Internet Access in Public and Private Schools

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Vol 1, Issue 4, Topic: Education Statistics Quarterly - Elementary and Secondary Education

This article was originally published as an Indicator of the Month, taken from The Condition of Education: 1999. The sample survey data are from several surveys-listed at the end of this article-on advanced telecommunications and Internet access in U.S. schools. The surveys were conducted through the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS).

The Internet, with its vast array of information, can broaden the learning resources available in schools by providing teachers and students with connections to libraries, schools, and government agencies. Information found on the Internet can broaden students' knowledge base, and Internet access can prepare students for an increasingly technological workplace. Examining patterns of Internet access in schools can help determine how many students will be prepared to use this technology effectively in the future.

Between fall 1994 and fall 1998, Internet access in public schools increased from 35 to 89 percent of schools (table 1 and figure 1a). The percentage of public school instructional rooms with Internet access also increased during this time period (from 3 percent in 1994 to 51 percent in 1998).
Public schools with a high student poverty level (71 percent or more of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) were less likely to have Internet access than schools with a low student poverty level (less than 11 percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) from fall 1994 to 1997 (table 1 and figure 1b). However, in fall 1998, high poverty-level public schools were as likely to have Internet access as low poverty-level schools.
In fall 1997, public schools with a high minority enrollment (50 percent or more) had both a lower rate of Internet access and a smaller percentage of instructional rooms with Internet access than public schools with a low minority enrollment (less than 6 percent) (table 1). By fall 1998, the gap between high and low minority enrollment schools with Internet access had closed, but high minority enrollment schools were still less likely to have instructional rooms with Internet access.
In both public and private schools with Internet access, teachers were more likely to have access to e-mail, news groups, resource location services, and the World Wide Web than were students in these schools.

Table 1.-Percentage of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access, by school characteristics: Fall 1994-98

Table 1.-Percentage of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access, by school characteristics: Fall 1994-98

¹Based on the total number of instructional rooms in regular public schools.

²Data for combined schools are not reported as a separate level of school because there are too few sample observations for a reliable estimate. Included in the totals are data for combined schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics: (1998) Internet Access in Public Schools (NCES 98-031), table 1, p. 1; (1999) Internet Access in Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-98 (NCES 1999-017), table 1, p. 1; and (1997) Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: Fall 1996 (NCES 97-944), table 1, p. 3.

Figure 1a.-Percentage of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access: Fall 1994-98

Figure 1a.-Percentage of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access: Fall 1994-98

Figure 1b.-Percentage of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access, by percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch: Fall 1998

Figure 1b.-Percentage of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access, by percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch: Fall 1998

*Based on the total number of instructional rooms in regular public schools.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics: (1998) Internet Access in Public Schools (NCES 98-031), table 1, p. 1; (1999) Internet Access in Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-1998 (NCES 1999-017), table 1, p. 1; and (1997) Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: Fall 1996 (NCES 97-944), table 1, p. 3.

Data sources: The following surveys, all conducted through the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS): "Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, K-12" (FRSS 51, 1994); "Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Private Schools, K-12" (FRSS 56, 1995); "Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools, K-12" (FRSS 57, 1995); "Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools: Fall 1996" (FRSS 61, 1996); "Survey on Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Schools: Fall 1997" (FRSS 64, 1997); and "Survey on Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools: Fall 1998" (FRSS 69, 1998).

For technical information, see

National Center for Education Statistics. (1999). The Condition of Education: 1999 (NCES 1999-022).

For complete supplemental and standard error tables, see either

the electronic version of The Condition of Education: 1999 (/pubs99/condition99), or
volume 2 of the printed version (forthcoming): The Condition of Education: 1999 Supplemental and Standard Error Tables (NCES 2000-016).

For questions about content, contact John Wirt (john.wirt@ed.gov).

To obtain this Indicator of the Month (NCES 2000-002), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827) or visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov).