k 12 education level

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Report card on american education: 22nd edition.

The status quo is not working. Whether by international comparisons, state and national proficiency measures, civic literacy rates, or career preparedness, American students are falling behind. The 22nd edition of the Report Card on American Education ranks states on their K-12 education and policy performance.

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Education & Science

K-12 education in the United States - statistics and facts

Public school politics, inequalities in education, key insights.

Detailed statistics

School enrollment in public and private institutions in the U.S. 2022

Expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1970-2021

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Educational Institutions & Market

Share of Americans who are concerned about select issues in public schools U.S. 2023

Top three reasons K-12 public school teachers fear for their safety U.S. 2023

U.S. states restricting schools from teaching race, sex, or inequality 2021-2023

Further recommended statistics

• Basic Statistic Number of elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. 2020/21, by type
• Premium Statistic Share of U.S. public schools 2021/22, by enrollment size and school type
• Basic Statistic School enrollment in public and private institutions in the U.S. 2022
• Basic Statistic Enrollment in public and private elementary schools 1960-2022
• Basic Statistic High school enrollment in public and private institutions U.S. 1965-2031
• Premium Statistic Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 2022, by state
• Basic Statistic Primary and secondary school enrollment rates in the U.S. in 2022, by age group
• Basic Statistic Share of students enrolled in U.S. public K-12 schools 2021, by ethnicity and state
• Basic Statistic U.S. public school enrollment numbers 2000-2021, by ethnicity

Number of elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. 2020/21, by type

Number of elementary and secondary schools in the United States in 2020/21, by school type*

Share of U.S. public schools 2021/22, by enrollment size and school type

Share of public schools in the United States in 2021/22, by enrollment size and school type

Enrollment in public and private schools in the United States in 2022 (in millions)

Enrollment in public and private elementary schools 1960-2022

Enrollment in public and private elementary schools in the United States from 1960 to 2022 (in millions)

High school enrollment in public and private institutions U.S. 1965-2031

High school enrollment for public and private schools in the U.S. from 1965 to 2020, with projections up to 2031 (in 1,000s)

Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 2022, by state

Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in 2022, by state (in 1,000s)

Primary and secondary school enrollment rates in the U.S. in 2022, by age group

Share of population enrolled in primary and secondary education in the United States in 2022, by age group

Share of students enrolled in U.S. public K-12 schools 2021, by ethnicity and state

Share of students enrolled in K-12 public schools in the United States in 2021, by ethnicity and state

U.S. public school enrollment numbers 2000-2021, by ethnicity

K-12 public school enrollment numbers in the United States from 2000 to 2021 by ethnicity (in 1,000s)

Revenue and expenditure

• Basic Statistic School expenditure on public and private institutions 1970-2020
• Basic Statistic Expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1970-2021
• Premium Statistic U.S. per pupil public school expenditure FY 2023, by state
• Basic Statistic U.S. public schools - average expenditure per pupil 1980-2020
• Basic Statistic U.S. education - total expenditure per pupil in public schools 1990-2021
• Basic Statistic Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1980-2020
• Premium Statistic Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools U.S. 2024, by state
• Premium Statistic Estimated average salary of public school teachers U.S. 2021/22, by state

School expenditure on public and private institutions 1970-2020

School expenditure in public and private institutions in the United States from 1970 to 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)

School expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1970 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

U.S. per pupil public school expenditure FY 2023, by state

Per pupil public elementary and secondary school expenditure in the United States in the fiscal year of 2023, by state (in U.S. dollars)

U.S. public schools - average expenditure per pupil 1980-2020

Average expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools from academic years 1980 to 2020 (in U.S. dollars)

U.S. education - total expenditure per pupil in public schools 1990-2021

Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars)

Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1980-2020

Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from the academic years 1980 to 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools U.S. 2024, by state

Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools in the United States in 2024, by state (in U.S. dollars)

Estimated average salary of public school teachers U.S. 2021/22, by state

Estimated average salary of public school teachers in the United States in 2021-2022, by state (in constant 2020-21 U.S. dollars)

