The first year of COVID wiped out a decade of enrollment growth in the nation’s public schools, according to the first nationwide tabulation of the pandemic’s impacts on attendance.
in prekindergarten through grade 12 dropped from 50.8 million students in fall 2019 to 49.4 million in fall 2020, a 3% drop that brought total enrollment back to 2009 levels, according to the 2022 edition of the annual “” analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics. Though enrollment actually increased in some states and some grade levels, this was still the biggest drop in enrollment since World War II, when the decline primarily impacted high schools. Here’s a breakdown of some of 2009-to-2020 trends:
- From 2019 to 2020, enrollment rates of young children fell by 6 percentage points for 5-year-olds (from 91% to 84%) and by 13 percentage points for 3- to 4-year-olds (from 54% to 40%).
- Enrollment in pre-K through grade 8 increased by 3% (from 34.4 million to 35.6 million) from fall 2019 to 2020 and then dropped 4% to 34.1 million students in fall 2020.
- Enrollment in grades 9 through 12 increased 2% between fall 2009 (15.0 million) and fall 2019 (15.2 million) and continued to increase in fall 2020 to 15.3 million.
The report examined several other aspects of K-12 education, such as rates of violence. The number of school shootings surged to 146 in 2021 from 114 in 2020. The number of shootings where deaths occurred also increased, to 43 from 27.
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Considering last week’s tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, this data also shines a light on a dark truththe growing prevalence of gun violence in our schools,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement on the shooting statistics. “I am ashamed that we as a country are becoming desensitized to these horrific tragedies. The time for thoughts and prayers alone is over. We need legislative action.”
The report also examined homeschooling as a “spotlight indicator” of the state of U.S. education. The Household Pulse Survey portion of the report found that nearly 7%of adults reported homeschooling at least one child in 2020-21, with the percentage highest among white and Hispanic Americans.
Enrollment slide ahead
Enrollment is projected to fall further, by about 4%, through 2030 as the school-aged population is expected to keep shrinking. Whereas half of U.S. states actually saw increases from 2009 to 2020, the future declines will be far more widespread, the analysis found. Enrollment in pre-K through grade 8 is projected to decrease by 5% with high school enrollment falling by 2%.
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Here’s a state-by-state look at the 2030 projections, from the biggest expected declines to the largest gains:
- West Virginia:-20%
- 珂庄壊壊庄壊壊庄沿沿庄:油-18%
- New Mexico:-17%
- New Hampshire:-14%
- California: -11%
- Missouri: -10%
- 堰温敬温庄庄:油-10%
- Vermont: -9%
- 悪温稼壊温壊:油-9%
- New York: -8%
- Colorado: -7%
- 珂庄界鞄庄乙温稼:油-7%
- 赫艶看姻乙庄温:油-7%
- 或姻艶乙看稼:油-7%
- 遺看稼稼艶界岳庄界顎岳:油-7%
- Montana: -6%
- Rhode Island:-6%
- 珂温庄稼艶:油-6%
- 安庄壊界看稼壊庄稼:油-6%
- 閣庄姻乙庄稼庄温:油-6%
- Washington: -5%
- 悪艶稼岳顎界一霞:油-5%
- New Jersey:-5%
- 鴛鉛鉛庄稼看庄壊:油-5%
- 永艶稼稼壊霞鉛厩温稼庄温:油-5%
- Massachusetts: -5%
- Wyoming: -4%
- Louisiana: -3%
- 酷鉛看姻庄糸温:油-3%
- 或鞄庄看:油-3%
- 珂温姻霞鉛温稼糸:油-3%
- Indiana: -2%
- 鰻艶厩温糸温:油-1%
- 意艶恰温壊:油-1%
- Alaska: -1%
- Delaware: 0%
- 或一鉛温鞄看馨温:油0%
- 鴛看敬温:油0%
- 粥姻一温稼壊温壊:油0%
- South Carolina: +1%
- North Carolina:+1%
- 粥鉛温恢温馨温:油+1%
- 鴛糸温鞄看:油+1%
- 鰻艶恢姻温壊一温:油+1%
- Arizona: +3%
- Minnesota: +4%
- South Dakota:+4%
- 意艶稼稼艶壊壊艶艶:油+5%
- Washington, D.C.:+5%
- North Dakota:+7%
- 雨岳温鞄:油+9%
