Public school boost

Record numbers of prekindergarten and kindergarten students are expected to enter the nation’s public school systems, according to a compilation of data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

In fall 2010, nearly 49.4 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. Of these, 34.7 million will be in prekindergarten through 8th grade and 14.7 million will be in grades 9 through 12. An additional 5.8 million students are expected to attend private schools this fall.

About 1,094,000 children are expected to attend public prekindergarten this fall. Enrollment in kindergarten, at approximately 3,693,000, is projected to be at an all-time high.

Public school systems will employ about 3.3 million teachers this fall, resulting in a pupil/teacher ratio of 15.3, which is lower than in 1999, when the ratio was 16.1. About 500,000 teachers will be working in private schools this fall, where the pupil/teacher ratio is estimated at 12.8.

OTHER STATS
• In 2008-09, there were about 13,800 public school districts containing about 99,000 public schools, including about 4,700 charter schools. In 2007-08, there were about 33,700 private schools offering kindergarten or higher grades.

• About 4.1 million public school students are expected to enroll in 9th grade, a typical entry grade for many high schools.

• Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools will be about $540 billion for the 2010-11 school year. The national average current expenditure per student is projected at $10,792, up from $10,297 in actual expenditures in 2007-08.

• The percentage of high school dropouts among 16- through 24-year-olds declined from 11.8% in 1998 to 8.1% in 2009.

• About 3,273,000 students are expected to graduate from high school in 2010–11, including 2,962,000 from public high schools and 311,000 from private high schools.

• The percentage of high school completers enrolling in college in the fall following high school completion was 70.1% in 2009. The rate for females (73.8%) was higher than the rate for males (66%).

• In fall 2010, a record 19.1 million students are expected to attend the Nation’s 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities, an increase of about 3.8 million since fall 2000. • About 7.5 million students are expected to attend public 4-year institutions, 6.7 million will attend public 2-year institutions, about 4.6 million will attend private 4-year institutions, and 0.3 million will attend private 2-year colleges.

• For the 2008-09 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board were estimated to be $12,283 at public institutions (including $4,544 for in-state tuition) and $31,233 at private institutions.

• During the 2010-11 school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 798,000 associate’s degrees; 1,669,000 bachelor’s degrees; 659,000 master’s degrees; 96,500 first-professional degrees; and 69,600 doctor’s degrees.