8
epicenter www.educationalpolicy.org A publication of the Educational Policy Institute April 2011 Improving Public Policy and Practice Through Research The Landscape of Public Education A Statistical Portrait Through the Years Public education in the United States began in early Colonial America as local, informal systems of teaching reading and writing, often as part of religious instruction and predominately limited to the upper class. Around the 17th century, basic literacy slowly began to be expected in all classes to ensure religious obedience, and particularly in the New England Colonies, where religious education was paramount, many students attended Dame schools, where working-class families paid a female teacher to provide education out of her home. In 1642, Massachusetts established a law that required all parents guarantee their children capable of reading and understanding “the principles of religion and the capital laws of this country” (Snyder, 1993), and five years later, the Old Deluder Satan Act required all towns in Massachusetts with 50 or more families to provide elementary schools and all towns with 100 or more families to establish grammar schools focused on Latin and Greek scholarship. The first public secondary school, Latin Grammar School, was established in Boston in 1635, and by the second half of the 17th century, the public school system in Massachusetts had become a model of education for other colonies. As interest in commerce and industry grew, emphasis on religion in schools slowly waned, and by the American Revolution, education was seen as a way to promote democracy and freedom for the United States (Cohen & Gelbrich, 1999). In 1751, Benjamin Franklin established the Philadelphia Academy, a secondary school that emphasized modern languages, agriculture, and other subjects relevant to daily life, and Noah Webster developed the first classroom spelling book to promote democratic ideals in 1783. Most schools however were not free, and although Thomas Jefferson “tried to persuade the Virginia legislature to fund elementary and secondary schools” in the late 1700s, he was unsuccessful (Cohen & Gelbrich). In addition, most women received little formal education outside of Dame schools during the 17th and 18th century, and most Native Americans and African Americans did not have access to public schools until later in the 19th century, largely due to laws passed in southern states during the early to mid-1800s prohibiting the teaching of slaves to read. Following the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, public education became of national precedence. Act 3 of the Ordinance stated that with “religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged” (Snyder, 1993). The legislation granted land for educational institutions, and many states pushed to establish uniform public school systems. Large cities formed pauper schools paid for by public funds, but most education was still offered in common schools, which while publicly operated, were not free. Large shifts towards publically-funded education did not occur until well after the 1800s, but by the latter half of the 19th century, most school systems had adopted a public, free, and mandatory education system. Educational Policy Institute “Improving educational policy & practice through research” The Educational Policy Institute (EPI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to policy-based research on educational opportunity for all students. EPI is a collective association of researchers and policy analysts from around the world dedicated to the mission of enhancing our knowledge of critical barriers facing students and families throughout the educational pipeline. For more information about the Educational Policy Institute, please visit our website at www.educationalpolicy.org, or contact us at: Educational Policy Institute 801 N. Quincy St. Suite 700 Arlington, VA 22203 (703) 875-0701 UPCOMING EPI EVENTS RETENTION 2011 Join us June 12-14, 2011 in San Diego, California for the Internaonal Conference on Student Success. Visit our website for more informaon. EPI BOOK CLUB EPI Book club is a series of interacve online presentaons of recently published books with the authors that focus on a variety of educaonal topics. Visit our website to register. May 3, 2011 - 2:00pm EST, Higher Educaon? How colleges are wasng our money and failing our kids - and what we can do about it? with Andrew Hacker & Claudia Dreifus. June 7, 2011 - 1:00pm EST, Stretching the School Dollar with Frederick M. Hess.

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Page 1: EPI Center - Educational Policy Institute The Landscape Center/EPICenter_K-12.pdf · epicenter A publication of the Educational Policy Institute April 2011 Improving Public Policy

epicenterwww.educationalpolicy.org A publication of the Educational Policy Institute April 2011

Improving Public Policy and Practice Through Research

The Landscape of Public EducationA Statistical Portrait Through the Years

Public education in the United States began in early Colonial America as local, informal systems of teaching reading and writing, often as part of religious instruction and predominately limited to the upper class. Around the 17th century, basic literacy slowly began to be expected in all classes to ensure religious obedience, and particularly in the New England Colonies, where religious education was paramount, many students attended Dame schools, where working-class families paid a female teacher to provide education out of her home. In 1642, Massachusetts established a law that required all parents guarantee their children capable of reading and understanding “the principles of religion and the capital laws of this country” (Snyder, 1993), and five years later, the Old Deluder Satan Act required all towns in Massachusetts with 50 or more families to provide elementary schools and all towns with 100 or more families to establish grammar schools focused on Latin and Greek scholarship.

