of teaching
   experience
                                                           
Less than 3 274   (8.2) 7.3   (0.18) 9.1   (0.37) 5.4 ! (1.91) 11.1   (1.16) 8.5   (0.70) 9.4   (0.56) 4.5 ! (2.15) 8.2   (1.12) 6.8   (0.20)
3 to 9 1,095   (14.3) 29.1   (0.28) 33.0   (0.61) 35.7   (3.72) 34.3   (1.83) 30.9   (1.14) 32.9   (0.99) 27.4   (5.04) 39.5   (2.18) 28.1   (0.30)
10 to 20 1,404   (18.9) 37.3   (0.29) 35.7   (0.66) 35.7   (3.86) 33.9   (1.81) 37.1   (1.23) 35.5   (0.99) 45.1   (5.88) 33.1   (2.03) 37.7   (0.35)
Over 20 991   (18.0) 26.3   (0.31) 22.2   (0.62) 23.2   (3.09) 20.8   (1.53) 23.5   (1.05) 22.3   (0.86) 23.0   (4.89) 19.3   (1.67) 27.4   (0.36)
Instructional level2                                                            
Elementary 1,884   (30.1) 50.1   (0.66) 50.8   (1.12) 39.1   (4.93) 48.1   (2.37) 48.8   (1.65) 54.5   (1.49) 36.9   (6.10) 46.0   (2.20) 49.9   (0.69)
Secondary 1,880   (36.3) 49.9   (0.66) 49.2   (1.12) 60.9   (4.93) 51.9   (2.37) 51.2   (1.65) 45.5   (1.49) 63.1   (6.10) 54.0   (2.20) 50.1   (0.69)
School characteristics       Percentage distribution of teachers in schools with characteristic, by race/ethnicity
Total 3,764   (44.5) 100.0   (†) 20.1   (0.34) 0.4   (0.04) 2.4   (0.10) 6.1   (0.20) 9.4   (0.24) 0.2   (0.02) 1.6   (0.08) 79.9   (0.34)
School classification                                                            
Traditional public 3,513   (39.4) 100.0   (†) 19.3   (0.34) 0.4   (0.04) 2.3   (0.11) 5.8   (0.20) 9.0   (0.25) 0.2   (0.02) 1.6   (0.08) 80.7   (0.34)
Charter school 251   (12.5) 100.0   (†) 31.5   (1.56) 0.4   (0.12) 3.4   (0.37) 10.3   (1.12) 15.2   (0.95) 0.4   (0.11) 1.9   (0.19) 68.5   (1.56)
Enrollment size of school3                                                            
Under 200 227   (18.6) 100.0   (†) 18.1   (2.01) 0.5 ! (0.15) 1.4   (0.30) 5.6   (0.92) 9.1   (1.88)   (†) 1.3   (0.31) 81.9   (2.01)
200 to 499 1,234   (28.1) 100.0   (†) 18.0   (0.60) 0.5   (0.08) 2.1   (0.17) 5.9   (0.38) 7.7   (0.38) 0.1   (0.03) 1.7   (0.17) 82.0   (0.60)
500 to 999 1,406   (24.9) 100.0   (†) 20.7   (0.57) 0.3   (0.06) 2.3   (0.18) 6.0   (0.32) 10.3   (0.42) 0.1   (0.03) 1.6   (0.12) 79.3   (0.57)
1,000 or more 884   (25.2) 100.0   (†) 22.7   (0.72) 0.5   (0.10) 3.0   (0.25) 6.6   (0.42) 10.6   (0.49) 0.3   (0.06) 1.7   (0.15) 77.3   (0.72)
Percent of minority
   students in school4
                                                           
