Back-to-school by the numbers: Key stats about students, teachers and the school year

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Back-to-school savings for students and teachers

School supplies ranging from basic classroom tools to tech, Skip Bedell shares all the best ways to prepare for the new school year. 

Back-to-school season is already upon us.

As millions of parents and guardians across the country prep their children for a new year of learning, few know how much is spent on school supplies.

Few also know how many students and teachers attend public and private institutions — and other key facts associated with this time of year.

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Here are 10 back-to-school facts that shed light on how many children (and adults) are enrolled in academies throughout our nation.

Millions of kids go back to school between August and September each year. (iStock)

1. How much will be spent during the back-to-school season?

2. How much will American families spend on average?

3. How many schools are in the United States?

4. How many students are in the United States?

5. How many students are homeschooled?

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6. How many college students are there?

7. How many teachers does the United States have?

8. How long are school years?

9. How long are school days?

10. How does schooling translate to earnings?

1. How much will be spent during the back-to-school season?

Back-to-school spending for grades K-12 is likely to reach $41 billion in 2023, according to estimates from the National Retail Federation (NRF). This number is a 10.8% change from what the NRF predicted last year, which was $37 billion.

Scores of families have been doing their back-to-school shopping. (iStock)

College students, on the other hand, might spend a total of $97 billion, which is a 31.1% increase from what the NRF predicted last year.

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2. How much will American families spend on average?

American families will spend $890.07 on average for back-to-school items and $1,366.95 per person on average for back-to-college items, the NRF estimates. 

Electronics are said to be the top spending category for both groups with purchases made on laptops, tablets and calculators.

Laptops, which are used for class work and homework, are a big ticket item for back-to-school shopping. (iStock)

3. How many schools are in the United States?

The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that the country had 98,577 public schools and around 30,492 private schools from 2020 to 2021. 

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The agency hasn’t released more up-to-date data at this time. 

4 How many students are in the United States?

In the fall of 2021, there were 49.5 million public school students, the NCES says. About 34 million of those students were spread out through pre-K and 8th grade, while about 15.4 million were spread out through 9th to 12th grade. 

Approximately 5.4 million students in the U.S. attended private schools in the U.S.

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Millions of students are returning to the 100,000-plus schools in the country. (iStock)

5. How many students are homeschooled?

In terms of homeschooling, the NCES reports that there were approximately 1.69 million homeschooled students in the U.S. when it last checked in 2016.

6. How many college students are there?

In fall 2021, the U.S. college enrollment was around 19 million, according to "Back-to-School Statistics" data from the NCES.

The NCES also reports that postsecondary institutions conferred 5 million awards to college students who were enrolled in the 2020-2021 academic year, which included 841,000 certificates, 1.04 million associate’s degrees, 2.07 million bachelor’s degrees, 867,000 master’s degrees and 194,000 doctorate degrees.

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The U.S. had about 19 million enrolled college students between 2020 and 2021. (iStock)

7. How many teachers does the United States have?

The NCES estimates the U.S. had 3.5 million teachers working in schools during the 2020-2021 school year. 

About three million of those teachers worked in public schools, while about 500,000 worked in private schools.

8. How long are school years?

While school calendars vary by state, city and neighborhood, the majority of American students spend 180 days at school in a given year, the NCES reports. 

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In 2020, the states that reportedly have less than 180 days of instruction include Colorado (160 days), Kentucky (170 days), Louisiana (177 days), Minnesota (165 days), Vermont (175 days) and Wyoming (175 days). Illinois and North Carolina appear to have the longest school years with 185 days of instruction, according to the NCES.

There were approximately 3.5 million teachers in the U.S. from 2020 to 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. (iStock)

Schools in the U.S. typically start in late August or early September.

9. How long are school days?

The NCES also found that the average American school day lasts for 6.64 hours.

Texas has the longest school day average, with a typical day lasting around 7.17 hours, which equates to 1,260 hours of instruction per year (including intermission and recess), according to the NCES.  

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The NCES reports that schools in Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana and Tennessee also offer between 7.03 and 7.08 hours of instruction per day.

10. How does schooling translate to earnings?

The U.S. Census Bureau’s "Fun Facts: Back-to-School" report says "education paid off" for adult workers in 2021, with annual salaries having risen with each education level.

Job candidates who have higher degrees tend to make more money, according to economic reports. (iStock)

American adults without a high school diploma and an education below 9th grade made nearly $33,000 per year, while high school graduates and GED recipients made about $43,000. 

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College graduates with bachelor’s degrees made about $80,000.

The Census Bureau sourced information from its current county business pattern survey, population survey and school system finances survey