The first public secondary school, Latin Grammar School, was established in Boston in 1635, and by the second half of the 17th century, the public school system in Massachusetts had become a model of education for other colonies. As interest in commerce and industry grew, emphasis on religion in schools slowly waned, and by the American Revolution, education was seen as a way to promote democracy and freedom for the United States (Cohen & Gelbrich, 1999). In 1751, Benjamin Franklin established the Philadelphia Academy, a secondary school that

emphasized modern languages, agriculture, and other subjects relevant to daily life, and Noah Webster developed the first classroom spelling book to promote democratic ideals in 1783. Most schools however were not free, and although Thomas Jefferson “tried to persuade the Virginia legislature to fund elementary and secondary schools” in the late 1700s, he was unsuccessful (Cohen & Gelbrich). In addition, most women received little formal education outside of Dame schools during the 17th and 18th century, and most Native Americans and African Americans did not have access to public schools until later in the 19th century, largely due to laws passed in southern states during the early to mid-1800s prohibiting the teaching of slaves to read.

Following the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, public education became of national precedence. Act 3 of the Ordinance stated that with “religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged” (Snyder, 1993). The legislation granted land for educational institutions, and many states pushed to establish uniform public school systems. Large cities formed pauper schools paid for by public funds, but most education was still offered in common schools, which while publicly operated, were not free. Large shifts towards publically-funded education did not occur until well after the 1800s, but by the latter half of the 19th century, most school systems had adopted a public, free, and mandatory education system.

Educational Policy Institute

“Improving educational policy & practice through research”

The Educational Policy Institute (EPI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to policy-based research on educational opportunity for all students. EPI is a collective association of researchers and policy analysts from around the world dedicated to the mission of enhancing our knowledge of critical barriers facing students and families throughout the educational pipeline. For more information about the Educational Policy Institute, please visit our website at www.educationalpolicy.org, or contact us at:

Educational Policy Institute801 N. Quincy St. Suite 700

Arlington, VA 22203(703) 875-0701

UPCOMING EPI EVENTS

RETENTION 2011Join us June 12-14, 2011 in San Diego, California for the International Conference on Student Success. Visit our website for more information.

EPI BOOK CLUBEPI Book club is a series of interactive online presentations of recently published books with the authors that focus on a variety of educational topics. Visit our website to register.

May 3, 2011 - 2:00pm EST, Higher Education? How colleges are wasting our money and failing our kids - and what we can do about it? with Andrew Hacker & Claudia Dreifus.

June 7, 2011 - 1:00pm EST, Stretching the School Dollar with Frederick M. Hess.

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Public Education Districts and Schools

In 1867, the Department of Education was established and began collecting statistics on education systems and schools in the United States. While school jurisdictions and reporting methods varied greatly between states, it was recorded that approximately 116,000 schools were in operation nationwide by 1870. This number more than doubled by the early 1900s, but most of these schools were likely operated by only one teacher. In 1910, over 80 percent of all schools were one-teacher operated, but the proportion of one-teacher schools rapidly decreased during the first several decades of the 20th century. After 1920, the total number of schools began to decline as a result, and by 1950, the number of schools had dropped 44 percent.

Despite the rapid decline of one-teacher elementary schools, as well as the “high school movement” in the early 1900s, the large majority of schools during the first half of the 20th century were elementary. In 1930, less than 10 percent of public schools were secondary, and while that number climbed slowly each decade, secondary schools accounted for only 16 percent of schools by 1950. In the decade following Brown vs. The Board of Education in 1954, which declared segregated schools unconstitutional, numbers of elementary

 

