The enrollment record expected to be set in the nation’s classrooms this fall will continue to be broken each year until 2006, according to projections from the U.S. Department of Education. That means the school population of 51.7 million this fall will have reached 54.6 million by the fall of 2006. The following figures that will affect the nation’s school system are based on the 1990 census and include revised population projections made by the U.S. Bureau of the Census to reflect 1994 population estimates and updated estimates of the fertility rate, net immigration, and the mortality rate.
| 1994 | 2006 | |
| K-8 enrollment | 36.2 million | 38.1 million* |
| 9-12 enrollment | 13.6 million | 16.5 million |
| High school graduates | 2.5 million | 3.0 million |
| Classroom teachers, overall | 2.9 million | 3.4 million |
| elementary | 1.8 million | 2.0 million |
| secondary | 1.2 million | 1.4 million |
| Pupils per teacher | ||
| elementary | 18.4 | 17.2 |
| secondary | 14.3 | 14.0 |
| Average public school per-pupil spending (adjusted for inflation) | $5,404 | $6,622 |
| Average public school teacher salaries (adjusted for inflation) | $35,819 | $38,182 |
| Growth is expected to vary by region: | |
| West: 21 percent | Northeast: 4 percent |
| South: 10 percent | Midwest: 3 percent |
* K-8 enrollment is expected to peak at 38.8 million in 2002, then drop off.
