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Home » In the States » K-12 Facts

K-12 Facts

Updated as of December 2019

1) SNAPSHOT OF U.S. STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 

2) SCHOOLS 

3) 
ENROLLMENT

4) TEACHERS 

5) STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO 

6) 
EXPENDITURES 

7) SALARIES AND WAGES 

8) 
FUNDING

Snapshot of U.S. Student Achievement:

NATION’S REPORT CARD:

Scores from the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), better known as the Nation’s Report Card:

    • 4th Grade Proficiency
      • Math – 41% students proficient
      • Reading – 35% students proficient
    • 8th Grade Proficiency
      • Math – 34%  students proficient
      • Reading – 34%  students proficient

(National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2019)

ACT:

On the ACT, 36% test takers did not meet any of the four benchmarks. The percentages of graduates meeting the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in math and English are the lowest they’ve been in 15 years.

(The Condition of College and Career Readiness 2019)

ACHIEVEMENT GAP:

Scores at or above proficient among subgroups:

    • 8th Grade Math
      • White: 44%
      • Black: 14%
      • Hispanic: 20%
    • 8th Grade Reading
      • White: 42%
      • Black: 15%
      • Hispanic: 22% 

(National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2019)

HOW U.S. STUDENTS COMPARE INTERNATIONALLY:

According to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranks:

    • 30th in math
    • 8th in reading
    • 11th in science

1 out of 5 of American 15-year-olds scored so low on the PISA test that it appeared they had not mastered reading skills expected of a 10-year-old. The U.S. spends more per student than other countries on education, but that spending does not translate into better performance. 

(Program for International Student Assessment, 2018)

Schools:

TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS:  approx. 13,600

(Education Data: 2019)

PERCENTAGE OF STATES WITH ELECTED SUPERINTENDENTS (versus appointed or recommended): 26%

(Education Commission of the States: 2017)

TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS: 98,277

  • Elementary: 66,758
  • Secondary: 24,040
  • Combined: 6,788
  • Other: 691 

(Digest of Educational Statistics: 2017, Table 105.50 )

TOTAL NUMBER OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: 7,000

(The National Alliance of Public Charter Schools: 2018)

 TOTAL NUMBER OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS: 32,461

  • Elementary: 20,090
  • Secondary: 2,845
  • Combined: 9,526

(Private School Universe Survey: 2017-2018, Table 1 )

 

TOTAL NUMBER OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: 6,289

  • Elementary: 5,092
  • Secondary: 1,197

(NCEA The Annual Statistical Report on Schools, Enrollment, and Staffing: 2019)

 

Enrollment:

TOTAL K-12 ENROLLMENT: 56,600,000

  • Public: 50,800,000
  •  Private: 5,800,000

(NCES Fast Facts: 2019-2020 ) 

TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 50,800,000

  • Elementary: 34,100,000 
  • Secondary: 15,300,000

(NCES Fast Facts: 2019-2020 ) 

TOTAL CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 3,200,000

(The National Alliance of Public Charter Schools)

TOTAL PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 4,898,154

  • Elementary: 2,169,867
  • Secondary: 808,599
  • Combined: 1,919,688

(Private School Universe Survey: 2017-2018, Table 1 )

TOTAL HOME SCHOOL ENROLLMENT:1,642,027 or 2.56% of America’s school population

(HomeSchoolConnect:2017-2018 )

TOTAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT:  1,789,363

  • Elementary/ Middle: 1,239,449 
  • Secondary: 549,914 

(NCEA The Annual Statistical Report on Schools, Enrollment, and Staffing: 2019)

 TOTAL FULL TIME ONLINE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 297,712 Students 

TOTAL BLENDED LEARNING ENROLLMENT: 132,960 Students 

(National Education Policy Center: 2019)

 

Teachers:

 TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS: 3,200,000

(Fast Facts: Teacher Trends 2017)

TOTAL CHARTER SCHOOL TEACHERS: 218,000

(Digest of Educational Statistics: 2017, Table 209.21)

TOTAL PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS: 491,000

(Digest of Educational Statistics: 2017, Table 208.20)

 TOTAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS: 146,620

  • Elementary: 101,485
  • Secondary: 51,804
  • Combined: 153,289

(National Catholic Education Association, 2018)

 

Student-Teacher Ratio:

PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 16.1:1

PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 12.2:1

(Digest of Educational Statistics: 2017, Table 208.20)

CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 12:1

(National Catholic Education Association, 2018)

 

Expenditures:

TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPENDITURES: 705,558,501,000

  • Current Expenditures: 620 Billion
  • Instruction: 378 Billion
  • Administration: 47 Billion
  • Plant Operation: 57 Billion
  • Other School Services: 138 Billion
  • Capital Outlay: 58 Billion
  • Interest on School Debt: 18 Billion

(Digest of Educational Statistics: 2018, Table 236.10)

AVERAGE DISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE: $12,201 

(US Census Bureau: 2017)

AVERAGE PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE: $7,131

(The Center for Education Reform, Survey of American Charter Schools: 2014)

AVERAGE CATHOLIC SCHOOL PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE

  • Elementary: $5,936
  • Secondary:  $15,249 

(National Catholic Education Association, 2018 )

AVERAGE PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION: $10,676

  • Elementary: $9,638
  • Secondary: $14,522
  • Combined: $24,160

(Private School Review: 2019-2020)

AVERAGE CATHOLIC SCHOOL TUITION: 

  • Elementary: 4,841
  • Secondary: 11,239

(National Catholic Education Association, 2018 )

 

 

Salaries And Wages:

PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:

  • Superintendents: $104,980 

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2018)

SCHOOL PRINCIPALS:

  • Salary: 95,310 / year 

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2018)

PUBLIC SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL:

  • Counselor: $56,310
  • Librarian: $59,050
  • Social Worker: $49,470

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2018)

AVERAGE TEACHER BASE SALARY:

  • Elementary School: $57,980
  • Middle School: $58,600
  • High School: $60,320

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2018)

PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF SALARIES:

  • Secretaries: $38,880
  • Accounting Payroll: $70,500
  • Teacher Aides: $26,970 

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2018)

HOURLY WAGE RATES:

  • Cafeteria Workers: $12.12
  • School Bus Drivers: $16.56

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: 2018)

 

Funding:

TOTAL FUNDING OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: 664 Billion

  • Federal: 56 Billion (8% of total)
  • State: 309 billion (47% of total)
  • Local: 299 billion (45% of total)

(Digest of Education Statistics: Public School Revenue Sources, 2018)