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1980

1990

2000

2009

Num

ber

of

Scho

ol D

istr

icts

School Year Ending

Districts with Enrollment ! 10,000

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2009

Num

ber

of S

choo

l Dis

tric

ts

School Year Ending

11,500 12,000 12,500 13,000 13,500 14,000 14,500 15,000

1980

1990

2000

2009

Num

ber

of

Scho

ol D

istr

icts

School Year Ending

Districts with Enrollment < 10,000

Figure 3. Number of Public School Districts in the United States, 1940-2009

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1971

1981

1990

2000

2009

Num

ber

of S

choo

ls

School Year Ending

Schools with more than One Teacher One-Teacher Schools

Figure 1. Number of Public Schools in the United States, 1870-2009

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2009

Num

ber

of S

choo

ls

School Year Ending

Elementary Schools Secondary Schools

Figure 2. Number of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, 1930-2009

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

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schools rapidly dropped, and with the Baby Boom and increased need for high school diplomas following World War II, there was vast expansion of public secondary schools. By 1970, 28 percent of public schools were secondary and 72 percent elementary. Only 2 percent of schools had just one teacher. School districts also consolidated, and between 1940 and 1970, the number of school districts decreased from 117,108 in 1940 to 17,995 in 1971. Today there are 13,809 school districts.

Between 1970 and 2009, school districts declined another 23 percent, but except for a decrease in numbers of one-teacher schools to less than 1 percent, proportions of elementary and secondary schools have remained relatively unchanged. Rather than the addition of more school districts, district size has increased over the pastdecades. Since 1980, districts with enrollment over 10,000 students have risen by 25 percent, and although there are substantially more rural and smaller school districts in the United States, the number of jurisdictions with less than 10,000 students enrolled has decreased by over 15 percent.

Public Education Enrollment

In 1870, it was recorded that 57 percent of 5 to 17 year olds attended public school, and prior to the 1900s, over 98 percent of enrollment was in elementary schools, mostly in grades 1st through 5th. In 1918 though, all states were required to have mandatory school-attendance laws, and enrollment increased to 78 percent of school-aged children by 1920. The high school movement in the early 20th century also encouraged greater secondary enrollment. By 1940, over 84 percent of children went to school, and over a quarter of those students were enrolled in secondary programs. As the population of school-aged children declined with the great depression and through World War II however, student enrollment decreased (Snyder, 1993). In addition, many older students left school to join the War or enter the workforce to replace those who had left for war, and the proportion of high schools students dropped to 22 percent.

Following the Baby Boom after WWII, the number of school-aged children rebounded, and enrollment in public schools increased 44 percent between 1950 and 1960. A decline in the number of births after the 1960s resulted in a slight decrease in enrollment between 1970 and 1990, but with increased student enrollment in kindergarten, the percentage of school-aged children enrolled remained over 87 percent and the proportion of students in grades K-8, as well as high school grades 9-12, was evenly dispersed. In 2008, nearly 50,000 students were enrolled in public schools, comprising 92 percent of school-aged children, where over 31 percent were enrolled in secondary programs.

 

0

5,000,000

10,000,000

15,000,000

20,000,000

25,000,000

30,000,000

35,000,000

40,000,000

45,000,000

50,000,000

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2008

(57%)

(66%)

(69%)

(72%)

(74%)

(78%)

(82%)

(84%)

(83%)

(82%)

(87%)

(87%)

(90%)

(89%)

(92%)

Num

er o

f St

uden

ts

(Per

cent

age

of 5

-17

Yea

r O

ld P

opul

atio

n)

School Year Ending

Elementary Secondary

Figure 4. Enrollment in Public Schools, 1870-2008

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

 

