With over 46 million students filling public school hallways and a record number of families choosing homeschooling and charter schools, the landscape of American education is undergoing a profound transformation.
Key Takeaways
- In fall 2022, total public school enrollment in the United States was 46.7 million students
- Private school enrollment in the US for 2021-22 was approximately 5.6 million students across prekindergarten through grade 12
- In 2020-21, California had the highest public K-12 enrollment at 5.96 million students
- Total undergraduate enrollment in US degree-granting postsecondary institutions was 15.4 million in fall 2022
- Graduate enrollment in US postsecondary institutions reached 3.1 million in fall 2022
- Public 4-year universities enrolled 5.1 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- Global tertiary enrollment reached 235 million students in 2020
- China had 44.3 million tertiary students enrolled in 2021
- India tertiary enrollment stood at 38.5 million in 2020
- In fall 2022, 56% of US undergraduates were female
- Black or African American undergraduates comprised 12% of total enrollment in 2022
- Hispanic or Latino students made up 20% of undergraduates in fall 2022
- US K-12 enrollment declined by 2.5% from 2019 to 2022 due to COVID
- Higher ed enrollment dropped 7.4% from 2019 to 2022 peak to trough
- Projected K-12 enrollment to decrease to 46.3 million by 2030
US student enrollment reveals diverse demographics with recent post-pandemic declines and emerging trends like homeschooling.
College/University Enrollment
- Total undergraduate enrollment in US degree-granting postsecondary institutions was 15.4 million in fall 2022
- Graduate enrollment in US postsecondary institutions reached 3.1 million in fall 2022
- Public 4-year universities enrolled 5.1 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- Private nonprofit 4-year colleges had 3.9 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- Community colleges enrolled 4.7 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- For-profit institutions had 0.7 million undergraduates in fall 2022
- Enrollment at Harvard University was 21,078 in fall 2022
- Stanford University total enrollment stood at 17,246 in fall 2022
- University of California, Berkeley enrolled 45,699 students in fall 2022
- Enrollment at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor was 51,982 in fall 2022
- New York University had 58,913 students enrolled in fall 2022
- University of Southern California enrollment reached 48,848 in fall 2022
- Enrollment at University of Texas at Austin was 52,384 in fall 2022
- Purdue University main campus enrolled 49,639 students in fall 2022
- University of Florida had 55,781 students in fall 2022
- Pennsylvania State University enrolled 88,914 across campuses in fall 2022
- Ohio State University enrollment was 67,847 in fall 2022
- University of Wisconsin-Madison had 49,886 students in fall 2022
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign enrolled 56,518 in fall 2022
- Michigan State University had 50,023 students in fall 2022
- University of Washington enrollment reached 48,149 in fall 2022
- Indiana University Bloomington enrolled 45,328 in fall 2022
- University of Georgia had 40,118 students in fall 2022
- North Carolina State University enrolled 36,831 in fall 2022
- Virginia Tech had 37,730 students in fall 2022
- Texas A&M University enrolled 72,530 in fall 2022
- University of Arizona had 46,073 students in fall 2022
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities enrolled 54,890 in fall 2022
College/University Enrollment Interpretation
The American higher education system is a mammoth tapestry woven from 18.5 million threads, where even the most giant public universities are but a single, vivid pixel in the sprawling image.
Demographic Enrollment
- In fall 2022, 56% of US undergraduates were female
- Black or African American undergraduates comprised 12% of total enrollment in 2022
- Hispanic or Latino students made up 20% of undergraduates in fall 2022
- Asian undergraduates were 7% of total US postsecondary enrollment in 2022
- White students accounted for 52% of undergraduates in fall 2022
- In K-12, female students were 49.1% of public school enrollment in 2022
- Male K-12 public enrollment was 50.9% in fall 2022
- Hispanic K-12 students: 27% of public enrollment in 2022
- Black K-12 students: 15% in public schools 2022
- White K-12 public enrollment: 44% in 2022
- Asian K-12 students: 5% of public enrollment in 2022
- First-generation college students: 56% of undergraduates in 2020
- Low-income undergraduates: 47% in 2015-16 (latest detailed)
- Enrollment of students with disabilities in postsecondary: 20% in 2022
- Age 18-24 undergraduates: 74% full-time in 2022
- Part-time undergraduates over 25: 40% in 2022
- Rural K-12 enrollment: 19% of public students in 2020
- Urban K-12: 27% in 2020
- Suburban K-12 enrollment: 52% in 2020
- English language learners in K-12: 10% or 5 million in 2021-22
- Students eligible for free lunch: 54% in public K-12 2021-22
- In higher ed, women graduate students: 60% in 2022
- Pell Grant recipients: 42% of undergraduates in 2021-22
Demographic Enrollment Interpretation
The undergraduate classroom, while becoming more female and diverse in some areas, reveals an education system where access and financial precarity are common threads, from the over half of K-12 students qualifying for free lunch to the near half of undergraduates being low-income.
