CB01-FF.11
August 08, 2001
Back to School
Teachers
6.3 million:
The number of U.S. teachers -- from prekindergarten to college -- as of
1999. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
$51,600:
Average salary paid to public school teachers in Connecticut for the
1998-99 school year -- highest of any state in the nation. Teachers in South
Dakota had the lowest average salary -- $28,600. The national average was
$40,600. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
Technology in the Schools
10.5 million:
Number of computers available for use in the classrooms of the nation's
110,000 elementary and secondary schools during the 1999-2000 school year; that
made a ratio of 1 computer for every 5 students. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
95%:
Percentage of public schools with Internet access in fall 1999. As
recently as 1995, the proportion was only 50 percent. For every instructional
computer connected to the Internet in 1999, there were 9 students. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
The Rising Cost of a College Education
$8,629:
Average amount charged for tuition, room and board (for in-state
students) at the nation's four-year public colleges and universities during the
1998-1999 school year, up more than 60 percent from 1989-1990. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
$25,343:
Average amount charged for tuition, room and board at the nation's
four-year private colleges and universities during the 1998-1999 school year, up
almost 70 percent from 1989-1990. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
Students
72 million:
Number of U.S. residents enrolled in school -- from nursery school to
college -- in October 2000. Students comprised a ratio of more than 1 in 4
Americans age 3 and over. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>
Preschool
52%:
Proportion of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school in October 2000, up
from 21 percent in 1970. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>
Kindergarten
59%:
Percentage of kindergarteners attending school all day in 1999, up from
11 percent in 1969. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-52.html>
Elementary and High School
53.1 million:
The number of school-age children (ages 5 to 17) nationwide counted in
Census 2000, about 600,000 more than the total counted in the 1970 census, when
almost all children in this age group were "baby-boomers." California
alone had 6.8 million school-age children in 2000, up 1.8 million from 1970.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn67.html>
48.5 million:
The number of students enrolled in the nation's elementary and high
schools in October 2000, not statistically different from the all-time high of
48.7 million students first reached in 1970 when "baby-boomers" went
to school. That number later was matched in 1999. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>
20%:
Percentage of elementary and high school students in October 2000 with
at least one foreign-born parent. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>
College
56%:
Proportion of college students in October 2000 who were women. Women
thus continued the majority role they have occupied since 1979. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html>
The Rewards of Staying in School
$45,678:
Annual average earnings in 1999 of adults age 18 and over with a
bachelor's degree. This compares with an annual average of $24,572 for those
with only a high school diploma. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html>
$50,440:
Average starting salary offered in 1999 to bachelor's degree candidates
in petroleum engineering, the highest of any field of study. At the other end of
the continuum were those majoring in the humanities, whose start offer averaged
$27,861. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
Graduation
84%:
Percentage of the nation's adults age 25 and over with at least a high
school diploma in 2000, a record high. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html>
26%:
Percentage of the nation's adults age 25 and over in 2000 who had
attained at least a bachelor's degree, also a record high. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html>
38%:
Proportion of adults 25 and over in the District of Columbia with
bachelor's degrees or higher in 2000. Although no state had a higher rate than
the District of Columbia, its rate did not differ statistically from Colorado's.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-211.html>
Government Spending on Education
$10,611:
Average amount of money spent per student for elementary and secondary
education in Alaska during the 1998-1999 school year. Alaska led all states. New
Jersey, at $10,420, also topped the $10,000 per-student mark. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
Schools
975:
Number of charter schools nationwide as of 1999; about one-third of
them opened during the 1998-1999 school year. They enrolled about 252,000
students in 27 states. (Charter schools are public schools that come into
existence through a contract with either a state agency or local school board.)
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01-27.html>
The preceding facts come from the Current Population Survey, Census 2000
and the Statistical Abstract of the United States. The data are subject
to sampling variability and other sources of error. Census Bureau Facts for
Features previously released this year include: African American History
Month, Valentine's Day, Women's History Month, Census Day 2000: One Year Later,
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Older Americans' Month, Mother's Day, Father's
Day, the Fourth of July and Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary. 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>).
available free from Adobe.