K 7% 1st

8%

2nd 8%

3rd 8%

4th 8%

5th 7% 6th

7%

7th 8%

8th 8%

9th 9%

10th 8%

11th 7%

12th 7%

2008

K 5% 1st

10%

2nd 10%

3rd 9%

4th 9% 5th

9%

6th 8%

7th 9%

8th 7%

9th 7%

10th 6%

11th 6%

12th 5%

1960

K 3% 1st

16%

2nd 11%

3rd 11%

4th 10%

5th 9%

6th 9%

7th 8%

8th 6%

9th 6%

10th 5%

11th 3%

12th 3%

1930 K

2% 1st

21%

2nd 14%

3rd 13%

4th 12%

5th 10%

6th 8%

7th 7%

8th 6%

9th 3%

10th 2% 11th

1%

12th 1%

1911

Figure 5. Enrollment Distribution by Grade, Select Years 1911-2008

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

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Attendance

Although Massachusetts had passed the first compulsory school-attendance law in 1852, requiring school-aged children to enroll in school, with several states following suit over the subsequent decades, students in 1870 attended an average of only 54 percent of school days, and little over half of students attended daily. Following 1918 however, when school became mandatory in all states, students attended over 75 percent of school days, and three-quarters of students attended daily. Ever since, the length of the school term and attendance rates have steadily increased. By 1950, public school consisted of an average of 178 days per year, and nearly 90 percent of students attended daily. By 2008, 94 percent of students attended daily, and students were present at school an average of 167 out of 179 days.

Charter and Magnet Schools

Over the past decade, numbers and enrollment of charter and magnet schools have also grown considerably. In 2001, there were 1,993 charter schools and 1,469 magnet schools reported by the Department of Education, and charter and magnet schools enrolled 1 percent and 3 percent of the student population, respectively. By 2009, both numbers and enrollment of charter and magnet schools doubled, and attendance increased to 3 percent and 5 percent of all students.. Both charter and magnet schools have more elementary programs and enroll more students between grades K through 8th, but secondary and combined charter and magnet schools have been on the rise. Since 2001, charter secondary and combined schools have grown over three-fold, while secondary and combined magnet schools have doubled.  

0 500

1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000

2001 2006 2009

Num

ber

of S

choo

ls

School Year Ending

Charter Elementary Magnet Elementary

Charter Secondary/Combined Magnet Secondary/Combined

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

2001 2006 2009

Num

ber

of S

choo

ls

School Year Ending

Figure 7. Number of Charter and Magnet Schools, Select Years 2001-2009

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

2001 2006 2009

Num

ber

of S

tude

nts

School Year Ending

Figure 8. Student Enrollment in Charter and Magnet Schools, Select Years 2001-2009

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2008

(54%)

(62%)

(64%)

(69%)

(72%)

(75%)

(83%)

(87%)

(89%)

(90%)

(92%)

(92%)

(93%)

(94%)

Num

ber

of S

choo

l Day

s pe

r A

cade

mic

Yea

r (P

erce

ntag

e of

Stu

dent

s A

tten

ding

Dai

ly)

School Year Ending

Average Number of Absences per Student Average Number of Days Attended per Student

Figure 6. Length of School Term and Attendance, 1870-2008

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

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Graduation

In 1890, public high schools produced 22,000 graduates, representing approximately half of all high school graduates that year, but only 3.5 percent of the 17 year old population. Ten years later, graduation rates had risen to 6.4 percent, and more students graduated from public schools than private schools. Following the high school movement in the first decades of the 20th century, graduation rates multiplied, and by 1940, over half of the 17 year old population graduated. In addition, more females graduated than males. Graduation rates continued to rise until 1980, when rates declined slightly between 1980 and 2000, but there continued to be more women graduates than men. By 2008, there were 3 million public high school graduates—75 percent of the 17 year old population graduated—67 percent of whom came from public schools.

Minority Enrollment

Before the Civil War, 56 percent of White school-aged children attended public schools, but only 2 percent of minorities were formally educated. In the years following the Civil War, the proportion of minority students increased, and by 1900, over 30 percent of minorities age 5 to 19 were enrolled in school. In 1896, the “separate but equal” doctrine was established following the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy vs. Ferguson, and although in separate schools, minority attendance in public schools increased to over 75 percent of the school-aged minority population by 1950. After segregation was declared unconstitutional in 1954,

minority enrollment continued to increase at a steady rate. By 1980, over 90 percent of minorities attended school, and by 1990, 93 percent of both White children and minority children were enrolled in public education.

The proportion of minority attendance in public schools has increased for all minority groups over the decades as well. In 1977, there were 16 percent Black students, followed by 6 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native. By 2009, the proportion of Black students had risen to 17 percent, Hispanic to 22 percent, Asian/Pacific Islander to 5 percent, and American Indian/Alaska Native to slightly over 1 percent.