State laws and book bans

• Premium Statistic U.S. states restricting schools from teaching race, sex, or inequality 2021-2023
• Premium Statistic Proposed bans on sex or gender identity in K-12 schools U.S. 2023, by grade level
• Premium Statistic Share of transgender youth subject to bans on school sport participation U.S 2024
• Premium Statistic Share of U.S. transgender population subject to bathroom bills 2024
• Premium Statistic Instances of book bans in U.S. public schools 2022/23, by ban status
• Basic Statistic Books banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by state
• Premium Statistic Book titles banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by subject matter
• Premium Statistic Topics that K-12 librarians would ban from their school libraries U.S. 2023

Legal action taken to restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism, sexism, and systemic inequality in the United States from 2021 to 2023, by state

Proposed bans on sex or gender identity in K-12 schools U.S. 2023, by grade level

Number of proposed bans on instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity in K-12 schools in the United States in 2023*, by grade level of ban

Share of transgender youth subject to bans on school sport participation U.S 2024

Share of transgender youth aged 13 to 17 living in states that restrict transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity in the United States as of March 14, 2024

Share of U.S. transgender population subject to bathroom bills 2024

Share of transgender population aged 13 and over living in states that ban transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in the United States as of March 14, 2024

Instances of book bans in U.S. public schools 2022/23, by ban status

Total number of instances of books banned from K-12 public libraries and classrooms in the United States in the 2022/23 school year, by ban status

Books banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by state

Number of books banned in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, by state

Book titles banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by subject matter

Share of book titles banned in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, by subject matter

Topics that K-12 librarians would ban from their school libraries U.S. 2023

Share of library staff working in K-12 schools and districts who believe that libraries in their district or school should not include any books that depict certain topics in the United States in 2023

• Premium Statistic Share of K-12 public students attending predominately same-race schools U.S 2021
• Premium Statistic Share of public schools who feel understaffed U.S. 2024, by students of color
• Premium Statistic Estimated average months of learning lost due to COVID-19 by ethnicity U.S. 2020
• Premium Statistic NAEP reading scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race
• Premium Statistic NAEP math scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race
• Premium Statistic Share of K-12 students who feel their school respects who they are U.S. 2023, by race
• Premium Statistic Schools in the U.S.: victims of threats/injuries by weapons, by ethnicity 2021
• Premium Statistic Share of students who have experienced school shootings U.S. 1999-2024, by race
• Basic Statistic Share of teachers afraid of school shootings U.S. 2022, by location and student race

Share of K-12 public students attending predominately same-race schools U.S 2021

Share of students attending K-12 public schools in which 75 percent or more of the students are of their own race or ethnicity in the United States in the 2020-21 school year

Share of public schools who feel understaffed U.S. 2024, by students of color

Share of public schools who feel that their school is understaffed in the United States entering the 2023-24 school year, by students of color

Estimated average months of learning lost due to COVID-19 by ethnicity U.S. 2020

Estimated average months of learning lost compared with in-classroom learning due to COVID-19 in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity

NAEP reading scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race

Reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress for nine year old students in the United States from 2020 to 2022, by race

NAEP math scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race

Mathematics scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress for nine year old students in the United States from 2020 to 2022, by race

Share of K-12 students who feel their school respects who they are U.S. 2023, by race

Share of K-12 students who feel that their school respects who they are, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or identity in the United States in 2023, by race

Schools in the U.S.: victims of threats/injuries by weapons, by ethnicity 2021

Percentage of U.S. students in grades 9–12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon at school in 2021, by ethnicity

Share of students who have experienced school shootings U.S. 1999-2024, by race

Share of students who have experienced school shootings in the United States from 1999 to 2024*, by race

Share of teachers afraid of school shootings U.S. 2022, by location and student race

Share of K-12 teachers who reported feeling afraid that they or their students would be a victim of attack or harm at school in the United States in 2022, by school locale and student racial composition

