K-12 education in the United States - statistics and facts

Key insights

Number of students enrolled in public and private K-12 schools
50.57m
Expenditure on private elementary and secondary schools
75bn USD
Expenditure on public elementary and secondary schools
870bn USD

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Overview

Revenue and expenditure

  • Basic Statistic School expenditure on public and private institutions 1970-2020
  • Basic Statistic Expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1970-2021
  • Premium Statistic U.S. per pupil public school expenditure FY 2023, by state
  • Basic Statistic U.S. public schools - average expenditure per pupil 1980-2021
  • Basic Statistic U.S. education - total expenditure per pupil in public schools 1990-2021
  • Basic Statistic Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1980-2021
  • Premium Statistic Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools U.S. 2024, by state
  • Premium Statistic Estimated average salary of public school teachers U.S. 2021/22, by state

State laws and book bans

  • Premium Statistic U.S. states restricting schools from teaching race, sex, or inequality 2021-2024
  • Premium Statistic Proposed bans on sex or gender identity in K-12 schools U.S. 2023, by grade level
  • Premium Statistic Share of transgender youth subject to bans on school sport participation U.S. 2025
  • Premium Statistic Share of U.S. transgender population subject to bathroom bills 2025
  • Premium Statistic Instances of book bans in U.S. public schools 2022/23, by ban status
  • Basic Statistic Books banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2023 - H2 2024, by state
  • Premium Statistic Book titles banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2023 to H2 2024, by subject matter
  • Premium Statistic Topics that K-12 librarians would ban from their school libraries U.S. 2023

Inequalities in education

  • Premium Statistic Share of K-12 public students attending predominately same-race schools U.S 2021
  • Premium Statistic Share of public schools who feel understaffed U.S. 2024, by students of color
  • Premium Statistic Estimated average months of learning lost due to COVID-19 by ethnicity U.S. 2020
  • Premium Statistic NAEP reading scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race
  • Premium Statistic NAEP math scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race
  • Premium Statistic Share of K-12 students who feel their school respects who they are U.S. 2023, by race
  • Premium Statistic Schools in the U.S.: victims of threats/injuries by weapons, by ethnicity 2021
  • Premium Statistic Share of students who have experienced school shootings U.S. 1999-2024, by race
  • Basic Statistic Share of teachers afraid of school shootings U.S. 2022, by location and student race

K-12 teachers

  • Basic Statistic Teachers in elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1955-2031
  • Basic Statistic U.S. elementary and secondary schools: pupil-teacher ratio 1955-2031
  • Premium Statistic Impacts of restricting race, sex, and identity topics for K-12 teachers U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic Share of public K-12 teachers who limit political or social topics in class U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic Top reasons K-12 public school teachers limit political or social topics U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic K-12 teachers' views on how gender identity should be taught at school U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic K-12 teachers' support for parents to opt children out of race/gender topics U.S 2023
  • Premium Statistic Top three reasons K-12 public school teachers fear for their safety U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic Share of school staff who received concerns from parents on K-12 curriculum 2023

Parent perceptions

  • Premium Statistic Main reasons why parents enroll their children in private or public schools U.S. 2024
  • Premium Statistic Share of Americans with various views on what school type has the best education 2024
  • Premium Statistic Share of parents with select views on what school type is best U.S 2024, by gender
  • Premium Statistic Parents' beliefs on how gender identity is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party
  • Premium Statistic Parents with select beliefs on how slavery is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party
  • Premium Statistic Perceptions on the influence of K-12 parents or school boards U.S 2022, by party
  • Premium Statistic Parents who believe teachers should lead students in prayers U.S. 2022, by party
  • Premium Statistic Share of K-12 parents concerned about a violent intruder at school U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic K-12 parents' concerns on the effects of AI on their child's learning U.S. 2023

U.S. opinion

  • Premium Statistic Share of Americans who are concerned about select issues in public schools U.S. 2023
  • Premium Statistic U.S. views on who should influence LGBTQ-related school policies 2023
  • Premium Statistic U.S. views on how slavery and racism should be taught in schools 2023
  • Premium Statistic U.S. preferences for race-related curricula in K-12 schools 2023, by race
  • Premium Statistic U.S. views on whether teachers should use students' preferred pronouns 2023
  • Premium Statistic U.S. teens' comfortability with race and LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom 2023
  • Premium Statistic Share of LBGTQ+ students with various reasons to drop out of high school U.S. 2021-22
  • Premium Statistic Adults’ opinion on how K–12 schools should handle AI advances U.S. 2023-24
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