 

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2008

Num

ber

of S

tude

nts

School Year Ending

Male Female

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

Figure 10. Number of Male and Female Public High School Graduates, 1940-2008

 

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

Per

cent

age

of 5

-19

Yea

r O

ld P

opul

atio

n

School Year Ending

White Minority

Figure 11. Proportion of School-Aged Population Enrolled by Race/Ethnicity, 1850-1990

 

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

2,500,000

3,000,000

3,500,000

1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2008

(1.7%)

(4.1%)

(6.2%)

(12.4%)

(25.8%)

(47.6%)

(52.3%)

(60.9%)

(68.9%)

(64.5%) (66.2%)

(63.0%)

(67.6%)

Num

ber

of S

tude

nts

(P

erce

ntag

e of

17

Yea

r O

ld P

opul

atio

n)

School Year Ending

Figure 9. Number of Public High School Graduates, 1890-2008

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

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Conclusion

The evolution of the public school system in the United States has been arguably one of the most successful in the world. Although schools prior to the 20th century were not entirely free or readily accessible by women and minorities, education became egalitarian relatively early in U.S. history as compared with other, European countries. Furthermore, the system of education has remained relatively uniform throughout history. Since the late 1800s, schools, enrollment, and graduation rates have progressively increased, and while there are undeniably issues for reform in programs and curriculum, the system of education in the United States has been quite successful.

One of the largest concerns that has persisted in the public school system since its onset in the 19th century relates to disparities between districts and resources to ensure unified and effective education for all students. Discrimination against women and minorities, poverty and shortages in rural districts, overcrowding in urban areas, and financial shortages overall have all impacted the quality of education for many students. While, attendance, graduation, and success rates are high in broad statistical reports, these numbers may not adequately depict gaps and inequalities within the system. It is important that school leaders, policy makers, and the public collect detailed and accurate data from individual districts and schools in order to identify specific privations, improve educational shortages, and ensure successful learning and preparation for all students.

References

Cohen, L.M., and Gelbrich, J. (1999). History and philosophy of education. Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/module1.html

Goldin, C. (1999). A brief history of education in the United States. National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA

Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

 

White 55% Black

17%

Hispanic 22%

Asian/Pacific

Islander 5%

American Indian/Alaska Native

1%

2009

White 76%

Black 16%

Hispanic 6%

Asian/Pacific

Islander 1%

American Indian/Alaska Native

1%

1977

Figure 12. Enrollment Distribution by Race/Ethnicity, 1977 and 2009

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of American education: A statistical portrait. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; Snyder, T.D., and Dillow, S.A. (2011). Digest of Education Statistics 2010. National Center for Educational Statistics, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office

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www.educationalpolicy.org 7

 

