ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
STATISTICS AT A GLANCE

SCHOOLS
ENROLLMENT
TEACHERS
STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO
EXPENDITURES
SALARIES AND WAGES
FUNDING

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION STATISTICS AT A GLANCE

SCHOOLS:

TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS: 14,891

TOTAL NUMBER OF K-12 SCHOOLS: 118,464

Elementary: 81,812
Secondary: 26,205
Combined Schools: 10,447

TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS: 91,062

Elementary: 65,189
Secondary: 23, 718
Combined: 2,155

TOTAL NUMBER OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS: 27,402

Elementary: 16,623
Secondary: 2,487
Combined: 8,292

TOTAL NUMBER OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: 8,144

Elementary: 6,923
Secondary: 1,221
Combined: N/A

TOTAL NUMBER OF CHARTER SCHOOLS: 2,432

ENROLLMENT:

TOTAL K-12: 51,610,806

Elementary: 36,168,631
Secondary: 13,989,239
Combined: 1,452,937

TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 46,534,678

Elementary: 33,343,787
Secondary: 13,190,900

TOTAL PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 5,076,119

Elementary: 2,824,844
Secondary: 798,339
Combined: 1,452,937

TOTAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 2,500,416

Elementary: 1,877,236
Secondary: 623,180

TOTAL CHARTER SCHOOL ENROLLMENT: 576,298

TEACHERS:

TOTAL: 3,284,000

Elementary: 2,014,000
Secondary: 1,270,000

TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS: 2,887,000

Elementary: 1,733,000
Secondary: 1,154,000

TOTAL PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS: 397,000

Elementary: 281,000
Secondary: 116,000

TOTAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS: 144,642

Elementary: 97,692
Secondary: 40,226
Combined: 6,724

TOTAL CHARTER SCHOOL TEACHERS: 36,019

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO:

PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO

Elementary: 17.6:1
Secondary: 14.1:1

PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO

Elementary: 16.4:1
Secondary: 11.5:1

CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO

Elementary: 18.7:1
Secondary: 15:1
Combined: 11.2:1

CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO: 16:1

EXPENDITURES:

TOTAL PUBLIC SCHOOL EXPENDITURES: $334.3 billion

Current Expenditures: $285.5 billion
Instruction: $176.5 billion
Student Services: $96.5 million
Food Services: $11.7 billion
Enterprise Operations: $776.4 million
Capital Outlay: $36.2 billion
Interest on School Debt: $7.8 billion
Other Current Expenditures: $4.8 billion
AVERAGE PUBLIC SCHOOL PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE: $6,662

AVERAGE PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION: $3,116

Elementary: $2,138
Secondary: $4,578
Combined: $4,266

AVERAGE CATHOLIC SCHOOL TUITION: $2,178

Elementary: $1,628
Secondary: $3,643
Combined: $4,153

SALARIES AND WAGES:

PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:

District Superintendent: $112,158
Associate Superintendent: $97,251
Assistant Superintendent: $88,913

PUBLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPALS:

High School: $79,839
Middle School/Junior High: $77,382
Elementary School: $72,587

PUBLIC SCHOOL ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS:

High School: $60,999
Middle School/Junior High: $63,706
Elementary School: $59,080

PUBLIC SCHOOL PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL:

Counselor: $48,195
Librarian: $46,732
School Nurse: $35,540
AVERAGE TEACHER BASE SALARY:
Public School: $41,820
Private School: $33,220
Catholic School: $21,898

PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF SALARIES:

Clerk/Office Positions

Secretaries/Stenographer: $28,540
Accounting Payroll: $24,560
Clerk/Typist: $23,200

School Building Level:

Secretary/Stenographer: $22,650
Library Clerks: $16,980

HOURLY WAGE RATES:

Teacher Aides:

Instructional: $10.00

Specialized:

Custodians: $11.35
Cafeteria Workers: $9.02
School Bus Driveršs: $12.48

PERCENTAGE OF SCHOOL EMPLOYEES BY CATEGORY:

Teachers: 52.2 percent
Aides: 10.8 percent
School Staff: 7.9 percent
Support Staff: 4.4 percent
Other Staff: 20.2 percent

FUNDING:

TOTAL FUNDING OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: $325,976,011,000

Federal: $22.2 billion (6.8% of total)
State: $157.6 billion (48.4% of total)
Local: $137.8 billion (42.3% of total)
Private: $8.3 billion (2.6% of total)


U.S. Department of Education: Digest of Education Statistics 2000, Table 87, Page 95 (1998-99), Table 63, Page 72 (1999-2000). The Center for Education Reform: National Charter School Directory 2001. U.S. Department of Education: Digest of Education Statistics 2000, Table 39, Page 50 (1998-99), Table 60, Page 70 (1998-99), Table 63, Page 72 (1999-2000). The Center for Education Reform: National Charter School Directory 2001. U.S. Department of Education: Digest of Education Statistics 2000, Table 65, Page 74 (1999), Table 60, Page 70 (1998-99). (Est.) U.S. Department of Education: The State of Charter Schools 2000, Fourth-Year Report, Page 24. U.S. Department of Education: Digest of Education Statistics 2000, Table 65, Page 74 (1999); Catholic School: Calculated between Table 60, Page 70 (1998-99), and Table 63, Page 72 (1999-2000). U.S. Department of Education: The State of Charter Schools 2000, Fourth-Year Report, Page 24. U.S. Department of Education: Digest of Education Statistics 2000, Table 162, Page 179 (1998), Table 164, Page 182 (1998), Table 168, Page 188 (1998), Table 62, Page 72 (1993-94). American Federation of Teachers: 2000 Statistical Survey, Table 1-5, Page 21, Table 2-6, Page 43. Educational Research Service: Salaries Paid Professional Personnel in Public Schools, 1999-2000, (Mean of mean salaries), Table 7, Page 17. National Association of Elementary School Principals, Source: Educational Research Service: National Survey of salary and wages in Public School Principals Salaries, 2000-01. Bureau for Labor Statistics: Survey of Wages and Jobs in 1997. Educational Research Service: Salaries Paid Professional Personnel in Public Schools, 1999-2000, (Mean of mean salaries), Table 7, Page 17. American Federation of Teachers: 2000 Statistical Survey, Table 1-5, Page 21, Table 2-6, Page 43. National Center for Educational Statistics: Survey of Catholic School Teachers in 1993-94. U.S. Department of Education: Digest of Education Statistics 2000, Table 158, Page 175 (1998), Table 159, Page 176 (1998).

CER Home Page E-Mail CER CER Publications