Public Education in the U.S . Facts & Trends

Public Education in the U.S. Facts & Trends Nancy Kober Consultant, Center on Education Policy June 4, 2013

From: A Public Education Primer Center on Education PolicyFull report available athttp://cep-dc.org/ Data sources: National Center for Education Statistics Other reliable datasets

Nine out of 10 students are educated in public schools

The percentage of children who are schooled at home has grown but remains small

Enrollments are growing fastest in the West and South Greatest projected growth: Alaska Nevada Arizona Texas Washington Minnesota

The percentage of all students who are Latino is projected to increase

The English learner population continues to grow; 1 in 10 public school students is an EL

African American and Latino students are concentrated in cities2008

African American and Latino students are concentrated in high-poverty schools2008

Students of color account for the majority of public school enrollments in 11 states + D.C.

Students of color account for more than 90% of public school enrollments in several large districts

One-fifth of school-age children live in poverty;almost half are eligible for free/reduced lunch

The U.S. education system consists of almost 14,000 districts and 99,000 schools

Almost one-third of U.S. students have high mobility rates1998 to 2007

Two percent of all districts—the very largest— educate 35% of the nation’s students

The U.S. education system is more decentralized than those of many other nations Many of our economic competitors have national curricula and exams Many key education decisions in the U.S. are made at the state and local levels • Standards, curriculum, testing • Staff hiring, evaluation, compensation • Length of school year and day, age of compulsory school • Financing and facilities

Forty-five states and D.C. have adopted common core state standards

The vast majority of public school funding comes from state and local sources

Per pupil expenditures have risen even when adjusted for inflation

Disparities in education funding exist between states and between districts in the same state $18,126 Average PPE in highest-spending state (New York), 2008-09 $6,356 Average PPE in lowest-spending state (Utah), 2008-09 $18,452 Average PPE in highest-spending VA district (Arlington Co.), 2008-09 $8,657 Average PPE in lowest-spending VA district (Bedford Co.), 2008-09

Average long-term NAEP scores have increased for 9- and 13-year-olds but not for 17-year-olds

Boys lag behind girls in reading achievement

Average SAT scores have remained fairly stable in verbal skills but have declined in math

The pool of SAT test-takers has grown larger and more diverse

More students are taking AP courses but a smaller share are scoring high enough to earn college credit

More than half of public school teachers have at least 10 years’ experience

Out-of-field teachers are more prevalent in high-poverty schools

U.S. teachers spend more time teaching than teachers in many other nations

Class sizes average 20 students per elementary teacher and 23+ for secondary teachers

Public Education in the U.S . Facts & Trends