Total

One-

Teacher

1870116,312

——

——

——

——

1880178,122

——

——

——

——

1890224,526

——

——

——

——

1900248,279

——

——

——

——

1910265,474

—212,448

——

——

——

1920271,319

—187,948

——

——

——

1930248,117

238,306148,712

23,930—

——

——

1940226,762

—113,600

—117,108

——

——

1950152,767 Τ

128,22559,652

24,54283,718

——

——

1960117,637 Τ

91,85320,213

25,78440,520

——

——

197091,152* Τ

65,800*1,815*

25,352*17,995*

——

——

198085,982*

61,069*921*

24,362*15,912*

6591,106

5,5148,362

199083,425

60,699630

23,46115,367

658913

5,4847,994

200092,012

68,173423

26,40714,928

8171,036

5,5257,193

200998,706

72,771237

29,97113,809

8741,049

5,2676,373

10,000 or m

ore5,000 to

9,9991,000 to

4,9991 to 999

All School

Districts

Secondary Schools

Elem

entary SchoolsT

otal Schools

Year

Ending

*Data for years ending 1971 and 1981 provided

ΤData calculated from

total numbers of elem

entary and secondary schools

Public Schools and School D

istricts, 1870-2009

ϒData for year ending 2008 provided

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of A

merican education: A

statistical portrait. National C

enter for Educational Statistics, W

ashington, DC

: U

.S. Governm

ent Printing O

ffice; Snyder, T.D., and D

illow, S.A

. (2011). Digest of E

ducation Statistics 2010. National C

enter for Education

Statistics, Washington, D

C: U

.S. Governm

ent Printing O

ffice

Enrollm

ent Size

Public Schools

Public School D

istricts

18707,562,000

7,481,000—

——

——

——

——

80,000—

——

—57%

18809,867,000

9,757,000—

——

——

——

——

110,000—

——

—66%

189012,723,000

12,520,000—

——

——

——

——

203,000—

——

—69%

190015,503,000

14,984,000—

——

——

——

——

519,000—

——

—72%

191017,814,000

16,899,000327,000*

3,890,000*2,450,000*

2,301,000*2,201,000*

1,870,000*1,523,000*

1,258,000*1,059,000*

915,000495,000*

309,000*208,000*

144,000*74%

192021,578,000

19,378,000481,000

4,321,0002,638,000

2,498,0002,556,000

2,153,0001,890,000

1,592,0001,248,000

2,200,000917,000

576,000396,000

312,00078%

193025,678,000

21,279,000723,000

4,151,0002,803,000

2,732,0002,599,000

2,382,0002,256,000

2,030,0001,601,000

4,399,0001,627,000

1,192,000880,000

701,00082%

194025,434,000

18,833,000595,000

3,018,0002,333,000

2,332,0002,322,000

2,248,0002,176,000

2,108,0001,701,000

6,601,0002,011,000

1,767,0001,486,000

1,282,00084%

195025,112,000

19,387,0001,034,000

3,170,0002,645,000

2,396,0002,254,000

2,151,0002,056,000

1,947,0001,734,000

5,725,0001,761,000

1,513,0001,275,000

1,134,00083%

196036,087,000

27,602,0001,923,000

3,732,0003,436,000

3,302,0003,146,000

3,118,0003,070,000

3,173,0002,701,000

8,485,0002,412,000

2,258,0002,063,000

1,747,00082%

197045,550,000

32,513,0002,545,000

3,869,0003,716,000

3,720,0003,660,000

3,621,0003,568,000

3,667,0003,520,000

13,037,0003,568,000

3,405,0003,407,000

2,732,00087%

198041,651,000

28,034,0002,675,000

2,936,0002,909,000

3,120,0003,148,000

3,055,0002,999,000

3,128,0003,171,000

13,616,0003,526,000

3,532,0003,241,000

2,969,00087%

199040,542,707

29,152,2243,486,000

3,485,0003,289,000

3,235,0003,182,000

3,067,0002,987,000

3,027,0002,853,000

11,390,4833,141,000

2,868,0002,629,000

2,473,00090%

200046,857,149

33,486,4443,397,198

3,684,1233,655,721

3,690,6533,686,366

3,603,6643,564,116

3,541,2733,496,977

13,370,7053,934,876

3,415,3923,033,941

2,781,62189%

200849,292,507

34,205,3623,639,750

3,708,4853,698,723

3,707,7723,646,896

3,629,0793,613,521

3,652,6233,691,795

15,087,1454,122,552

3,822,2003,548,100

3,399,68992%

*Data for year ending 1911 provided

10th11th

12th

Percentage of

5-17 Year O

ld P

opulation

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of A

merican education: A

statistical portrait. National C

enter for Educational Statistics, W

ashington, DC

: U.S. G

overnment P

rinting Office; Snyder, T.D

., and Dillow

, S.A. (2011). D

igest of Education Statistics 2010. N

ational Center for E

ducation Statistics, W

ashington, DC

: U.S. G

overnment P

rinting Office

Total

Elem

entaryT

otal Secondary

Public School E

nrollment, 1870-2008

Grade L

evel and Grade

Year

Ending

Total

Enrollm

entK

inder-garten

1st2nd

3rd4th

5th6th

7th8th

9th

Page 8: EPI Center - Educational Policy Institute The Landscape Center/EPICenter_K-12.pdf · epicenter A publication of the Educational Policy Institute April 2011 Improving Public Policy