K-12 teachers

• Basic Statistic Teachers in elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1955-2031
• Basic Statistic U.S. elementary and secondary schools: pupil-teacher ratio 1955-2031
• Premium Statistic Impacts of restricting race, sex, and identity topics for K-12 teachers U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic Share of public K-12 teachers who limit political or social topics in class U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic Top reasons K-12 public school teachers limit political or social topics U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic K-12 teachers' views on how gender identity should be taught at school U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic K-12 teachers' support for parents to opt children out of race/gender topics U.S 2023
• Premium Statistic Top three reasons K-12 public school teachers fear for their safety U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic Share of school staff who received concerns from parents on K-12 curriculum 2023

Teachers in elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1955-2031

Number of teachers in public and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1955 to 2031 (in 1,000s)

U.S. elementary and secondary schools: pupil-teacher ratio 1955-2031

Pupil-teacher ratio in public and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1955 to 2031

Impacts of restricting race, sex, and identity topics for K-12 teachers U.S. 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers who say that current debates on how public K-12 schools should be teaching certain topics like race and gender identity has impacted their ability to do their job in the United States in 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers who limit political or social topics in class U.S. 2023

Have you ever decided on your own, without being directed by school or district leaders, to limit discussion of political and social issues in class?

Top reasons K-12 public school teachers limit political or social topics U.S. 2023

What are the top three reasons you decided, on your own, to limit discussion of political and social topics in your classroom?

K-12 teachers' views on how gender identity should be taught at school U.S. 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers with various beliefs on what students should learn about gender identity at school in the United States in 2023, by grade level

K-12 teachers' support for parents to opt children out of race/gender topics U.S 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers who believe parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about racism and racial inequality or sexual orientation and gender identity if the way they are taught conflicts with the parents' personal beliefs in the United States in 2023, by party

What are the top three reasons you fear for your physical safety when you are at school?

Share of school staff who received concerns from parents on K-12 curriculum 2023

About which topics have parents expressed concerns to you?

Parent perceptions

• Premium Statistic Main reasons why parents enroll their children in private or public schools U.S. 2024
• Premium Statistic Share of Americans with various views on what school type has the best education 2023
• Premium Statistic Share of parents with select views on what school type is best U.S 2024, by gender
• Premium Statistic Parents' beliefs on how gender identity is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party
• Premium Statistic Parents with select beliefs on how slavery is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party
• Premium Statistic Perceptions on the influence of K-12 parents or school boards U.S 2022, by party
• Premium Statistic Parents who believe teachers should lead students in prayers U.S. 2022, by party
• Premium Statistic Share of K-12 parents concerned about a violent intruder at school U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic K-12 parents' concerns on the effects of AI on their child's learning U.S. 2023

Main reasons why parents enroll their children in private or public schools U.S. 2024

Share of parents with various reasons why they chose to enroll their youngest child in a private or public school in the United States in 2024

Share of Americans with various views on what school type has the best education 2023

If it were your decision and you could select any type of school, and financial costs and transportation were of no concern, what type of school would you select in order to obtain the best education for your child?

Share of parents with select views on what school type is best U.S 2024, by gender

If given the option, what type of school would you select in order to obtain the best education for your child?

Parents' beliefs on how gender identity is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party

Share of parents of K-12 students with select beliefs on what children should learn about gender identity in school in the United States in 2022, by party

Parents with select beliefs on how slavery is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party

Share of parents of K-12 students with select beliefs on what children should learn about slavery in school in the United States in 2022, by party

Perceptions on the influence of K-12 parents or school boards U.S 2022, by party

Share of parents who believe that parents or the local school board have too much influence on what public K-12 schools are teaching in the United States in 2022, by political party

Parents who believe teachers should lead students in prayers U.S. 2022, by party

Share of parents who believe that public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers in the United States in 2022, by party

Share of K-12 parents concerned about a violent intruder at school U.S. 2023

Share of K-12 parents who were extremely concerned or very concerned about a violent intruder, such as a mass shooter, entering their child's/children's school in the United States in 2023, by grade of child

K-12 parents' concerns on the effects of AI on their child's learning U.S. 2023

How concerned are you about the effects of artificial intelligence, or AI, on your youngest/oldest child's learning this school year?

