American Education at a Glance
The following is provided by the Office of Educational Research
and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Please feel
welcome to distribute.
============================================================================
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
OFFICE OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
AMERICAN EDUCATION AT A GLANCE
JULY 1992
1. PARTICIPATION IN EDUCATION
o Over 25% of the people in the United States are
students or are employed by schools or colleges.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Education participants Fall 1990
estimated,
in millions)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Number of students
Elementary and secondary 46.2
Higher education 14.0
Teachers and faculty 3.5
Nonteaching staff 3.8
Total participants 67.5
Total population 250.4
--------------------------------------------------------------
2. NUMBER OF SCHOOLS
o About 15,400 school districts operated over 83,000
public elementary and secondary schools in 1989.
o There were approximately 26,800 privately operated
elementary and secondary schools in 1987.
o There were approximately 3,500 colleges and
universities in 1989.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Public Private
Elementary and secondary schools fall 1989 fall 1987
--------------------------------------------------------------
Elementary 59,757 16,936
Secondary 20,359 2,395
Combined 2,280 6,023
Other schools* 1,029 1,453
Total 83,425 26,807
--------------------------------------------------------------
* Includes special education, alternative, and others not
reported by grade span.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Fall 1989
---------------------------
Colleges and universities Total Public Private
--------------------------------------------------------------
4-year colleges 2,127 595 1,532
2-year colleges 1,408 968 440
Total 3,535 1,563 1,972
3. ENROLLMENT
o After years of decline, public elementary and secondary
(el/sec) school enrollment began rising again in 1985.
o Private school enrollment has remained relatively
stable since 1980.
o Higher education enrollment has continued to increase
during the past two decades despite a drop in the
traditional college-age population beginning in the
early 1980s.
Enrollment in all public and private elementary and secondary
schools, and higher education
----------------------------------------------------------------
Enrollment in fall
(students, in millions)
--------------------------------
1975 1980 1985 1990(1) 1995(2)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Elementary (K-8) 34.2 31.7 31.2 33.8 36.1
Public 30.5 27.7 27.0 29.7 31.8
Private (1)3.7 4.0 4.2 4.1 4.3
Secondary (9-12) 15.6 14.5 13.8 12.4 14.0
Public 14.3 13.2 12.4 11.3 12.7
Private (1)1.3 1.3 1.4 1.1 1.3
Total el/sec (K-12) 49.8 46.2 45.0 46.2 50.1
Public 44.8 40.9 39.4 41.0 44.4
Private 5.0 5.3 5.6 5.2 5.6
Higher education 11.2 12.1 12.2 14.0 14.6
Public 8.8 9.5 9.5 10.9 11.4
Private 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.2
Total 61.0 58.3 57.2 60.2 64.7
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Estimated
(2) Projected
o In 1990, 27 percent of elementary and secondary
students were black or Hispanic while 16 percent of
college students were black or Hispanic.
Student race/ethnicity, 1990
----------------------------------------------------------------
% Distribution in fall(1)
Student race/ethnicity 1975(2) 1980 1985 1990
----------------------------------------------------------------
Public and private el/sec enrollment
White, non-Hispanic 77.4 74.4 71.3 68.8
Black, non-Hispanic 14.4 15.2 15.5 15.7
Hispanic 6.6 8.1 9.7 11.2
Other 1.7 2.3 3.5 4.3
Public and private higher education enrollment
White, non-Hispanic 84.0 83.1 81.0 79.2
Black, non-Hispanic 9.6 9.9 9.5 10.1
Hispanic 4.2 4.2 5.3 5.5
Other 2.3 2.8 4.2 5.2
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the
Census.
(2) Excludes persons 35 years old and older.
o The rise in higher education is partially due to a
substantial increase in the number of women, older
students, and part-time students attending college.
Enrollment in higher education, by sex and attendance status
Total higher education enrollment
----------------------------------------------------------------
% Distribution in fall
------------------------------------------------------------
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990*
----------------------------------------------------------------
Male 58.8 55.0 48.6 47.5 45.3
Female 41.2 45.0 51.4 52.5 54.7
Full-time 67.8 61.2 58.7 57.8 56.9
Part-time 32.2 38.8 41.3 42.2 43.1
14-21 years old 55.2 47.4 46.1 42.6 41.4
22-29 years old 29.5 31.5 31.9 31.7 30.0
30 years old & older 15.3 21.0 22.0 25.7 28.6
----------------------------------------------------------------
* Estimated.
4. TEACHERS
Number of elementary and secondary teachers
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fall of
year Total Public Private
----------------------------------------------------------------
1960 1,600,000 1,408,000 (1)192,000
1965 1,933,000 1,710,000 223,000
1970 2,288,000 2,055,000 233,000
1975 2,451,000 2,196,000 (1)255,000
1980 2,485,000 2,184,000 301,000
1985 2,550,000 2,207,000 343,000
1986 2,592,000 2,244,000 (1)348,000
1987 2,631,000 2,279,000 353,000
1988 2,668,000 2,323,000 (1)345,000
1989 2,734,000 2,356,000 (1)377,000
1990(2) 2,744,000 2,391,000 (1)353,000
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Estimated.
