Census Bureau Facts for Features A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office CB99-FF.10 August 11, 1999 Back to School Teachers & Other School Personnel - As of 1997, the United States had 5.7 million teachers, up from 4.0 million in 1983. This total includes 570,000 teaching at the prekindergarten and kindergarten levels, 1.9 million in elementary schools, 1.2 million in secondary schools, 380,000 in special education and 870,000 in colleges and universities. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Among the 20 occupations with the largest projected job growth from 1996 to 2006 are teacher aides and educational assistants (an increase of 370,000 workers), secondary school teachers (up 312,000) and special education teachers (up 241,000). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - In 1997, 43 percent of teachers in colleges and universities were women. In contrast, more than three-quarters (76 percent) of all other teachers were women. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The average annual salary for the nation's public-school classroom teachers was $40,100 as of 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. Salaries vary widely around the country, however. In 1996-97, for example, teachers' average salaries ranged from $50,600 in Alaska to $26,800 in South Dakota. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Within the nation's public school systems in 1997-98, bus drivers earned more (an average of $11.55 an hour) than custodians ($10.79), instructional teacher aides ($9.46) or cafeteria workers ($8.56). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - During the 1996-97 school year, professors at public colleges averaged $65,800, those at private ones, $78,200. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Students - More than one-fourth of U.S. residents (72.0 million) were enrolled in regular schools (i.e., schooling that leads to a high school diploma or college degree) in October 1997. This included 4.5 million in nursery schools (tying a record high), 3.9 million in kindergartens, 32.4 million in elementary schools, 15.8 million in high schools and 15.4 million in colleges. (The estimates for high school and college enrollment were not significantly different from each other.) Most college students (12.4 million) were undergrads. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - More and more children are getting an early start on their formal schooling. In October 1997, nearly half (48 percent) of 3- and 4-year-olds were enrolled in nursery school, up from 5 percent in 1964. African American children were more likely to be enrolled than White children (54 percent compared with 47 percent). All told, the 4.5 million children enrolled in nursery schools in 1997 was nine times higher than the number enrolled in 1964. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - The proportion of kindergartners attending school all day has increased dramatically over the past three decades, from 1 in 10 in 1967 to more than 1 in 2 in 1997. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - After declining during the 1970s and early 1980s, the number of students enrolled in elementary and high schools has risen, reaching 48 million in 1997 just shy of the all-time high of 49 million in 1970 when "baby boom" children attended school. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - The nation's school-age children come from diverse backgrounds. For instance, in 1997, 17 percent were African American; 4 percent were Asian; 14 percent were Hispanic; 28 percent lived with only one parent; 19 percent had at least one foreign-born parent; almost half came from families with annual incomes of at least $40,000; and 1 in 4 came from families whose income was below $20,000. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - Nine percent of elementary students, 7 percent of high school students and 22 percent of college students attended private schools in October 1997. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - Among high school students in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades in October 1996, 4 percent dropped out of school during the following year. The "dropout pool" of young adults 18- to-24 years old, which consists of those neither enrolled in school nor high school graduates, totaled 3.2 million in October 1997 13 percent of this age group. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - Many students are simultaneously learning and earning. Nearly 3 in 10 high school students ages 15 and over held down a job in October 1997. Of those with jobs, more than 1 in 10 managed to attend class and work full time. Once students reach college, their likelihood of holding down a job during the school year climbs to more than 6 in 10. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - With respect to the 1997 high school graduating class, 67 percent went on immediately to college: 70 percent of females and 64 percent of males. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - Students in the high school class of '95 could choose from among 3,700 college and university campuses nationwide to attend in the 1995-96 school year. California had the highest number of such institutions (348), followed by New York (311) and Pennsylvania (217). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Overall, 45 percent of persons ages 18 to 21 were enrolled in college in October 1997. Those in college represented 26 percent of 22- to- 24-year-olds, 11 percent of 25- to- 29-year-olds, 5 percent of 30- to 34-year-olds and 2 percent of those ages 35 or older. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - College enrollment of "traditional" college-age students (those under age 25) reached a record-high 9.4 million in 1997. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - In 1997, 2.8 million college students (18 percent of the total) were 35 or older. Seventy-three percent of these older students attended part time, compared with 34 percent of all college students who did so. And 68 percent were women, compared with 56 percent of all college students. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - About 40 percent of the 4.1 million undergrads in two-year colleges were ages 25 and over, compared with one-fourth of the 8.3 million in four-year schools. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-124.html - Almost 460,000 foreign (nonimmigrant) students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in the fall of 1996, up from about 180,000 in the fall of 1975. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Technology in the Schools - During the 1997-98 school year, there were 8.0 million computers available to use for instruction in the nation's 109,000 elementary and secondary schools; this means there was 1 computer for every 6 students. During the 1984-85 school year, there were only 630,000 computers in schools 1 for every 63 students. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - As of the fall of 1997, 78 percent of public schools had Internet access, up from 35 percent three years earlier; in 1996, 95 percent said they expected they would have it in 2000. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Government Spending on Education - The average amount spent on education by the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 1996 was $5,656 per pupil. New Jersey spent the most ($9,208); followed by the District of Columbia ($8,510), New York ($8,374), Alaska ($8,169) and Connecticut ($7,970). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-111.html - Nationwide, school districts invested $18.7 billion in school construction in 1996, with Texas ($2 billion) and New York and Florida ($1.6 billion each) spending the most among the states. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-111.html - State governments continued to contribute the greatest share of public school system funding in 1996, $139.2 billion (48 percent), closely followed by local governments, at $131.5 billion (46 percent), and the federal government, at $18.6 billion (6 percent). Of the public money spent on education within the states, state governments contributing the largest percentage were Hawaii, a state-operated school system (90 percent), New Mexico (73 percent) and Delaware, Michigan and Washington (68 percent each). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-111.html The Rising Cost of a College Education - During the 1996-97 school year, tuition, room and board averaged nearly $7,800 at the nation's four-year public colleges and universities (double the amount in 1984-85) and almost $23,500 at their private counterparts (more than double the 1984-85 amount). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Graduation - Most adults have graduated from school, many more than once. In 1998, 83 percent of the nation's adults ages 25 and over had at least a high school diploma, while 24 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher and 8 percent held a graduate degree. As recently as 1970, only 55 percent had a high school diploma and 11 percent had a bachelor's. 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, 2.2 million college degrees are conferred in the United States, more than half (1.2 million) being bachelor's degrees. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - One-fifth of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 1995 in the United States were in business and management, making this the most popular major resulting in a bachelor's degree. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.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 about $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 really pays to concentrate your studies in certain fields. For example, the average salary offer made in 1997 to bachelor's degree candidates in petroleum engineering was $43,400; the corresponding figure for those majoring in the humanities was $25,100.http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, the Statistical Abstract of the United States and the Annual Survey of Local Government Finances. 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 1999 Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March), Countdown to Census 2000 (April 1), Secretaries' Day (April 21), Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 9), Father's Day (June 20) 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).
