This article is part of the following topics:   Back to School Just for Fun

Back to School: Fun Facts

Back-to-School Shopping

$7.6 billion

The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2008. Only in December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2008 totaled $2.4 billion, an amount approached in 2008 only by sales in January.

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2006, there were 25,430 family clothing stores, 6,417 children and infants clothing stores, 26,699 shoe stores, 9,425 office supply and stationery stores, 23,270 sporting goods stores, 10,989 bookstores, and 9,969 department stores.

Students

76 million

The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2007—from nursery school to college. They comprised 27 percent of the entire population 3 and older.

Pre-K through 12 Enrollment

55%

Percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school in October 2007.

71%

Percentage of children 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2007.

56 million

The projected number of students to be enrolled in the nation’s elementary through high schools (grades K-12) this fall.

11%

Projected percentage of elementary through high school students enrolled in private schools this fall.

42%

Percentage of elementary through high school students who were minorities, as of October 2007.

23%

Percentage of elementary through high school students who have at least one foreign-born parent in October 2007. Five percent were foreign-born themselves.

50%

Percentage of kindergarten through 12th-grade students in California who had at least one foreign-born parent. California led the nation, followed by Nevada with 36 percent. New York, Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Jersey, and Hawaii also had at least one-quarter of students this age with at least one foreign-born parent.

12%

Percentage of children 6 to 11 who participated in lessons, sports, and clubs as of 2006. Lessons include those taken after school or on the weekend in subjects such as music, dance, language, computers, or religion.

26%

Percentage of children 6 to 11 who had ever attended or been enrolled in first grade or higher and had changed schools at some point as of 2006. For children 12 to 17, the corresponding rate was 42 percent. (Does not include the normal progression and graduation from elementary and middle schools.)

6%

The percentage of children 6 to 11 who had ever repeated a grade as of 2006. For children 12 to 17, the rate was 11 percent.

67%

Percentage of children 6 to 17 whose parents reported that their kids often like school.

Languages

10.9 million

Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who speak a language other than English at home; 7.9 million of these children speak Spanish at home.

45%

Percentage of children enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade in California who spoke a language other than English at home. California, which led all states, was followed by Texas (35 percent), New Mexico (34 percent), and Arizona (32 percent). The national average was 21 percent.

Lunchtime

31 million

Average number of children participating each month in the national school lunch program in 2008.

9.9 billion

The nation’s total apple production, in pounds, in 2008, up from 9 billion in 2007. The chances are good that the apples your children present to their teachers or enjoy for lunch were grown in Washington state, which accounted for more than half of the nation’s total production.

College

19 million

The projected number of students enrolled in the nation’s colleges and universities this fall. This is up from 13.5 million 20 years ago.

15%

Percentage of all college students 35 and older in October 2007. They made up 36 percent of those attending school part time.

66%

Percentage of undergraduates enrolled in four-year colleges in October 2007. Of those enrolled in such schools, 82 percent attended full time.

49%

Percentage of 18- and 19-year-olds enrolled in college in 2007.

55%

Percentage of undergraduates who were women in October 2007. Women comprised an even greater share of graduate students: 60 percent.

How Many Schools?

98,793

Number of public schools in 2006-07. In 2007-08, there were 28,218 private schools.

4,352

Number of institutions that granted college degrees in 2007.

3,970

The number of public charter schools nationwide in 2006-07. These schools, exempt from selected state and local rules and regulations, enrolled 1.2 million students.

Teachers and Other School Personnel

7.2 million

Number of teachers in the United States in 2008. Some 2.9 million teach at the elementary and middle school level. The remainder includes those teaching at the postsecondary, secondary, preschool, and kindergarten levels.

$63,640

Average annual salary of public school teachers in California as of the 2006-2007 school year—the highest of any state. Teachers in South Dakota received the lowest pay—$35,378. The national average was $50,758. High school principals earned $97,486 annually in 2007–08.

$16.56

Average hourly wage for the nation’s school bus drivers in 2007–08. Custodians earned $14.19, while cafeteria workers made $11.60.

Technology

14.2 million

Number of computers available for classroom use in the nation’s schools as of the 2005–2006 school year. That works out to one computer for every four students.

The Rising Cost of College

$14,915

Average tuition, room and board (for in-state students) at the nation’s four-year public colleges and universities for an entire academic year (2007–08). That was more than double the cost in 1990.

$40,640

Average tuition, room and board at the nation’s four-year private colleges and universities for one academic year (2007–08). That also was more than double the 1990 figure.

The Rewards of Staying in School

$80,977

Average annual 2007 earnings of workers 18 and older with an advanced degree. This compares with $21,484 for those without a high school diploma. In addition, those with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $57,181 in 2007, while those with a high school diploma earned $31,286.

$75,621

Average starting salary offered to bachelor’s degree candidates in petroleum engineering in 2008, among the highest of any field of study. At the other end of the spectrum were those majoring in a social science, who were offered an average of $39,476.

Graduation

3.3 million

Projected number of high school diplomas that will be awarded in the 2009–10 school year.

3.2 million

Number of college degrees expected to be conferred in the 2009–10 school year.

Government Spending on Public Education

$9,666

The per-pupil expenditure on public elementary and secondary education nationally in 2007. New York ($15,981) spent the most among states or state equivalents, followed by New Jersey ($15,691), and the District of Columbia ($14,324). Utah ($5,683) spent the least per student, followed by Idaho ($6,625) and Tennessee ($7,113).