(2) Preliminary.
o In the fall of 1989, there were over 2.7 million
elementary and secondary school teachers in public and
private schools.
o Over the past 20 years, the number of teachers has
risen despite declining numbers of students.
o Since 1970, the faculty in public institutions of
higher education has increased at a faster rate than
the faculty at private institutions.
Number of faculty in institutions of higher education(1)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Fall of
year Total Public Private
----------------------------------------------------------------
1970 474,000 314,000 160,000
1975(2) 628,000 443,000 185,000
1980(2) 686,000 495,000 191,000
1985(2) 715,000 503,000 212,000
1990(2) 762,000 539,000 223,000
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Includes all full-time and part-time, junior and senior
faculty.
(2) Estimated.
o Although mean salaries for public school teachers have
risen steadily since 1976, they rose more slowly than
the inflation rate between 1976 and 1980 and faster
than the inflation rate in the 1980s.
Salaries in public schools and higher education
----------------------------------------------------------------
School year ending
-------------------------------
1976 1980 1988 1990
(constant 1989-90 dollars)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Teachers(1)
Average $27,535 $24,931 $29,317 $31,315
Beginning 19,024 17,433 19,372 20,476
Higher education faculty(2) 38,085 34,947 39,347 39,965
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Figures from the American Federation of Teachers.
(2) Includes full-time instructional faculty at public and
private institutions.
o The percentage of female el/sec public school teachers
has been between 65% and 70% for the last 20 years.
o The percentage of black teachers was about 8% in 1987,
considerably lower than the proportion of black
students. About 87% of all public el/sec teachers are
white.
Public el/sec school teachers, by sex
---------------------------------------------------------------
% Distribution in fall
----------------------------------------------------------------
1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1987
----------------------------------------------------------------
Male 31.1 34.3 32.9 33.1 31.2 29.5
Female 69.0 65.7 67.0 66.9 68.8 70.5
----------------------------------------------------------------
5. REVENUES
o In 1979, a historic shift occurred when the state share
of elementary and secondary school revenues rose above
the local share for the first time. The federal share
for elementary and secondary schools has always been
relatively small.
Revenues for public elementary and secondary schools, by source
o Despite dramatic tuition increases in recent years,
tuition accounted for only about 15% of all revenues at
public institutions in 1987 and for about 40% at
private ones.
Sources of higher education revenues: 1987-88*
----------------------------------------------------------------
Percent distribution
-------------------------------------------
Tuition Federal State Local Other
----------------------------------------------------------------
Public 15.0 10.3 43.4 3.7 27.6
Private 39.1 16.6 2.5 0.6 41.1
----------------------------------------------------------------
* Preliminary data.
6. EXPENDITURES
o Beginning in 1982, inflation-adjusted current
expenditures(1) per student in public
elementary/secondary schools began rising, reaching an
estimated record high of $4,929 in 1990.
o Higher education expenditures(2) per student dropped
between 1980 and 1982 after adjustment for inflation,
but then started rising again with expenditures
increasing more quickly at private institutions than at
public institutions.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Expenditures per student Expenditures per student
in current dollars in 1989-90 dollars
------------------------ --------------------------
School
year Higher education(2) Higher education(2)
ending Public ------------------- Public -------------------
el/sec(1) Public Private el/sec(1) Public Private
----------------------------------------------------------------
1975 1,365 $3,951 $6,217 3,345 $9,687 $15,242
1980 2,272 5,908 9,140 3,716 9,663 14,949
1985 3,470 8,720 14,006 4,166 10,469 16,815
1987 3,970 9,981 16,670 4,532 11,394 19,029
1988 (3)4,240 (3)10,471 (3)17,940 (3)4,648 (3)11,477 (3)19,664
1989 (4)4,639 --- --- (4)4,860 --- ---
1990 (4)4,929 --- --- (4)4,929 --- ---
----------------------------------------------------------------
--- Not available.
(1) Current expenditures exclude capital outlay and interest on
school debt.
(2) Current-fund expenditures are monies spent to meet current
operating costs. They exclude capital expenditures, interest
on school debts, loans, and investments. Constant dollars
computed using the Consumer Price Index.
(3) Preliminary.
(4) Estimated.
o Total expenditures for all educational institutions
account for about 7 percent of the gross national
product (GNP).
o After rising rapidly between 1959 and 1969, the
proportion of GNP spent on education dipped slightly
during the 1970s as enrollment in elementary and
secondary schools declined.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Expenditures(1)
School ----------------
Calendar GNP in year In As %
year billions ending billions GNP
----------------------------------------------------------------
1959 $495.8 1960 $23.9 4.8
1969 963.9 1970 68.5 7.1
1979 2,508.2 1980 165.6 6.6
1980 2,732.0 1981 182.8 6.7
1985 4,014.9 1986 269.5 6.7
1986 4,231.6 1987 291.8 6.9
1987 4,515.6 1988 (2)313.0 6.9
1988 4,873.7 1989 (3)340.6 7.0
1989 5,200.8 1990 (3)365.4 7.0
1990 5,463.6 1991 (3)392.6 7.2
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Includes all expenditures on public and private elementary,
secondary, and higher education.
