With over 75 million students navigating everything from pre-K classrooms to university lecture halls, the American education system is a vast and complex tapestry woven from staggering statistics on enrollment, funding, achievement, and equity.
Key Takeaways
- In fall 2022, total public elementary and secondary school enrollment in the US was 49.6 million students.
- Private school enrollment in the US for 2021-22 was approximately 5.6 million students across prekindergarten through grade 12.
- In 2021, about 14.6 million US students were enrolled in public colleges and universities.
- In 2022 NAEP, 33% of 4th graders scored at or above proficient in reading.
- 8th grade math NAEP proficiency was 26% in 2022.
- US PISA 2018 reading score was 505, above OECD average of 487.
- Adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for public high schools was 86% in 2019-20.
- Event dropout rate for grades 9-12 was 5.1% in 2016.
- Status dropout rate for 16-24 year olds was 5.2% in 2021.
- Total public K-12 education spending was $857 billion in 2021.
- Current expenditures per pupil in public schools averaged $15,424 in 2021.
- Federal share of public school funding was 8% in 2021.
- Number of public school teachers 3.2 million in 2021-22.
- Public school principals numbered 93,500 in 2020-21.
- 77% of public school teachers were female in 2020-21.
American public education serves millions of diverse students with varying outcomes and funding.
Academic Performance and Test Scores
- In 2022 NAEP, 33% of 4th graders scored at or above proficient in reading.
- 8th grade math NAEP proficiency was 26% in 2022.
- US PISA 2018 reading score was 505, above OECD average of 487.
- Average SAT score in 2022 was 1050 out of 1600.
- ACT composite average was 19.8 in 2022 for US graduates.
- In 2022 NAEP, 23% of 12th graders proficient in math.
- 4th grade NAEP math proficiency was 36% in 2022.
- Black 8th graders NAEP reading proficiency: 13% in 2022.
- Hispanic 4th graders math NAEP: 25% proficient in 2022.
- US ranked 6th in PISA science 2018 with score 502.
- Average AP exam score was 2.91 in 2022.
- 63% of US students took at least one AP exam in 2022.
- NAEP 2022: 10% of 12th graders basic or above in science.
- White 8th graders math NAEP proficiency: 40% in 2022.
- In TIMSS 2019, US 4th graders math score 535, above international avg.
- PIRLS 2021 US 4th grade reading score 549.
- Average GRE verbal score 2021-22: 150.3.
- LSAT median score for 2022-23: 153.
- MCAT average score 2022: 501.3.
- NAEP 2022 gap: White-Black 4th grade reading 27 points.
- 12th grade NAEP reading proficiency 37% in 2022.
- Asian students 8th grade NAEP math: 56% proficient 2022.
- US PISA math 2018 score 478, below OECD 489.
- GED pass rate 2022: 79% first time takers.
- HiSET average score 2022: 8 out of 20.
- NAEP long-term trend 2023: 9-year-olds reading declined 5 points.
- 13-year-olds math NAEP long-term declined 11 points in 2023.
- College readiness benchmark ACT 2022: 26% met all four.
- SAT Evidence-Based Reading benchmark met by 43% in 2022.
- NAEP civics 8th grade proficient 22% in 2022.
- US History NAEP 8th grade proficient 13% 2022.
Academic Performance and Test Scores Interpretation
While the international view shows we're not drowning, our domestic proficiency scores reveal we're certainly not swimming—we’re performing a deeply concerning doggy paddle in a sea of systemic inequity and declining fundamentals.
Education Funding and Expenditures
- Total public K-12 education spending was $857 billion in 2021.
- Current expenditures per pupil in public schools averaged $15,424 in 2021.
- Federal share of public school funding was 8% in 2021.
- State funding contributed 47% to public elementary/secondary in 2021.
- Local sources provided 45% of public school revenue in 2021.
- Total higher education expenditures $678 billion in 2019-20.
- Average public school teacher salary $66,397 in 2020-21.
- Instructional spending 60% of current public school expenditures 2021.
- Support services 29% of public school current spending 2021.
- New York per pupil spending highest at $25,139 in 2021.
