In the latter part of August and early September, the nation’s schools reopen following the traditional summer break. This edition of Facts for Features celebrates the return of students and teachers to the classroom.

Students
More than 1-in-4
Ratio of U.S. household residents age 3 and over enrolled in schools — from nursery schools to colleges. That amounts to 74.6 million students in all. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_lang=en&_ts=97423642362>

Pre-K through 12

55%
Percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school, up from 20 percent in 1970. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>

53.8 million
The number of students projected to enroll in the nation’s elementary and high schools (grades K-12) this fall. That number exceeds the 1969 total of 51.6 million when the last of the “baby boom” children swelled school enrollments.
See Table 217 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html> and
<http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>.

274,000
The decrease in elementary school-age children between 2000 and 2003. Only 14 states experienced increases in the population of this age group. Texas (125,000), Florida (88,000) and Arizona (66,000) — the latter two, usually known for their older populations — led the way. North Carolina (36,000) and Nevada (35,000) followed.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001703.html>

429,000
The increase in the nation’s high school-age population between 2000 and 2003. More than half the states experienced an increase in this age group over the period, led by California (97,000), Florida (81,000), Texas (46,000), North Carolina (37,000) and New Jersey (34,000).
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001703.html>

11%
Projected percentage of elementary and high school students enrolled in private schools this fall. See Table 217 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

21%
Percentage of elementary and high school students with at least one foreign-born parent. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>

9.8 million
Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who speak a language other than English at home. These children make up nearly 1-in-5 in this age group. Most of them (6.9 million) speak Spanish at home. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_lang=en&_ts=97423642362>

72%
Percentage of children 12-to-17 years old who are academically on track for their age. The rate is higher for girls than for boys (79 percent versus 69 percent).
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p70-89.pdf>

22%
Percentage of children 12 to 17 enrolled in special classes for gifted students. The corresponding rate for those who are 6 to 11 is 13 percent. <http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p70-89.pdf>

40%
Percentage of children ages 12 to 17 who have changed schools at some time in their educational careers. For children ages 6 to 11, the corresponding rate is 23 percent. This does not include students who graduated from one scholastic level to the next, e.g., from elementary to middle school. <http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p70-89.pdf>

59%
Percentage of children 6 to 17 who participate in at least one of three types of extracurricular activities — sports, clubs or lessons. <http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/p70-89.pdf>

22%
Percentage of high school students ages 15 to 17 who are holding down a full- or part-time job. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>

College

15.9 million
The projected number of students enrolled in the nation’s colleges and universities this fall.
See Table 219 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

Teachers
6.2 million
Number of teachers in the United States. About half (3.1 million) teach at the elementary and middle school level. <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/eeoindex/page_c.html?>

$54,300
Average annual salary of public elementary and secondary school teachers in California in
2002 — highest of any state in the nation. Teachers in South Dakota received the lowest
pay — $31,300. The national average was $44,700.
See Table 250 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

Technology in the Schools
14.1 million
Number of computers available for classroom use in the nation’s 114,000 elementary and secondary schools; that works out to one computer for every four students. (From upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004.)

99%
Percentage of public schools with Internet access. There are five students for every instructional computer connected to the Internet. As recently as 1995, the proportion was 50 percent.
See Table 256 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

The Rising Cost of College
$9,953
Average tuition, room and board (for in-state students) at the nation’s four-year public colleges and universities for an entire academic year; that is up 87 percent from 1990. See Table 292 at
<http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

$29,119
Average tuition, room and board at the nation’s four-year private colleges and universities for one complete academic year; that is up 93 percent from 1990.
See Table 292 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

The Rewards of Staying in School
$4.4 million
Estimated lifetime earnings of professional (i.e., medical, law, dentistry and veterinary medicine) degree-holders. This compares with $3.4 million for those with Ph.D.s, $2.5 million for master’s degree-holders, $2.1 million for those with bachelor’s degrees, $1.2 million for high school graduates and $1.0 million for high school dropouts.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2002/cb02-95.html>

$55,987
Average starting salary offered to bachelor’s degree candidates in petroleum engineering, among the highest of any field of study. At the other end of the spectrum were those majoring in the social sciences; they were offered an average of $29,098. (From upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004.)

Graduation
2.9 million
Projected number of high school diplomas that will be awarded this school year.
See Table 219 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

2.5 million
Number of college diplomas expected to be conferred this school year.
See Table 219 at <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-03.html>.

Government Spending on Education
$13,187
The per-pupil expenditure on elementary and secondary education in the nation-leading District of Columbia in 2002. New York, at $11,546; New Jersey, $11,436; Connecticut, $10,001; and Massachusetts, $9,856, followed.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/governments/001841.html>

Back-to-School Shopping
$5.6 billion
The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2003. Only in November and December — the holiday shopping season — were sales higher. Similarly, bookstore sales in August 2003 totaled $2.2 billion, an amount approached only by sales in December and January. (The dollar volume estimates have not been adjusted for seasonal variations, holiday or trading day differences or price changes.) <http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html>