Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office
CB00-FF.09 August 28,2000 Back to School Teachers & Other School Personnel - As of 1998, the United States had 5.9 million teachers, up from 4.0 million in 1983. This total includes 590,000 who teach at the prekindergarten and kindergarten levels, 2.0 million in elementary schools, 1.2 million in secondary schools, 380,000 in special education and 920,000 in colleges and universities. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html - Among the 10 occupations with the largest projected job growth from 1998 to 2008 are teacher's assistants, with an expected increase of 375,000. This increase would bring the number of teacher's assistant positions to 1.6 million. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html - The average annual salary for the nation's public-school classroom teachers was $40,100 in the 1997-98 school year. Meanwhile, principals made anywhere from $64,700 (elementary school level) to $74,400 (senior high level); counselors earned $46,200; librarians, $44,300; and school nurses, $34,600. Average salaries vary widely around the country: for teachers, they ranged from $51,700 in Alaska to $27,300 in South Dakota. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html Technology in the Schools - During the 1998-99 school year, 8.9 million computers were available for use in instruction at the nation's 109,000 elementary and secondary schools; this means a ratio of 1 computer for every 6 students. Furthermore, 88 percent of schools had Internet access; for every computer connected to the Internet, 14 students had access to it. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html - Were it not for their school, many children would not have computer or Internet access. In 1997, 39 million children ages 3 to 17 years used a computer at school, compared with only 25 million children who used a computer at home. Furthermore, school was the most common place for children to access the Internet: of the 13.5 million children using the Internet, 9.1 million did so at school, including 7.0 million who used it only at school. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-194.html The Rising Cost of a College Education - During the 1997-98 school year, tuition, room and board averaged about $8,150 at the nation's four-year public colleges and universities (up nearly 110 percent from 1984-85) and more than $24,420 at their private counterparts (up almost 140 percent since 1984-85). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html Students - More than one-quarter of U.S. residents (72.1 million) were enrolled in schools in October 1998. This included 4.6 million in nursery schools (equaling the record high), 3.8 million in kindergartens, 32.6 million in elementary schools, 15.6 million in high schools and 15.5 million in colleges. (The estimated numbers of high school and college students were not significantly different from each other.) Most college students (12.5 million) were undergrads. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - More and more children are getting an early start on their formal schooling. In October 1998, more than half (52 percent) of 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled in school, up from 10 percent in 1964. African American 3- and 4-year-olds were more likely to be enrolled than White children in this age group (59 percent compared with 51 percent). All told, the number of children enrolled in nursery schools in 1998, 4.6 million, was 10 times higher than the number enrolled in 1964. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - The number of elementary and high school students in October 1998, 48 million, was just short of the all-time high of 49 million in 1970, when baby-boom children attended school. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - The nation's school-age children come from diverse backgrounds. For instance, in 1998, 16 percent were non-Hispanic African American; 4 percent were non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander; 14 percent were Hispanic; 20 percent had at least one foreign-born parent; and 5 percent were themselves foreign-born. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - Many students simultaneously learn and earn. Nearly 3 in 10 full-time high school students age 15 and over held down jobs in October 1998; 1 in 10 of those with jobs worked full time. Once full-time students reach college, their likelihood of holding down a job during the school year climbs to more than 5 in 10; nearly 3 in 10 of those with jobs worked full time. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - Students in the high school graduating class of '95 could choose from among 3,706 colleges and universities nationwide for the 1995-96 school year. California had the highest number of colleges and universities (348), followed by New York (311) and Pennsylvania (217). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html - Back in 1968, women represented a minority (39 percent) of college students. By 1978, they had achieved proportional parity with men (50 percent). By 1988, they were in the majority (55 percent). In 1998, they maintained their majority status (56 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - In October 1998, the number of traditional college-age students (those under 25 years of age) remained at the record high of 9.4 million reached in 1997. However, older students now are populating college campuses in large numbers, too: the number of college students age 25 and over in 1998 (6.1 million) was more than double what it was a quarter-century earlier (2.6 million). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-179.html - In the fall of 1997, 481,000 foreign (nonimmigrant) students attended U.S. colleges and universities, up from about 179,000 in the fall of 1975. The bulk of these students (308,000) were from Asia. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html The Rewards of Staying in School - In 1997, adults age 18 and over with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $40,478 a year, while those with only a high school diploma earned $22,895. Advanced degree-holders made $63,229 a year, while those without a high school diploma averaged $16,124. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-221.html - It pays to stay in school and it pays even more to major in certain fields. For example, the average beginning salary offered in 1998 to bachelor's degree candidates in petroleum engineering was $49,900; the corresponding figure for those majoring in social sciences was $27,100. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html Graduation - Most adults have graduated from a school, many of them more than once. In 1998, 83 percent of the nation's adults age 25 and over and had at least a high school diploma, 24 percent had attained at least a bachelor's degree and 8 percent held a graduate degree. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-221.html - The states with the highest proportion of adults 25 and over with bachelor's degrees in 1998 were Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and Virginia, each with point estimates exceeding 30 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest estimate for bachelor's degree completion -- 36.5 percent, not significantly different from Colorado. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-221.html - Do you expect to receive your "sheepskin" sometime during the upcoming school year? If so, you'll have plenty of company. In a typical year in the mid-1990s, 2.2 million college degrees were conferred in the United States, more than half (1.2 million) being bachelor's degrees. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html - One-fifth of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 1996 in the United States were in business and management, making this the most popular major leading to a bachelor's degree. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-238.html Government Spending on Education - New Jersey, at $9,461, led all states in the amount of money spent per student on elementary and secondary education in 1997, followed by New York, $8,467; Alaska, $8,213; and Connecticut, $7,998. States spending the least were: Utah, $3,810; Mississippi, $4,035; Arizona, $4,334; South Dakota, $4,392; and Idaho, $4,415. The national average was $5,873. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-96.html - State governments contributed the greatest share of public elementary and secondary school funding in 1997, $150 billion (49 percent), closely followed by local governments, $138 billion (45 percent) and the federal government, $20 billion (6 percent). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-96.html - Total expenditures by public school systems were $311.7 billion in 1997, an increase of $18.9 billion (6 percent) from 1996. The majority of funds (about $166 billion or 53 percent) was spent on instruction. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-96.html - The nation's school districts invested $23 billion in school construction in 1997, 20 percent more than the $19 billion spent in 1996. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-96.html The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, the Statistical Abstract of the United States and the 1997 Census of Governments. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error, with the exception of the data on government spending on education, which come from all elementary and secondary schools and, therefore, are not subject to sampling variability. Previous 2000 Census Bureau Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March), Census Day, 2000 (April 1), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 14), Father's Day (June 18) and the Fourth of July. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670; e-mail: (pio@census.gov).