U.S. opinion

• Premium Statistic Share of Americans who are concerned about select issues in public schools U.S. 2023
• Premium Statistic U.S. views on who should influence LGBTQ-related school policies 2023
• Premium Statistic U.S. views on how slavery and racism should be taught in schools 2023
• Premium Statistic U.S. preferences for race-related curricula in K-12 schools 2023, by race
• Premium Statistic U.S. views on whether teachers should use students' preferred pronouns 2023
• Premium Statistic U.S. teens' comfortability with race and LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom 2023
• Premium Statistic Share of LBGTQ+ students with various reasons to drop out of high school U.S. 2021-22
• Premium Statistic Adults’ opinion on how K–12 schools should handle AI advances U.S. 2023-24

How concerned are you about the following issues in public schools in your local area?

U.S. views on who should influence LGBTQ-related school policies 2023

Share of adults who believe select groups should have a great deal of influence in deciding how to set school policy concerning discussion of LGBTQ people in the United States in 2023

U.S. views on how slavery and racism should be taught in schools 2023

Which of the following statements comes closest to your views?

U.S. preferences for race-related curricula in K-12 schools 2023, by race

Share of adults who believe various race-related curricula should be taught in K-12 schools in the United States in 2023, by race and ethnicity

U.S. views on whether teachers should use students' preferred pronouns 2023

If a teenager asks a teacher to use a particular pronoun – he, she or they – which do you think is the best policy?

U.S. teens' comfortability with race and LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom 2023

Share of teenagers who say they feel comfortable or uncomfortable when topics related to racism, racial inequality, sexual orientation, or gender identity come up in class in the United States in 2023

Share of LBGTQ+ students with various reasons to drop out of high school U.S. 2021-22

Share of LGBTQ+ students with various reasons why they do not plan to graduate high school or are unsure if they will graduate in the United States during the 2021-22 academic year

Adults’ opinion on how K–12 schools should handle AI advances U.S. 2023-24

Which of the following comes closest to your view on how K-12 schools should respond to advances in artificial intelligence (AI)?

What are the U.S. education levels?

There are different levels of public education in the U.S. Find information about pre-school, elementary school, middle school, and high school. Learn how schools decide the grade and type of class for students new to the USA.

Education in the USA

In the United States, the law requires all children to go to school. Elementary, middle, and high school are all free if your child attends public school . The ages of the students for each grade can vary from state to state. 

U.S. education levels

In the USA, there are 12 grade levels after the first year of kindergarten. The four levels of education are:

• Preschool (early childhood education)

Elementary school

• Middle school

High school

Early childhood education

Early childhood education can mean different things. It refers to learning that happens before kindergarten. It is not required by law.

Early childhood education includes daycare and preschool . Ages can vary based on the place you choose to take your child. Daycare can start a few months after a child is born. Preschool can start as early as age 2. 

You usually have to pay for daycare and preschool. There are free preschool options for families with low income through the Head Start program .

Children in preschool learn how to be with other kids and get ready for kindergarten. 

Children begin elementary school with kindergarten (grade K) around age 5. The next year is grade 1 and it goes up each year to grade 5. They finish elementary school around age 10.

Children in elementary school usually learn different subjects from one teacher in a single classroom. They learn to develop writing and math skills, reading, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Middle school (also called junior high school)

Students attending middle school are around age 11 to 13. It starts with grade 6 and ends with grade 8. Middle school students usually switch from classroom to classroom. They may have different teachers in one school day. 

In middle school, students learn:

• English (grammar, spelling, reading comprehension, and sentence structure)
• Mathematics (fractions, decimals, percents, solving equations)
• Sciences (earth science, basic biology, basic chemistry concepts)
• Social studies (civics, government, and basic economics)

In some communities, children will not switch schools to go to middle school. They will keep going to the same elementary school.

Students attending high school are around age 14 to 18. It starts with grade 9 and ends with grade 12. The classes are arranged by subjects. A student usually has different teachers throughout the day.

In high school, students learn:

• English (classic literature, essay writing, and critical analysis)
• Mathematics (algebra, geometry, calculus)
• Science (biology, chemistry, physics)
• Social studies (US history, world history, and civics) 

Some students can take advanced classes and prepare for work or college. High schools also have clubs, sports, work-study arrangements, and other activities. 