Less than 10 percent 366   (15.9) 100.0   (†) 2.1   (0.24) 0.1 ! (0.05) 0.2 ! (0.06) 0.3 ! (0.10) 0.9   (0.17)   (†) 0.6   (0.13) 97.9   (0.24)
10 to 24 percent 643   (21.0) 100.0   (†) 4.5   (0.29) 0.2 ! (0.07) 0.7   (0.12) 0.7   (0.11) 1.9   (0.17)   (†) 1.0   (0.13) 95.5   (0.29)
25 to 49 percent 865   (20.1) 100.0   (†) 9.9   (0.34) 0.3   (0.06) 1.3   (0.14) 2.2   (0.18) 4.6   (0.24) 0.1 ! (0.03) 1.4   (0.12) 90.1   (0.34)
50 to 74 percent 769   (25.2) 100.0   (†) 20.7   (0.63) 0.6   (0.12) 2.0   (0.21) 6.5   (0.42) 9.3   (0.44) 0.1   (0.04) 2.1   (0.17) 79.3   (0.63)
75 to 89 percent 428   (19.6) 100.0   (†) 32.8   (1.28) 0.5   (0.11) 3.4   (0.35) 10.0   (0.79) 16.6   (1.07) 0.2 ! (0.07) 2.0   (0.25) 67.2   (1.28)
90 percent or more 623   (20.4) 100.0   (†) 52.2   (0.97) 0.7   (0.17) 6.6   (0.44) 17.3   (0.77) 24.5   (0.96) 0.5   (0.08) 2.5   (0.23) 47.8   (0.97)
School locale                                                            
City 1,047   (27.7) 100.0   (†) 30.5   (0.68) 0.3   (0.08) 4.1   (0.25) 9.2   (0.44) 14.5   (0.49) 0.2   (0.05) 2.1   (0.15) 69.5   (0.68)
Suburban 1,453   (26.5) 100.0   (†) 20.0   (0.60) 0.2   (0.04) 2.6   (0.18) 6.1   (0.37) 9.5   (0.43) 0.1   (0.03) 1.5   (0.11) 80.0   (0.60)
Town 450   (19.1) 100.0   (†) 12.7   (0.78) 0.9   (0.18) 0.8   (0.13) 3.6   (0.47) 5.8   (0.48) 0.2   (0.06) 1.4   (0.18) 87.3   (0.78)
Rural 815   (23.7) 100.0   (†) 11.1   (0.60) 0.7   (0.11) 0.5   (0.10) 3.3   (0.29) 4.9   (0.53) 0.1 ! (0.04) 1.5   (0.17) 88.9   (0.60)
Percent of students
   eligible for free or
   reduced-price lunch
                                                           
0 to 25 705   (19.1) 100.0   (†) 10.5   (0.56) 0.2   (0.05) 2.1   (0.20) 2.0   (0.29) 5.1   (0.38) 0.1 ! (0.04) 1.2   (0.13) 89.5   (0.56)
26 to 50 947   (25.5) 100.0   (†) 12.5   (0.53) 0.3   (0.05) 1.7   (0.19) 3.1   (0.27) 5.7   (0.38) 0.1   (0.03) 1.5   (0.13) 87.5   (0.53)
51 to 75 771   (24.7) 100.0   (†) 21.1   (0.83) 0.5   (0.12) 2.3   (0.22) 6.5   (0.44) 9.6   (0.63) 0.2   (0.05) 1.9   (0.19) 78.9   (0.83)
76 to 100 1,216   (28.7) 100.0   (†) 31.4   (0.67) 0.6   (0.09) 3.1   (0.22) 10.7   (0.46) 15.0   (0.51) 0.2   (0.04) 1.8   (0.15) 68.6   (0.67)
School does not
     participate
124   (7.6) 100.0   (†) 16.2   (1.30) 0.5 ! (0.20) 2.5   (0.50) 4.0   (0.70) 7.0   (0.81)   (†) 1.7   (0.40) 83.8   (1.30)
†Not applicable.      
!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.      
‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.      
1Education specialist degrees or certificates are generally awarded for 1 year's work beyond the master's level. Includes certificate of advanced graduate studies.
2Teachers were classified as elementary or secondary on the basis of the grades they taught, rather than on the level of the school in which they taught. In general, elementary teachers include those teaching prekindergarten through grade 6 and those teaching multiple grades, with a preponderance of grades taught being kindergarten through grade 6. In general, secondary teachers include those teaching any of grades 7 through 12 and those teaching multiple grades, with a preponderance of grades taught being grades 7 through 12 and usually with no grade taught being lower than grade 5.
3Excludes teachers for whom the enrollment size of the school was not available.
4Excludes teachers for whom the percentage of minority enrollment in the school was not available. Minority enrollment is the combined enrollment of students who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races.
NOTE: Data are based on a head count of full-time and part-time teachers rather than on the number of full-time-equivalent teachers reported in other tables. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and cell suppression. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2020-21. (This table was prepared May 2023.)

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