VITAL STATISTICS:
• Number of public schools: 92,330
• Pre-K-12 enrollment: 48,202,324
• Number of public school teachers: 3,034,054
• Average annual E-rate funding: $2,065,731,432
INTERNET USE:
• Students per Internet-connected computer: 4.1
• Students per Internet-connected computer in classrooms: 8.0
• Percent of instructional computers with high-speed
Internet access: 87.5
SOURCES:
Number of public schools (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. This figure includes all public schools that reported student enrollment, provide educational services to students, have an administrator, receive public funds as a main means of support, and are operated by a local school district or other administrative agency. The count includes regular schools, vocational schools, alternative schools, and special schools, including charter schools.
Pre-K-12 enrollment (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. The figure includes the total student enrollment on the school day closest to Oct. 1, 2002. All public school students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and ungraded classes are counted.
Number of public school teachers (2002-03): U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2002-03, Preliminary 0g. Teacher count is reported in full-time-equivalency units of teachers who provide instruction to students at any of the levels from prekindergarten through grade 12 and ungraded classes.
Average annual E-rate funding over the past seven years (2005): Unpublished tabulations from the Schools and Libraries Division of the Universal Service Administrative Co. The federal E-rate program provides discounts on telecommunications services, Internet access, and internal telecommunications connections, with priority given to schools and libraries that serve poorer students or are located in rural areas. Since the beginning of the program in January 1998, a total of more than $14.3 billion has been awarded. The figure for each state is the average amount awarded to schools and libraries each funding year up to March 15, 2005. Updates on how much each state has been awarded are online at www.sl.universalservice.org.
State funding allocated specifically for educational technology (FY2005): Education Week Research Center annual survey of state technology contacts, 2005. States that allocate funds to districts that may be used for educational technology, but are not specifically designated for educational technology, are not included.
Students per Internet-connected computer (2004): Market Data Retrieval, “Technology in Education 2004,” and unpublished tabulations from MDR’s “2003-04 Public School Technology Survey.” “Internet-connected computer” refers to any computer that can access the Internet, including noninstructional computers.
Students per Internet-connected computer in classrooms (2004): MDR, “Technology in Education 2004,” and unpublished tabulations from MDR’s “2003-04 Public School Technology Survey.”
Percent of instructional computers with high-speed Internet access (2004): MDR, “Technology in Education 2004,” and unpublished tabulations from MDR’s “2003-04 Public School Technology Survey.”
