Online courses: Percentage of K–12 schools that normally offered any courses entirely online prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and among those schools, the percentage distribution of schools, by percentage of students who were enrolled online, school type, and selected school characteristics: 2020–21

	Percent of schools that normally offered courses entirely online prior to the coronavirus pandemic	Among schools that normally offered at least one course entirely online prior to the coronavirus pandemic, percentage distribution of students that enrolled
School type and selected school characteristic		1–10 percent of students	11–25 percent of students		26–50 percent of students		51–75 percent of students		76 percent or more of students
All schools	26.3	40.6	19.4		12.1		4.5		21.1

All public schools	28.7	39.3	20.1		12.5		4.7		21.6

School classification
Traditional public	28.5	40.8	20.7		12.5		4.4		20.0
Charter school	30.6	26.2	14.7		12.7		7.2		36.4

Community type
City	27.2	24.6	13.8		18.2		8.8		32.4
Suburban	24.4	34.4	19.9		15.8		6.0		22.1
Town	32.3	45.5	21.7		6.3		‡		22.2
Rural	33.8	53.1	24.7		7.8		0.9	!	11.8

School level¹
Elementary	17.7	25.8	18.5		21.9		5.7		25.2
Middle	25.0	44.4	19.5		11.0		5.2		17.8
Secondary/high	50.4	46.1	22.7		6.9		3.8		19.3
Combined/other	51.3	48.4	17.1		7.1		4.3		23.0

Student enrollment
Less than 100	37.6	20.5	15.0		14.8	!	7.3	!	41.3
100–199	31.6	34.7	25.0		7.4	!	2.0	!	26.7
200–499	24.1	40.7	19.7		14.1		4.6		19.0
500–749	28.8	36.5	19.9		15.1		4.3		22.6
750–999	26.1	42.8	21.6		11.1		3.5	!	19.6
1,000 or more	41.8	53.2	21.0		6.8		6.0		11.9

Percent of K–12 students who were approved for free or reduced-price lunches
0–34	26.2	43.7	19.0		9.3		2.3		23.6
35–49	29.5	51.3	19.9		12.0		3.1	!	12.9
50–74	29.9	39.6	22.8		8.7		4.5		22.5
75 or more	29.5	32.8	19.5		16.3		6.6		22.9

Reported effect of COVID–19 on instruction²
Offering only distance-learning instruction	26.1	30.8	7.8		3.3	!	1.9	!	54.8
Offering a hybrid of in-person and distance-learning instruction	29.3	40.9	22.9		15.2		5.8		13.4
Offering only in-person instruction or no effect on the instruction offered	29.1	43.7	20.7		8.4	!	‡		24.6

All private schools	17.3	48.8	15.0		9.6		3.1	!	17.7

School classification
Catholic	14.3	50.6	16.3		11.1	!	‡		9.9	!
Other religious	18.9	54.2	11.6		8.9	!	‡		17.9
Nonsectarian	17.5	35.6	21.0		9.7	!	6.5	!	24.3

Community type
City	19.4	49.2	11.1		8.0	!	3.7	!	25.3
Suburban	21.7	49.0	17.2		13.3		‡		9.5
Town	12.7	71.0	‡		‡		‡		‡
Rural	9.5	35.0	20.8	!	‡		‡		23.5	!

School level¹
Elementary/middle	8.9	61.9	‡		‡		‡		19.5	!
Secondary/high	30.5	38.0	22.5		7.5	!	‡		23.8
Combined/other	17.6	50.2	12.8		11.6		3.3	!	15.4

Student enrollment
Less than 100	16.6	39.0	15.2		12.0	!	3.2	!	23.8
100–199	14.1	59.7	11.3	!	8.8	!	‡		12.5	!
200–499	20.4	57.3	17.3		7.7	!	‡		11.4	!
500–749	28.6	54.8	16.9	!	‡		‡		5.0	!
750 or more	20.4	50.4	‡		‡		‡		32.2	!

Reported effect of COVID–19 on instruction²
Offering only distance-learning instruction	24.4	36.0	8.7	!	‡		‡		55.3
Offering a hybrid of in-person and distance-learning instruction	22.0	44.8	19.4		10.9		4.7	!	12.7
Offering only in-person instruction or no effect on the instruction offered	10.7	62.8	5.9	!	9.5	!	‡		18.1	!

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent and less than 50 percent of the estimate).

‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable analysis, or the coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is 50 percent or greater (i.e., the standard error is 50 percent or more of the estimate).

¹Elementary schools offer at least one grade of K to 4, and the number of elementary grades is higher than the number of middle grades. Middle schools offer at least one of grades 5 to 8, and the number of middle grades is greater than the number of elementary or secondary grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools. School level categories in the 2020–21 NTPS differ from those in previous survey administrations; caution should be exercised when comparing estimates by level over time.

²Schools were asked to report the current effect of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on instruction at the school at the time they completed the survey. Thus, this was the reported effect on instruction at the time the survey was completed, not a summary of the school year.

NOTE: Data are weighted estimates of the population. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding, and because 2.3 percent of all schools (1.8 percent of public school and 5.9 percent of private schools) reported they normally offered online classes but had no students enrolled.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), “Public School and Private School Data Files,” 2020–21.