History

Back-to-School: August 2009

The end of August marks the beginning of a new school year for many students in the United States. As you stock up on school supplies, shop for clothes, or enjoy one more summer outing before the school bell rings, consider these "back-to-school" facts:

• The United States is home to approximately 99,000 public and 28,000 private schools [PDF 1.1Mb], and 4,300 colleges and universities [PDF 1.1Mb].
• As of October 2007, there were 76 million children and adults enrolled in schools throughout the United States.
• Although feelings may change by the end of the school year, the Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation indicated that 67% of parents with children aged 6 to 17 reported that they often like school!
• American farmers produced 9.9 billion pounds  of apples in 2008. Many of those apples ended up on teachers' desks and in  students' lunches.

Featured Photograph

"Back-to-school" shopping has grown considerably since the 1910s when students of the Damascus School (left) in Branford, CT, posed for this photograph. In August 2008, Americans spent $7.6 billion on clothing and $2.4 billion on books!