Basic Facts About K-12 Education in the U.S. True or false: The U.S. education system is highly centralized at the federal level with consistent standards and assessments across states. Many would probably answer “True.” But a snapshot of American schools shows a very different picture. K-12 education is diffuse and decentralized. Local school boards and state governments play more prominent roles than the federal government. Academic expectations historically have varied widely from state to state making it virtually impossible to compare results. Decision Making in U.S. Education is Decentralized
50 States
17,800 School Districts
66,000 District Leaders 169,000
School Leaders
3.2 million Teachers
in depth
Graduation rates for U.S. 9th graders
73% 59%
63%
All Students African Americans
Latinos
The Numbers As of 2009, the public K-12 system included more than 17,800 districts educating more than 49 million students, about 16% of U.S. population.1 The country’s education system is far more diverse than the overall population. One challenge with such a large and diverse student population is ensuring all have access to the academic content and skills they need to be able to graduate and pursue the career of their choice. Graduation Rates About 73% of students who enter high school graduate within four years, but only about 60% of African American and Latino students earn a diploma within four years.2 In 2010, 38% of Americans had attained at least an associate’s degree or higher.3
Basic Facts About K-12 Education in the U.S.
itn a kdee patcht i o n
The Cost of Education
The U.S. Department of Education, which has a budget of about $70 billion, covers only about 10% of overall K-12 public school funding. The remaining 90% comes primarily from state and local governments, with some support coming from private sources. State Education Spending In 2010-11, about $10,500 was spent per child on K-12 public school instruction (which doesn’t cover other administrative costs, such as transportation, school lunches or supplemental services, which can increase the per-pupil estimate significantly). As is the case with most facets of the U.S. education system, major differences in funding levels persist across states. The Shrinking Supply of U.S. College Graduates
Highest and Lowest Education Spending Per Pupil in 2010-11 (in $ thousands) 20
Of 100 9th Graders:
44 enroll in college; of these 33 persist to sophomore year in college; of these
16.3
15
12.4
11.3
National Average 10.5
10
8.8
8.0
7.8 6.4
5
21 earn a college degree Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems
$0
NY
NJ
HI
2
CA
MI
AZ
UT
Source: NEA Ranking and Estimates: Ranking of the Source: LasResearch. Vegas Sun and Education Week States 2010 andInvesting Estimates of School Statistics 2011. June 18, 2011, in Education
ational Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 2008-09; U.S. Census Website N Education Week (2012). Graduation in the United States. http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/dc/2012/Graduation-in-the-US-table.pdf 3 U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010 1
VA
in thousands
70 graduate high school
18.1