The information provided
in this publication was reported by state education agency officials to
the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the Common Core
of Data (CCD). It relates to student membership and staff in public schools
and school districts in the United States and outlying areas during the
1999-2000 school year, graduate and dropout counts for the 1998-99 school
year, and to revenues and expenditures for fiscal year (FY) 1998.
- The 100 largest
public school districts, representing less than 1 percent (0.6 percent)
of all school districts in the nation, were responsible for the education
of 23.0 percent of all public school students (table
A).
- The 100 largest
districts employed 21.2 percent of the nation's public school teachers,
accounted for 16.5 percent of all public schools and 19.1 percent of
public high school completers (table
A).
- The 100 largest
school districts had larger school sizes than the average school district
(704 students compared to 507). In addition to larger school sizes,
the 100 largest school districts also had a higher mean pupil/teacher
ratio, 17.5 to 1 compared to 16.1 to 1 for the average school district
(table A).
- Three states, Florida,
Texas, and California, accounted for almost 40 percent of the 100 largest
school districts (appendix D).
- The proportion
of minority students in the 100 largest school districts was 68.0 percent,
compared to 39.6 percent in all school districts (table
C).
- Among schools that
reported free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, 53.6 percent of the
students in the 100 largest school districts were eligible for free
and reduced-price lunch, compared to 38.9 percent of all students in
reporting states (table C).
- In FY 1998 (the
1997-98 school year), current expenditures per pupil in the 100 largest
school districts ranged from a low of $3,210 in the Puerto Rico Department
of Education to a high of $10,293 in the Boston School District, Massachusetts
(table 10).
- While the number
of students, teachers, and schools has increased between 1989-90 and
1999-2000, the proportion of the national totals that the 100 largest
school districts comprised of all these dimensions was essentially unchanged
(table D).
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