- California per pupil $16,495 in 2021 public schools.
- Title I funding for low-income schools $18.4 billion in 2022.
- IDEA special ed funding $13.6 billion federal in FY2022.
- Pell Grants awarded $28.2 billion to 6.4 million students 2020-21.
- Student loan debt total $1.75 trillion in 2023.
- Average net price public 4-year college $14,270 after aid 2020-21.
- Private nonprofit 4-year net price $28,550 in 2020-21.
- Capital outlay public schools $16.7 billion in 2021.
- Interest on school debt $6.3 billion in public K-12 2021.
- Property taxes funded 37% of local school revenue 2021.
- COVID relief ESSER funds totaled $190 billion to schools 2020-21.
- Head Start funding $11.3 billion in FY2022.
- Average community college tuition $3,864 in-state 2022-23.
- Public 4-year in-state tuition average $9,970 2022-23.
- Private 4-year tuition $39,400 average 2022-23.
- Institutional grants covered 52% of aid for undergrads 2019-20.
- Total revenue postsecondary $731 billion in 2019-20.
- Salaries 47% of postsecondary expenditures 2019-20.
- Public school total expenditure per FTE $16,280 in 2020-21.
Education Funding and Expenditures Interpretation
American education funding is a magnificent, dizzying labyrinth of stacked dollar bills where we collectively spend over $1.5 trillion to passionately debate whether a teacher's $66,000 salary is too generous while a student graduates with a diploma in one hand and a $1.75 trillion collective debt in the other.
Graduation and Dropout Rates
- Adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for public high schools was 86% in 2019-20.
- Event dropout rate for grades 9-12 was 5.1% in 2016.
- Status dropout rate for 16-24 year olds was 5.2% in 2021.
- 4-year ACGR for Hispanic students 82% in 2019-20.
- White students ACGR 90% in 2019-20 public highs.
- Black students 4-year graduation rate 80% in 2019-20.
- Asian/Pacific Islander ACGR 94% in 2019-20.
- Students with disabilities ACGR 71% in 2019-20.
- English learners ACGR 66% in public high schools 2019-20.
- 6-year college graduation rate for 2015 cohort was 63%.
- Bachelor's degree attainment by age 25-34: 40% in 2021.
- High school completion rate for 25-34 year olds 94% in 2021.
- First-time freshmen 6-year grad rate public 4-year: 64% 2015 cohort.
- Private nonprofit 4-year 6-year grad rate 68% for 2015 entrants.
- Community college 6-year grad rate 33% for 2015 cohort.
- Dropout rate for low-income students grades 9-12: 7.8% in 2017.
- Extended ACGR (5-year) 88% in 2019-20 public highs.
- Male ACGR 83%, female 89% in 2019-20.
- Pacific Islander ACGR 78% in 2019-20.
- American Indian ACGR 73% public high schools 2019-20.
- In 2020, 91% of Asian females graduated high school on time.
- GED credentials issued 2022: 318,000.
- HiSET diplomas awarded 2022: 65,000.
- Status dropout rate for Hispanic 25-34: 8.2% in 2021.
- Black 16-24 status dropout 6.4% in 2021.
- College dropout rate first year: 24% in 2020.
- 150% normal time completion rate bachelor's: 41% public 4-year.
- 200% normal time assoc degree: 20% public 2-year.
- Persistence rate to second year college: 76% 2020 cohort.
Graduation and Dropout Rates Interpretation
While the national high school graduation rate appears robust at a headline 86%, this masks a system of uneven outcomes where a student's race, income, ability, or language can dramatically shape their odds, revealing that our educational engine, though running, is still leaving too many cars—and their potential—on the side of the road.
Student Enrollment and Demographics
- In fall 2022, total public elementary and secondary school enrollment in the US was 49.6 million students.
- Private school enrollment in the US for 2021-22 was approximately 5.6 million students across prekindergarten through grade 12.
- In 2021, about 14.6 million US students were enrolled in public colleges and universities.
- Hispanic students made up 27.0% of public school enrollment in fall 2021.
