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Amie Jamieson
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Children of 'Baby Boomers' and Immigrants Boost School Enrollment
to Equal All-Time High, Census Bureau Reports
The 49 million students ages 3 to 34 enrolled in the country's
elementary and high schools in 1999 equaled the all-time high first set in
1970 when their "baby boom" parents went to school, according to a report
released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. Children of new
immigrants contributed to the high enrollment.
About two-thirds of elementary and high school students had a baby boom
parent in 1999. The baby boom population is defined as those born between
1946 and 1964.
The data should not be confused with results of Census 2000, which are
being released over the next three years.
"During the 1970s and early 1980s, there was a general decrease in the
size of the 6- to 17-year-old population," said Amie Jamieson, one of the
authors of School Enrollment in the United States Social and Economic
Characteristics of Students: October 1999 "In the past few years, the
population of this age group has increased, meaning that school enrollment
will probably continue to increase moderately for the near future."
About 1 in 5 elementary and high school students had at least one
foreign-born parent in 1999. An estimated 88 percent of Asian and Pacific
Islander students had a foreign-born parent, compared with 7 percent of
non-Hispanic Whites and 11 percent of African Americans. About 65 percent
of Hispanic students, who may be of any race, had a foreign-born parent.
Other highlights:
-- Elementary and high school students in 1999 were more racially and
ethnically diverse than were their counterparts at the crest of the
baby boom in 1972. For example, 63 percent were non-Hispanic
Whites in 1999, compared with 79 percent in 1972. About 16 percent
were African Americans, compared with 14 percent in 1972. About
5 percent were Asian and Pacific Islander, higher than the 1 percent
in 1972. Another 15 percent were Hispanic, up from 6 percent in 1972.
-- Nursery school enrollment of 5 million children in 1999 matched a
record set in 1995. While the eligible population of 3- and
4-year-olds has fluctuated around 8 million since 1964, the
enrollment rate in nursery school over that period rose from about
5 percent to 50 percent.
-- Women accounted for 54 percent of all college students, continuing
the majority role they have occupied since 1979. Women are especially
prevalent among older college students, with 62 percent of students
ages 35 and over being women.
-- More than one-fourth of the population, 72 million people, were in
school in 1999. Among those enrolled, 8 million were in nursery
school and kindergarten, 33 million in elementary school, 16 million
in high school and 15 million in college. (The numbers of students in
high school and college were not statistically different.)
-- The proportion of students from the class of 1999 going on to
college dropped to the 1995 level of 63 percent.
Data are from the October 1999 Current Population Survey. Statistics
from surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling errors.
Elementary and High School Students, with Number and Percent
Having Foreign-Born Parents: October 1999
(Numbers in thousands)
Race All students Students with at least one
foreign-born parent
Total Number Percent
Total 48,789 9,731 19.9
White 38,115 6,867 18.0
African American 7,924 839 10.6
Asian and Pacific Islander 2,181 1,914 87.8
Hispanic (of any race) 7,378 4,820 65.3
White, non-Hispanic 31,123 2,290 7.4
Note: The number of students in the three race groups shown here do not
add to the total because data for American Indians and Alaska
Natives are not shown
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 1999
available free from Adobe.
