• How Much Progress Have Public Schools Made Connecting to the Internet?
• How Much Progress Have Public Schools Made in Connecting Classrooms?
• What Is the Ratio of Students per Computer?
• How Are Public Schools Connecting to the Internet?
• How Are Public Schools Funding Advanced Telecommunications?
• Related Information
• References

The most recent survey of Internet access indicates that public schools in the United States have nearly reached the goal of connecting every school to the Internet. The percentage of public schools connected to the Internet has increased each year, from 35 percent in 1994 to 95 percent in 1999 (table 1).

In earlier years, access to the Internet varied by school characteristics. In some previous surveys, for example, secondary schools, schools with lower concentrations of students in poverty (as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches), and suburban schools were more likely to have Internet access than other schools. By 1999, these differences had disappeared; all schools, regardless of level, poverty concentration, and metropolitan status, were equally likely to have Internet access.

In 1994, 3 percent of all U.S. public school instructional rooms^* were connected to the Internet; by 1999, 63 per-cent were connected (table 1). Classroom connectivity is expected to continue to grow due to the allocation of funds through the Education rate (E-rate) program, which was established to make services and technologies in telecommunications available to schools and libraries at discounted rates based upon the income level of the students in their community and whether their location is urban or rural. The poorest applicants receive the largest discounts (90 percent), and rural communities receive up to a 10 percent additional discount. As of November 22, 1999, $1.9 billion has been committed to E-rate programs throughout the nation (Universal Service 1999).

Differences by school characteristics remain regarding Internet access in instructional rooms (table 1). For example, 39 percent of instructional rooms had Internet access in schools with high concentrations of poverty (71 percent or more students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches), compared with 62 to 74 percent of instructional rooms in schools with lower concentrations of poverty. The percentage of instructional rooms with Internet access in public schools with high concentrations of poverty did not increase between 1998 and 1999, while there were increases in the percentage of connected instructional rooms in schools with lower concentrations of poverty.

According to the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology (1997, 21), 4 to 5 students per computer is the ratio "that many experts consider to represent a reasonable level for the effective use of computers within the schools." In 1999, the ratio of students per instructional computer in public schools was approximately 6, the same as in 1998 (not shown). Overall, within types of schools, ratios of students to instructional computer stayed the same or decreased slightly between 1998 and 1999.

Table 1.—Percent of public schools with Internet access, percent of instructional rooms with Internet access in public schools, and ratio of students per instructional computer with Internet access, by school characteristics: Selected years 1994 to 1999

The ratio of students per instructional computer with Internetaccess decreased from 12 to 9 from 1998 to 1999, although differences remain across schools with different characteristics (table 1). For example, medium-sized and large schools had more students per computer with Internet access than small schools, 9 and 10 students compared to 6 students. Schools located in cities had more students per computer with Internet access (11) than schools in rural areas (7). The largest differences occurred in schools with varying concentrations of poverty. Schools with the highest concentration of poverty had 16 students per instructional computer with Internet access, compared to 7 among schools with the lowest concentration of poverty.

Over the years, changes have occurred in the type of network connections used by public schools and the speed at which they are able to connect. In 1996, dial-up network connections were used by almost three-quarters of public schools (not shown). By 1999, more schools were using faster dedicated-line network connections. Sixty-three percent of the nation's public schools were connected to the Internet by dedicated lines, 14 percent used dial-up connections, and 23 percent of schools used other connection types, which included ISDN, wireless connections, and cable modems (table 2). Secondary schools (77 percent) and schools with the lowest concentration of poverty (72 percent) were more likely to connect to the Internet using dedicated lines than elementary schools (60 percent) and schools with the highest concentration of poverty (50 percent).

Table 2.—Percent of public schools that use the following types of connections when connecting to the Internet, by school characteristics: Fall 1999

Measuring funding is difficult as schools receive support for advanced telecommunications programs from a myriad of sources. Because of the complexity of this issue, measuring actual funding amounts was considered beyond the scope of this survey. However, the survey did list several potential sources of support and asked whether the school received hardware, software, or funding from the sources. About 9 out of 10 public schools reported receiving support from their school district, and 72 percent from state or federal government programs (figure 1). About a third of schools reported receiving support from parents and parent organizations, and about the same percentage received support from businesses. Fifteen percent of schools received support from teachers or students while 5 percent received support from other programs or individuals (not shown). School administrators were also asked to indicate the primary source of support. Schools most frequently cited the school district (58 percent), followed by state and federal programs (32 percent). This primary support was related to the school's poverty concentration: for example, state and federal government programs were cited as the primary source by 48 percent of schools with the highest concentration of poverty compared to the 14 percent of schools with the lowest concentrations of poverty; the school district was the primary source for 43 percent of highest poverty schools compared to 78 percent of schools with the lowest poverty (not shown).

This survey is part of an overall effort of NCES to track the access and use of technology in schools and classrooms. More information from the series of public school surveys on advanced telecommunications and Internet access can be obtained from NCES publications (Heaviside, Farris, and Malitz 1995, 1996; Heaviside, Riggins, and Farris 1997; Bare and Meek 1998; Rowand 1999). In addition to collecting information from public schools, NCES surveyed private schools about advanced telecommunications in 1995 and 1998 (Heaviside and Farris 1997; Levin, Hurst, and Burns 2000). NCES has also collected information on teacher training in advanced telecommunications; a report on this topic is scheduled to be released in summer 2000.

Figure 1.—Percent of public schools that received hardware, software, or funding for advanced telecommunications from the following programs, organizations, or individuals and the primary source of support: Fall 1999