Back to School By the Numbers

It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost that time of year again.

That’s right — summer vacation is over,  and Lemont students are headed back to school. starts Monday, starts Wednesday and starts Wednesday. students started Wednesday of this week.

As parents and their kids head out to gather up their books, backpacks and No. 2 pencils, we thought we’d share these back-to-school facts, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Back-to-school shopping

$7.4 billion

The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2010. Only in November and December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2010 totaled $2.2 billion, an amount approached in 2010 only by sales in January.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2008, there were 28,429 family clothing stores, 7,349 children and infants clothing stores, 28,178 shoe stores, 9,373 office supply and stationery stores, 22,116 sporting goods stores, 9,708 bookstores and 8,813 department stores.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns: 2008 <http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

Students

77 million

The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2009 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 27 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2009, Table 1

Pre-K through 12 enrollment

52 percent

Percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school in October 2009.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2009, Table 1

74 percent

Percentage of children 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2009.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2009, Table 3

55.5 million

The projected number of students to be enrolled in the nation's elementary through high schools (pre-kindergarten - 12th grade) this fall.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 215

11 percent

Projected percentage of elementary through high school students (pre-kindergarten - 12th grade) enrolled in private schools this fall.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 215 

43 percent

Percentage of elementary through high school students who belonged to a minority population as of October 2009.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2009, Table 1

23 percent

Percentage of elementary through high school students who had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2009.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October 2009, Table 1

Languages

11.2 million

Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home in 2009; 8 million of these children spoke Spanish at home.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table B16004

Lunchtime

31.3 million

Average number of children participating each month in the National School Lunch Program in 2009.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 568

9.21 billion

The nation's total apple production, in pounds, in 2010. The chances are good that the apples your children present to their teachers or enjoy for lunch were grown in Washington state, which accounted for more than half of the nation's total production.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

How many schools?

98,706

Number of public schools in 2008-09. In 2007-08, there were 33,740 private schools.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics

4,409

Number of degree-granting institutions of higher education in 2008-2009.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics

4,694

The number of public charter schools nationwide in 2008-09. These schools, exempt from selected state and local rules and regulations, enrolled 1,433,116 students.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics

Teachers and other school personnel

7.2 million

Number of teachers in the United States in 2009. Almost 3 million taught at the elementary and middle school level. The remainder included those teaching at the postsecondary, secondary, preschool, kindergarten levels, special education and other teachers or instructors.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 615

$65,800

Average annual salary of public school teachers in California as of the 2007-2008 school year — the highest of any state. Teachers in South Dakota received the lowest pay — $36,700. The national average was $52,800. High school principals earned $99,365 annually in 2008-09.
Source: National Education Association and Educational Research Service as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Tables 252 and 255

$16.44

Average hourly wage for the nation's school bus drivers in 2008-09. Custodians earned $14.59, while cafeteria workers made $11.94.
Source: Educational Research Service as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 255

Rising cost of college

$15,876

Average tuition, room and board (for in-state students) at the nation's four-year public colleges and universities for an academic year (2008-09). That was more than double the cost in 1990.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 289

$40,633

Average tuition, room and board at the nation's four-year private colleges and universities for one academic year (2008-09). That also was more than double the cost in 1990.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 289

Rewards of staying in school

$83,144

Average annual 2008 earnings of workers 18 and older with an advanced degree. This compares with $21,023 for those without a high school diploma. In addition, those with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $58,613 in 2008, while those with a high school diploma earned $31,283.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009

$85,417

Average starting salary offered to bachelor's degree candidates in petroleum engineering in 2009, among the highest of any field of study. At the other end of the spectrum were those majoring in a social science, who were offered an average of $36,217.
Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011, Table 294

Graduation

3.2 million

Projected number of high school diplomas that will be awarded in the 2011-12 school year.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 217

3.4 million

Number of college degrees expected to be conferred in the 2011-12 school year.
Source: U.S. National Center for Education Statistics as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 217