(2) Preliminary.
(3) Estimated.
7. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
o The dropout rate among blacks 16 to 24 years old
dropped from 28 percent in 1970 to 13 percent in 1990.
The dropout rate for all 16- to 24-year-olds was 12
percent in 1990, down from 15 percent in 1970.
Percent of high school dropouts among persons 16 to 24 years
old(1)
----------------------------------------------------------------
School Percent of persons who dropped out
year ---------------------------------------------
ending All races White(2) Black(2) Hispanic(3)
----------------------------------------------------------------
1970 15.0 13.2 27.9 ---
1975 13.9 12.6 22.8 29.2
1980 14.1 13.3 19.3 35.2
1985 12.6 12.2 15.7 27.6
1986 12.1 11.9 13.7 30.0
1987 12.7 12.5 14.5 28.6
1988 12.9 12.7 14.9 35.8
1989 12.6 12.4 13.8 33.0
1990 12.1 12.0 13.2 32.4
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) "Status" dropouts are persons who are not enrolled in school
and are not high school graduates.
(2) Includes persons of Hispanic origin.
(3) Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
o Many people who do not complete high school by age 17
or 18 later receive high school diplomas or receive
high school equivalency certificates after passing
tests such as the General Educational Development (GED)
test, thus boosting the high school completion rate for
older Americans.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Level of school completed
-----------------------------------------
% Ages 25 to 29 % Ages 25 and over
-----------------------------------------
4 or more 4 or more
H.S. or years of H.S. or years of
Year more(1) college more(1) college
----------------------------------------------------------------
1940 38.1 5.9 24.5 4.6
1950 52.8 7.7 34.3 6.2
1960 60.7 11.0 41.1 7.7
1970 75.4 16.4 55.2 11.0
1980 85.4 22.5 68.6 17.0
1986 86.1 22.4 74.7 19.4
1987 86.0 22.0 75.6 19.9
1988 85.9 22.7 76.2 20.3
1989 85.5 23.4 76.9 21.1
---------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Includes recipients of high school equivalency certificates.
o The education level of the U.S. adult population has
been increasing since 1940. However, among young
adults (ages 25-29), levels have not increased
significantly since 1980.
Highest level of school completed by 25- to 29-year-olds
o Between 1988 and 1989 the number of associate,
bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees increased,
while the number of first-professional degrees remained
the same.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Academic
school First
year profes-
ending AA/AS BA/BS MA/MS Ph.D. sional
----------------------------------------------------------------
1971 252,610 839,730 230,509 32,107 37,946
1976 391,454 925,746 311,771 34,064 62,649
1981 416,377 935,140 295,739 32,958 71,956
1986 446,047 987,823 288,567 33,653 73,910
1987 437,137 991,339 289,557 34,120 72,750
1988 435,085 994,829 299,317 34,870 70,735
1989(1) 435,210 1,017,667 309,762 35,759 70,758
1990(2) 445,000 1,043,000 319,000 38,000 71,000
----------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Preliminary.
(2) Estimated.
AA/AS: Associate of arts, associate of sciences degrees.
BA/BS: Bachelor of arts, bachelor of sciences degrees.
MA/MS: Master of arts, master of sciences degrees.
Ph.D.: Doctor of philosophy degrees.
First Professional: Chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine,
optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy,
podiatry, theology, and veterinary medicine degrees.
NCES
The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) collects
and analyzes education statistics and disseminates information to
parents, students, teachers, administrators, policymakers,
researchers, and the media.
Much of the source data for NCES books is available on data tapes
(some on diskette). For additional information about data sets
call 1-800-424-1616 or, in Washington, D.C. area, 626-9854.
================================================================
Note
Details may not add to total due to rounding.
This brochure is in the public domain and may be reprinted.
The U.S. Department of Education does not endorse any private
business or organization mentioned herein.
Sources
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), Digest of Education Statistics, 1991.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census: Statistical
Abstract of the United States, various years; Current Population
Reports, Series P-20, No. 429; Series P-25, various years; and
unpublished data. Data from very early years are from the
decennial census of the population.
National Education Association, Status of the American Public
School Teacher, 1985-86.
American Federation of Teachers, Survey and Analysis of Salary
Trends, 1976 to 1990.
Council of Economic Advisers, Economic Indicators.
send to "erl-l@tcsvm"
===========================================================================
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1992 23:08:00 CDT
Sender: "Educational Research List (TCSVM)"
Subject: NCES: Ed. At a Glance (487 lines)
===========================================================================
Back to
Educational Resources Page