Quick Stats on Students in the United States

With August comes back to school in the United States….

I wanted to take this post to provide you with a quick glimpse into some numbers making up the student population of the country.  I think you will come to realize that there are important missiological implications behind these figures.  

The following came from the “Census Bureau News — Facts for Features: Back to School: 2010-2011″.

Enrollment  

• In 2008, there were 76 million children and adults enrolled in school–nursery school to college, comprising 27% of the population 3 years old and older.  http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• In 2008, 53% of 3 and 4 year olds were enrolled in school in 2008.  http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• It is projected that 56 million will be the number of students enrolled in U.S. elementary through high school (K-12), this year.  http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ (Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 214)

Race and Foreign-Born

• In 2008, 43% of elementary through high school students were nonwhite (single race) or Hispanic.  
  http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• In 2008, 22% of elementary through high school students had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2008. Five percent were foreign-born themselves.   http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• In 2006, 50% of kindergarten through 12th-grade students in California had at least one foreign-born parent.  California led the nation, then Nevada (36%).   At least 25% of students in New York, Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Jersey, and Hawaii had at least one foreign-born parent.  
  http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/education/2008-05-08_education.html

Sports

• In 2006, 41% of 6  to 17 year olds participated in sports.  This number is up from 34%  in 1998.  Sports was the most popular extracurricular activity.  http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/children/cb09-182.html 

Language

• In 2008, 10.9 million school-age children (5 to 17)  that  spoke a language other than English at home.  7.8 million of these spoke Spanish at home.  http://factfinder.census.gov/
• In 2006, 45% of children enrolled in K-12 in California spoke a language other than English at home.  The national average was 21%.  Texas came in at 35%, New Mexico at 34%, and Arizona at 32%.  
  http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/education/2008-05-08_education.html

Lunch Program

• In 2008, 31 million students each month participated in the national school lunch program.   http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ (Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 558)

College

• 19.1 million is the number of students projected to be enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities this fall.  This number is up from 13.8 million from 20 years ago.  http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ (Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 214)
• In October 2008, 16% of all college students were 35 and older.  They comprised 36% of those attending school part-time.  http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• In 2008, 64% of undergraduates were enrolled in four-year colleges.  Of those who enrolled, 83% attended full time. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• In 2008, 49% of 18-19 year olds were enrolled in college.   http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html
• In 2008, 55% of college students were women.    http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2008.html

Other posts

While you are thinking about students, you may want to take a look at two previous posts on this topic:  HERE and HERE.