This section presents data primarily concerning formal education as a whole, at various levels, and for public and private schools. Data shown relate to the school-age population and school enrollment, educational attainment, education personnel, and financial aspects of education. In addition, data are shown for libraries, adult education, and vocational training. The chief sources are the decennial census of population and the Current Population Survey (CPS), both conducted by the Bureau of the Census (see text, page 1), and annual, biennial, and other periodic surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The censuses of population have included data on school enrollment since 1840 and on educational attainment since 1940. The CPS has reported on school enrollment annually since 1945 and on educational attainment and illiteracy periodically since 1947.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, is continuing the pattern of statistical studies and surveys conducted by the U.S. Office of Education since 1870. The annual Digest of Education Statistics provides summary data on pupils, staff, finances, including government expenditures, and organization at elementary, secondary, and higher education levels and is also the primary source for detailed information on Federal funds for education and related activities. Projections of enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures appear in the biennial Projections of Education Statistics. The Condition of Education, issued annually, presents a summary of information on education.

Other sources of data include special studies by NCES, publications of the National Education Association, and annual or biennial reports of education agencies in individual States. The census of governments, conducted by the Bureau of the Census every 5 years (for the years ending in "2" and "7"), provides data on school district finances and State and local government expenditures for education. Reports published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics contain data relating employment experience to educational attainment.

Types and sources of data.—The statistics in this section are of two general types. One type, exemplified by data from the Bureau of the Census, is based on direct interviews with individuals to obtain information about their own and their families' education. Data of this type relate to school enrollment and level of education attained, classified by age, sex, and other characteristics of the population. The school enrollment statistics reflect attendance or enrollment in any regular school within a given period; educational attainment statistics reflect the highest grade completed by an individual.

The second type, exemplified by data from NCES and the National Education Association, is based on reports from administrators of educational institutions and of State and local agencies having jurisdiction over education. Data of this type relate to enrollment, attendance, staff, and finances for the Nation, individual States, and local areas.

Unlike NCES, the Census Bureau does not regularly include specialized vocational, trade, business, or correspondence schools in its surveys. Both the Bureau of the Census and NCES include kindergartens in enrollment figures; the Census Bureau also includes all nursery schools, while NCES includes only publicly financed ones. At the higher education level, the statistics of both agencies are concerned with institutions granting degrees or offering work acceptable for degreecredit, such as junior colleges.

School attendance.—All States require that children attend school. While State laws vary as to the ages and circumstances of compulsory attendance, generally they require that formal schooling begin by age 6 and continue to age 16.

Schools.—NCES defines a school as "a division of the school system consisting of students composing one or more grade groups- or other identifiable groups, organized as one unit with one or more teachers to give instruction of a defined type, and housed in a school plant of one or more buildings. More than one school may be housed in one school plant, as is the case when the elementary and secondary programs are housed in the same school plant."

Regular schools are those which advance a person toward a diploma or degree. They include public and private nursery schools, kindergartens, graded schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools. Public schools are schools controlled and supported by local. State, or Federal governmental agencies; private schools are those controlled and supported mainly by religious organizations or by private persons or organizations.

The Bureau of the Census defines elementary schools as including grades 1 through 8; high schools as including grades 9 through 12; and colleges as including junior or community colleges, regular 4-year colleges, and universities and graduate or professional schools. Statistics reported by NCES and the National Education Association by type of organization, such as elementary level and secondary level, may not be strictly comparable with those from the Bureau of the Census because the grades included at the two levels vary, depending on the level assigned to the middle or junior high school by the local school systems.

School year.—Except as otherwise indicated in the tables, data refer to the school year which, for elementary and secondary schools, generally begins in September of the preceding year and ends in June of the year stated. For the most part, statistics concerning school finances are for a 12-month period, usually July 1 to June 30. Enrollment data generally refer to a specific point in time, such as fall, as indicated in the tables.

Statistical reliability.—For a discussion of statistical collection, estimation, and sampling procedures and measures of statistical reliability applicable to Census Bureau and NCES data, see Appendix III.

Historical statistics.—Tabular headnotes provide cross-references, where applicable, to Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. See Appendix I.

No. 202. School Enrollment, 1955 To 1982, With Projections To 1992, And Number Of

Schools, 1955 To 1978

NA Not available. X No' applicable. 'Enrollment includes kindergarten ■ For regular schools ■ Degree

credit enrollment only * Excludes schools not reported by level, such as special education. Schools with both elementary and secondary programs are included under elementary ana also secondary * Branch campuses counted separately.

Source: US National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, annual; and Projections of Education Statistics, btenmal

Figure 5.1 Percent of Adults Who Have Completed Four Years of High School or More: 1950 to 1983

Percent of persons 25 years old and over 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Figure 5.2
School Enrollment, by Level of Instruction: 1960 to 1983
Millions of pupils

No. 203. Public And Private Schools, By Level—States

(For school year ending in year shown. Schools classified by type of organization, rather than by grade-group. See Appendix III. For composition of regions, see fig. I. inside front cover]

Michigan

Wisconsin

W. No. Cant

Minnesota

Iowa

Missouri...

North Dakota

South Dakota

Nebraska

Kansas

So. AD

Delaware

Maryland

District of Columbia

Virginia

West Virginia

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

Florida

E. So. Cent

Kentucky

Tennessee

Alabama

MiSSISSlpi

W. So. Cent

Arkansas ...

Louisiana

Oklahoma

Texas

Mt

Montana

Kxtho

Wyoming

Colorado

New Mexico

Arizona _ „..

Utah

Nevada

Pec

Washington

Oregon

C^itornia
At

Hi

US

- Represents zero. X Not applicable 'Includes one-teacher and middle schools, high schools 'Includes combined elementary secondary schools • Includes middle schools 'Branch campuses counted as separate institutions

Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, annual

Includes vocational/technical

No. 204. School Expenditures, By Type Of Control And Level Of Instruction: 1955 To 1980

[In billions of doners. For school years ending in June of the following year. Excludes "other" schools (see headnote, table 202). accounting for an estimated $500 million in 1960-81. Due to conceptual and methodological differences, these data may not agree with data in table 205. See Historical Statistics, Colonial Times to 1970, series H 494, 499. and 500 for related but not comparable data, and H 513-519 for private schools. See also Appendix III]

1 Includes interest.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics. Projections of Education Statistics, biennial

No. 205. School Expenditures, By Source Of Funds: 1960 To 1983

[For school years ending m year shown, includes nursery, kindergarten, and special programs when provided by school system. Nonpublic elementary and secondary school expenditures are estimates]

Z Less than $50 million or less than .05 percent. ■ Estimated. ■ Preliminary. 3 Includes, in addition to regular

schools, "other" schools such as residential schools for exceptional children. Federal schools for Indians, and federally operated schools on military posts; includes items not shown separately.

Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, annual, and unpublished data.