epicenter April 2011

www.educationalpolicy.org 8

  School Type

20012006

20092001

20062009

Charter Schools

1,9933,780

4,694448,343

1,012,9061,433,116

Elem

entary1,011

1,9692,513

249,101532,217

746,950

Secondary467

1,0571,255

79,588219,627

291,016

Com

bined448

704865

117,377259,837

395,122

Magnet Schools

1,4692,736

3,0211,213,976

2,103,0132,307,712

Elem

entary1,111

1,9942,193

704,7631,186,160

1,267,944

Secondary328

643728

484,684869,010

976,483

Com

bined29

8092

24,52947,509

63,285

Charter and M

agnet Schools, Select Years 2001-2009

Num

ber of SchoolsE

nrollment

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of A

merican education: A

statistical portrait. National C

enter for E

ducational Statistics, Washington, D

C: U

.S. Governm

ent Printing O

ffice; Snyder, T.D., and D

illow,

S.A. (2011). D

igest of Education Statistics 2010. N

ational Center for E

ducation Statistics, Washington,

DC

: U.S. G

overnment P

rinting Office

White

Minority

185056%

2%

186060%

2%

187054%

10%

188062%

34%

189058%

33%

190054%

31%

191061%

45%

192066%

54%

193071%

60%

194076%

68%

195079%

75%

196089%

86%

197091%

89%

198089%

90%

199093%

93%Sources: Snyder, T. D

. (1993). 120 years of A

merican education: A

statistical portrait. N

ational Center for E

ducational Statistics, W

ashington, DC

: U.S. G

overnment

Printing O

ffice; Snyder, T.D., and D

illow,

S.A. (2011). D

igest of Education Statistics

2010. National C

enter for Education

Statistics, Washington, D

C: U

.S. G

overnment P

rinting Office

Percentage of 5 to 19 Y

ear O

ld Population E

nrolled in School, 1850-1990

Race/E

thnicity

Year

Ending

197776%

16%6%

1%1%

198770%

16%10%

3%1%

199764%

17%14%

4%1%

200757%

17%21%

5%1%

200955%

17%22%

5%1%

Year

Ending

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian/

Pacific

Islander

Am

erican Indian/ A

laska N

ative

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of A

merican education: A

statistical portrait. National

Center for E

ducational Statistics, Washington, D

C: U

.S. Governm

ent Printing O

ffice; Snyder, T.D

., and Dillow

, S.A. (2011). D

igest of Education Statistics 2010. N

ational Center for E

ducation Statistics, W

ashington, DC

: U.S. G

overnment P

rinting Office

Enrollm

ent Proportion

Proportion of P

ublic School Enrollm

ent by Race/E

thnicity, 1977-2009

1870132

4,077,00078

1880130

6,144,00081

1890135

8,154,00086

22,0003.5

1.7—

1900144

10,633,00099

62,0006.4

4.1—

1910158

12,827,000113

111,0008.8

6.2—

1920162

16,150,000121

231,00016.8

12.4—

1930173

21,265,000143

592,00029.0

25.8—

1940175

22,042,000152

1,143,00050.8

47.6538,000

605,000

1950178

22,284,000158

1,063,00059.0

52.3505,000

558,000

1960178

32,477,000160

1,627,00069.5

60.9791,000

835,000

1970179

41,934,000162

2,589,00076.9

68.91,286,000

1,303,000

1980179

38,288,911161

2,748,00071.4

64.5—

1990—

37,799,296

2,320,00073.4

66.2—

2000179

43,806,726169

2,554,00069.8

63.01,242,000

1,312,000

2008179

46,155,830167

3,000,00074.7

67.61,466,000

1,533,000

Fem

ale

Length of School T

erm, A

ttendance, and High School G

raduates, 1870-2008

Sources: Snyder, T. D. (1993). 120 years of A

merican education: A

statistical portrait. National C

enter for Educational Statistics, W

ashington, DC

: U

.S. Governm

ent Printing O

ffice; Snyder, T.D., and D

illow, S.A

. (2011). Digest of E

ducation Statistics 2010. National C

enter for Education

Statistics, Washington, D

C: U

.S. Governm

ent Printing O

ffice

Average

Length of School T

erm

(in days)Y

ear E

nding

Average

Num

ber of Students

Attending D

aily

Average

Num

ber of D

ays A

ttended per Student

Total

Graduates as R

atio of 17 Y

ear Old P

opulation

All

Graduates

Public

Schools

Gender

Male

High School G

raduatesSchool T

erm and A

ttendance