International/Study Abroad
- Global tertiary enrollment reached 235 million students in 2020
- China had 44.3 million tertiary students enrolled in 2021
- India tertiary enrollment stood at 38.5 million in 2020
- United States hosted 1.1 million international students in 2022/23
- Australia enrolled 669,000 international students in 2023
- United Kingdom had 679,000 international students in 2022/23
- Canada international student enrollment reached 807,000 in 2022
- Germany hosted 352,000 international students in 2021/22
- France enrolled 412,000 international students in 2022
- Japan had 279,000 international students in 2022
- South Korea international enrollment was 157,000 in 2022
- Netherlands hosted 122,000 international students in 2022/23
- Russia enrolled 354,000 international students in 2021
- Spain had 179,000 international students in 2022
- Italy enrolled 90,000 international students in 2022/23
- Number of Chinese students studying abroad reached 1.04 million in 2022
- Indian students abroad totaled 1.33 million in 2022
- Saudi Arabian students in US numbered 25,000 in 2022/23
- Indian students in US were 268,923 in 2022/23
- South Korean students in US: 39,829 in 2022/23
- Canadian students in US: 26,354 in 2022/23
- Brazilian students abroad: 152,000 in 2022
- Vietnamese students in US: 20,997 in 2022/23
- Nigerian students in US: 12,494 in 2022/23
- Mexican students in US: 14,304 in 2022/23
- Turkish students in US: 13,209 in 2022/23
- Ecuadorian students in US: 10,831 in 2022/23
International/Study Abroad Interpretation
The world's universities are now a geopolitical stage where China and India produce the home crowd, America and its English-speaking allies host the most ardent visiting fans, and the plot twist is that the two Asian giants are also sending out the largest delegations of scholarly explorers.
K-12 Enrollment
- In fall 2022, total public school enrollment in the United States was 46.7 million students
- Private school enrollment in the US for 2021-22 was approximately 5.6 million students across prekindergarten through grade 12
- In 2020-21, California had the highest public K-12 enrollment at 5.96 million students
- New York public schools enrolled 2.49 million students in 2020-21
- Texas K-12 public enrollment reached 5.43 million in 2020-21
- Kindergarten enrollment in US public schools was 4.1 million in fall 2022
- US public high school enrollment (grades 9-12) totaled 15.4 million in fall 2022
- Charter school enrollment grew to 3.7 million students nationwide in 2021-22
- Homeschooling enrollment in the US surged to 3.7 million students in 2021
- Prekindergarten public enrollment was 1.4 million in the US for 2021-22
- Elementary school (grades 1-8) public enrollment stood at 25.2 million in fall 2022
- Florida's public K-12 enrollment was 2.84 million in 2020-21
- Illinois public schools had 1.79 million K-12 students in 2020-21
- Pennsylvania K-12 public enrollment was 1.68 million in 2020-21
- Ohio public K-12 enrollment totaled 1.77 million in 2020-21
- Georgia's public school enrollment reached 1.77 million in 2020-21
- Michigan K-12 public enrollment was 1.49 million in 2020-21
- North Carolina public schools enrolled 1.80 million students in 2020-21
- New Jersey K-12 public enrollment was 1.38 million in 2020-21
- Virginia public school enrollment stood at 1.30 million in 2020-21
- Arizona K-12 public enrollment was 1.15 million in 2020-21
- Tennessee public schools had 1.01 million students in 2020-21
- Indiana K-12 public enrollment totaled 1.04 million in 2020-21
- Missouri public school enrollment was 907,000 in 2020-21
- Maryland K-12 public enrollment reached 878,000 in 2020-21
- Wisconsin public schools enrolled 864,000 students in 2020-21
- Colorado K-12 public enrollment was 881,000 in 2020-21
- Minnesota public school enrollment stood at 861,000 in 2020-21
- South Carolina K-12 public enrollment was 785,000 in 2020-21
- Alabama public schools had 733,000 students in 2020-21
K-12 Enrollment Interpretation
While America's public school system still educates the vast majority of the nation's children, the notable growth in charter schools and homeschooling, each now serving 3.7 million students, suggests that many families are actively—and in significant numbers—shopping for an exit from the traditional classroom.
Trends and Projections
- US K-12 enrollment declined by 2.5% from 2019 to 2022 due to COVID
- Higher ed enrollment dropped 7.4% from 2019 to 2022 peak to trough
- Projected K-12 enrollment to decrease to 46.3 million by 2030
- Undergraduate enrollment projected to rise 2% by 2031
- Online enrollment share increased to 55% during pandemic peak 2020
- International students in US down 15% in 2020/21 but recovered to record in 2023
- Community college enrollment fell 17% from 2019-2022
- Female K-12 enrollment stable at ~49% over decade
- Hispanic share of K-12 up from 22% in 2010 to 27% in 2022
- Charter school enrollment doubled from 2M in 2010 to 3.7M in 2022
- Homeschooling up 63% from 2.3M in 2007 to 3.7M in 2021
- Graduate enrollment grew 4% from 2019-2022 despite undergrad drop
- Public 4-year enrollment stable, private nonprofit down 5% 2019-2022
- Projected global tertiary enrollment to 380M by 2030
- US college-going rate for high school grads fell to 62% in 2021
- Enrollment cliff projected for 2025 due to lower birth rates
- Women now 59% of college enrollees, up from 56% in 2010
Trends and Projections Interpretation
America’s classrooms are quietly rearranging their own furniture, from a modestly emptying K-12 system and a shaky college ladder, toward a future that is more online, female, Hispanic, and homeschooled—with a cliff waiting politely in the wings.
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