- In fall 2021, White students comprised 44.9% of public K-12 enrollment in the US.
- Black students accounted for 15.2% of public school enrollment in fall 2021.
- Asian/Pacific Islander students were 5.2% of public K-12 enrollment in fall 2021.
- In 2020-21, 15.4% of public school students were English language learners.
- Students with disabilities represented 15% of public school enrollment in 2020-21.
- In fall 2022, undergraduate enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions was 15.4 million.
- Female students outnumbered males in undergraduate enrollment by 2.2 million in fall 2021.
- In 2021, 57% of undergraduates were women in US postsecondary institutions.
- Enrollment in public 4-year colleges was 8.2 million in fall 2021.
- Prekindergarten enrollment in public schools reached 1.4 million in 2021-22.
- In 2022, total US higher education enrollment was 18.4 million students.
- Charter school enrollment grew to 3.7 million students in 2021-22.
- Homeschooled students numbered about 2.7 million in 2020-21, or 5% of K-12.
- In fall 2021, 22.4 million students were enrolled in kindergarten through 8th grade in public schools.
- High school enrollment (grades 9-12) was 15.5 million in public schools in fall 2021.
- In 2021-22, 39 states reported increased public school enrollment post-pandemic.
- Pacific Islander students were 0.5% of public K-12 enrollment in 2021.
- Two or more races students increased to 5.1% of enrollment in fall 2021.
- American Indian/Alaska Native students were 1.1% of public enrollment in 2021.
- In 2022, community college enrollment was 5.6 million students.
- Full-time undergraduate enrollment was 8.8 million in fall 2021.
- Part-time undergraduates numbered 6.6 million in US colleges in 2021.
- In 2020-21, 7.1 million students received free or reduced-price lunch.
- Enrollment in for-profit postsecondary institutions was 0.8 million in 2021.
- Rural school districts enrolled 19% of public school students in 2020-21.
- Urban districts had 26% of public K-12 enrollment in 2020-21.
Student Enrollment and Demographics Interpretation
The American classroom now paints a far more diverse and complex portrait than the nostalgic image of a monolithic student body, reminding us that equity in education is not just a moral imperative but a practical necessity for a nation where no single racial group holds a majority in public schools and millions navigate additional challenges as English learners or students with disabilities.
Teachers and Education Workforce
- Number of public school teachers 3.2 million in 2021-22.
- Public school principals numbered 93,500 in 2020-21.
- 77% of public school teachers were female in 2020-21.
- Average public teacher experience 14 years in 2020-21.
- 93% of public school teachers held bachelor's or higher in 2020-21.
- Special ed teachers 7% of public school staff in 2021.
- Postsecondary faculty total 1.5 million in fall 2021.
- 49% of postsecondary faculty full-time in 2021.
- Pupil-teacher ratio public elementary 15.4 to 1 in 2021.
- Secondary public pupil-teacher ratio 16.0 to 1 in 2021.
- Teacher attrition rate 8% annually pre-pandemic.
- 90% of new teachers certified in 2020-21.
- Women 76% of K-12 teachers, 55% postsecondary faculty 2021.
- 8% of public teachers identify as Hispanic in 2021.
- Black teachers 7% of public school workforce 2021.
- Average postsecondary instructor salary $80,670 in 2021.
- School counselors 1 per 415 students in public schools 2021.
- School psychologists ratio 1:1,381 students 2020-21.
- Library media specialists 1:1,175 students public 2021.
- 12% teacher shortage in special ed 2022.
- STEM teacher vacancy rate 16% in high-poverty schools 2022.
- Adjunct faculty 50% of instructional staff community colleges.
- Master's degree held by 53% public teachers 2020-21.
- National Board Certified Teachers 130,000 in 2022.
- Teacher pension coverage 84% public school employees.
- Substitute teacher shortage affected 77% districts 2022.
Teachers and Education Workforce Interpretation
Amidst dedicated, highly-educated, and predominantly female ranks teaching America's youth, a stubborn storm of shortages, high student-to-support-staff ratios, and disparities in compensation and diversity underscores a system straining to meet its own high standards.
Sources & References
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