Since the mid-1990s, two trends have transformed the landscape of American public education: enrollment has increased because of the growth of the Hispanic population, and the number of schools has also increased. This report examines the intersection of those trends.
Total public school enrollment in the United States peaked at 46.1 million in 1971 as the youngest members of the baby boom generation arrived in the nation’s classrooms. Enrollment gradually dropped off, to 39.2 million in fall 1984, then began to increase once again, reaching 48.2 million–a 23% jump–in fall 2002.
The number of public schools in operation followed the same historical trend. For most of the 20th century, the number of schools declined, first as the population became more concentrated in metropolitan areas and then through consolidation after the baby boomers finished high school.
The number of public schools declined to a low of 81,147 elementary and secondary schools in 1984. As with enrollment, the number of schools rose dramatically in the subsequent two decades, reaching 93,869 in the fall of 2002–an increase of 16%.
Read the full report at the Pew Hispanic Center.