Table 61.

Public and private elementary and secondary teachers, enrollment, and pupil/teacher ratios: Selected years, fall 1955 through fall 2015

Year	Teachers (in thousands)				Enrollment (in thousands)				Pupil/teacher ratio
	Total	Public	Private		Total	Public	Private		Total	Public	Private
1	2	3	4		5	6	7		8	9	10
1955	1,286	1,141	145	1	35,280	30,680	4,600	1	27.4	26.9	31.7	1
1960	1,600	1,408	192	1	42,181	36,281	5,900	1	26.4	25.8	30.7	1
1965	1,933	1,710	223		48,473	42,173	6,300		25.1	24.7	28.3
1970	2,292	2,059	233		51,257	45,894	5,363		22.4	22.3	23.0
1971	2,293	2,063	230	1	51,271	46,071	5,200	1	22.4	22.3	22.6	1
1972	2,337	2,106	231	1	50,726	45,726	5,000	1	21.7	21.7	21.6	1
1973	2,372	2,136	236	1	50,446	45,446	5,000	1	21.3	21.3	21.2	1
1974	2,410	2,165	245	1	50,073	45,073	5,000	1	20.8	20.8	20.4	1
1975	2,453	2,198	255	1	49,819	44,819	5,000	1	20.3	20.4	19.6	1
1976	2,457	2,189	268		49,478	44,311	5,167		20.1	20.2	19.3
1977	2,488	2,209	279		48,717	43,577	5,140		19.6	19.7	18.4
1978	2,479	2,207	272		47,637	42,551	5,086		19.2	19.3	18.7
1979	2,461	2,185	276	1	46,651	41,651	5,000	1	19.0	19.1	18.1	1
1980	2,485	2,184	301		46,208	40,877	5,331		18.6	18.7	17.7
1981	2,440	2,127	313	1	45,544	40,044	5,500	1	18.7	18.8	17.6	1
1982	2,458	2,133	325	1	45,166	39,566	5,600	1	18.4	18.6	17.2	1
1983	2,476	2,139	337		44,967	39,252	5,715		18.2	18.4	17.0
1984	2,508	2,168	340	1	44,908	39,208	5,700	1	17.9	18.1	16.8	1
1985	2,549	2,206	343		44,979	39,422	5,557		17.6	17.9	16.2
1986	2,592	2,244	348	1	45,205	39,753	5,452	1	17.4	17.7	15.7	1
1987	2,631	2,279	352		45,487	40,008	5,479		17.3	17.6	15.6
1988	2,668	2,323	345		45,430	40,189	5,242	1	17.0	17.3	15.2	1
1989	2,713	2,357	356		46,141	40,543	5,599		17.0	17.2	15.7
1990	2,759	2,398	361	1	46,865	41,217	5,648	1	17.0	17.2	15.6	1
1991	2,797	2,432	365		47,728	42,047	5,681		17.1	17.3	15.6
1992	2,827	2,459	368	1	48,500	42,823	5,677	1	17.2	17.4	15.4	1
1993	2,874	2,504	370		49,133	43,465	5,668		17.1	17.4	15.3
1994	2,925	2,552	373	1	49,898	44,111	5,787	1	17.1	17.3	15.5	1
1995	2,974	2,598	376		50,759	44,840	5,918		17.1	17.3	15.7
1996	3,051	2,667	384	1	51,544	45,611	5,933	1	16.9	17.1	15.5	1
1997	3,138	2,746	391		52,071	46,127	5,944		16.6	16.8	15.2
1998	3,230	2,830	400	1	52,525	46,539	5,988	1	16.3	16.4	15.0	1
1999	3,319	2,911	408		52,876	46,857	6,018		15.9	16.1	14.7
2000	3,366	2,941	424	1	53,373	47,204	6,169	1	15.9	16.0	14.5	1
2001	3,440	3,000	441		53,992	47,672	6,320		15.7	15.9	14.3
2002	3,476	3,034	442	1	54,403	48,183	6,220	1	15.7	15.9	14.1	1
2003	3,490	3,049	441		54,639	48,540	6,099		15.7	15.9	13.8
2004	3,537	3,091	447	1	54,946	48,795	6,151	1	15.5	15.8	13.8	1
20052	3,593	3,139	454		54,772	48,710	6,062		15.2	15.5	13.4
20062	3,635	3,176	459		55,075	48,948	6,127		15.2	15.4	13.3
20072	3,671	3,207	464		55,238	49,091	6,147		15.0	15.3	13.3
20082	3,705	3,237	468		55,333	49,167	6,166		14.9	15.2	13.2
20092	3,738	3,266	472		55,453	49,267	6,186		14.8	15.1	13.1
20102	3,776	3,299	477		55,630	49,415	6,215		14.7	15.0	13.0
20112	3,820	3,337	483		55,886	49,637	6,249		14.6	14.9	12.9
20122	3,873	3,384	489		56,232	49,938	6,294		14.5	14.8	12.9
20132	3,932	3,435	497		56,638	50,294	6,344		14.4	14.6	12.8
20142	3,997	3,492	505		57,137	50,735	6,402		14.3	14.5	12.7
20152	4,064	3,551	513		57,681	51,220	6,461		14.2	14.4	12.6

1 Estimated.   2 Projected. NOTE: Data for teachers are expressed in full-time equivalents (FTE). Data for private schools include kindergarten and some prekindergarten school teachers and students. The pupil/teacher ratio includes teachers for students with disabilities and other special teach­ers, while these teachers are generally excluded from class size calculations. Ratios for public schools reflect totals reported by states and differ from totals reported for schools or school districts. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Statis­tics of Public Elementary and Secondary Day Schools, 1955–56 through 1984–85; Com­mon Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary/Secondary Education," 1985–86 through 2004–05; Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989–90 through 2003–04; Projections of Education Statistics to 2015; and unpublished data. (This table was prepared September 2006.)