Official national public-school membership, teacher, school and ratio statistics.
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Education in the United States
DATAEducation profile
Education profile 路 Reference periods shown
NCES reports 49,404,386 students, 3,253,091 teachers and 99,297 operating public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in 2023/24, with a pupil-teacher ratio of 15.2. The United States page uses the NCES Common Core of Data because it supplies one national administrative frame for public elementary and secondary education.
United States education snapshot
The United States page uses the NCES Common Core of Data because it supplies one national administrative frame for public elementary and secondary education.
Students
49,404,386
Teachers
3,253,091
Schools
99,297
Pupil-teacher
15.2
* Reference years and benchmark labels are shown with the figures.
How the education pathway works
The stage map gives broad US system context while the headline cards remain limited to the public-school sector measured by the CCD.
| Stage | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary school | Elementary | Elementary schooling covers the earlier school grades. |
| Middle and high school | Secondary | Secondary education includes middle and high-school levels. |
| CTE pathways | Career and technical | Career and technical education operates within secondary and postsecondary systems. |
| Colleges and universities | Postsecondary | Higher education includes two-year and four-year institutions. |
Key evidence
The student, teacher and school figures are counts; 15.2 is the published pupil-teacher ratio.
| Measure | Value | Year | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 49,404,386 | 2023/24 | Public schools |
| Teachers | 3,253,091 | 2023/24 | Public schools |
| Schools | 99,297 | 2023/24 | Public schools |
| Pupil-teacher | 15.2 | 2023/24 | Public schools |
* Reference years and benchmark labels are shown with the figures.
How to read the United States evidence
These values do not include all private-school or postsecondary enrolment and are not presented as whole-system totals.
The page keeps the 2023/24 school-year scope visible rather than mixing it with later projections.
Frequently asked questions
How many public-school students are reported in the United States for 2023/24?
NCES reports 49,404,386.
How many public-school teachers are reported?
The total is 3,253,091.
How many operating public schools are reported?
NCES reports 99,297.
What pupil-teacher ratio is reported?
The 2023/24 public-school ratio is 15.2.
Sources and methodology
NCES directly supports all four headline measures.
Current national education-statistics compendium.
Methodology: United States figures retain the public elementary/secondary scope and 2023/24 administrative definitions.