There are names for students in each grade:

• 9th grade: freshman 
• 10th grade: sophomore
• 11th grade: junior  
• 12th grade: senior

Secondary School

A secondary school is an alternative option to a high school. It covers grades 9th to 12th. It offers technical and vocational training, such as carpentry and automotive technology.

Post-high school education

After getting a high school diploma, students can go to college. Students need to find a college or university and learn the requirements. You will have to apply and pay tuition. If you need help paying for college or university, there are scholarships for immigrants and refugees .

Public colleges

Public colleges are also known as city colleges and state colleges. Cities and states fund public colleges. 

They have low-cost tuition for students who live in the city or state where the college is located. 

Private colleges

Private college requires paid tuition. It doesn’t depend on the government, it receives funding from donors. There are private colleges that could provide students with many financial aid programs. Private colleges tend to have a smaller number of students.

Community colleges

You can finish community college in 2 years and then transfer to a University. Many community colleges have affordable and low tuition. Students will earn a certificate or an associate degree. 

Some vocational-technical colleges are 2-year colleges.

Universities

Offer many career options; after 4 years of studies, students get a Bachelor’s Degree.

Universities have different colleges. Some universities offer professional degrees (law, medicine). These types of degrees need licenses and extra training.

Students who want to continue their education can apply for a Master’s degree or a Doctorate.

Class placement

Students can be split up by their learning level in different classes. This is more common in middle school and high school when students attend classes by subject with different teachers. Some levels of classes are harder and some are easier. 

Class placement can be decided based on:

• How well the student understands English or their test scores
• Parent/guardian recommendations
• Standardized test scores
• Willingness to complete challenging assignments
• Student interest or motivation
• Teacher or counselor recommendation
• Samples of student work

The names of the classes sometimes describe the level of difficulty. The names can be different depending on the school.

• Basic skills
• GTE (Gifted and talented education)
• Advanced Placement (AP)
• IB (International Baccalaureate)

Grade level placement for students new to the USA

Grade level placement means deciding which grade a student will start in when they move to the USA. 

Students may take some tests before the start of the school year or at the very beginning of the school year. The tests might be written or with an adult reading the questions to the student. It can be different depending on the school.

Many refugee students may have missed school while they were in camp or fleeing their country. They may be at different grade levels than a typical American student of the same age. Some students might be at a high-grade level but do not speak English yet. Those students may have trouble in harder classes until they learn English better. 

If you think your child is in the wrong grade, you can talk to the teacher, principal, or the school staff who tested and placed your child.

• Ask, “What was your reasoning?” The school can help you understand their decision.
• Explain why you think the placement is wrong. They may be able to change the placement if they agree with your reasons.

We aim to offer easy to understand information that is updated regularly. This information is not legal advice.

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Table of Contents

What is the current state of education in the us.

How much does the US spend per student?

Public school spending per student

Average teacher salary.

How educated are Americans?

People with a bachelor's degree

Educational attainment by race and ethnicity.

How are kids doing in reading and math?

Proficiency in math and reading

What is the role of the government in education?

Spending on the education system

Agencies and elected officials.

The education system in America is made up of different public and private programs that cover preschool, all the way up to colleges and universities. These programs cater to many students in both urban and rural areas. Get data on how students are faring by grade and subject, college graduation rates, and what federal, state, and local governments spending per student. The information comes from various government agencies including the National Center for Education Statistics and Census Bureau.

During the 2019-2020 school year, there was $15,810 spent on K-12 public education for every student in the US.

Education spending per k-12 public school students has nearly doubled since the 1970s..

This estimate of spending on education is produced by the National Center for Education Statistics. Instruction accounts for most of the spending, though about a third includes support services including administration, maintenance, and transportation. Spending per student varies across states and school districts. During the 2019-2020 school year, New York spends the most per student ($29,597) and Idaho spends the least ($9,690).

During the 2021-2022 school year , the average public school teacher salary in the US was $66,397 .

Instruction is the largest category of public school spending, according to data from the National Center for Educational Statistics. Adjusting for inflation, average teacher pay is down since 2010.

In 2021 , 35% of people 25 and over had at least a bachelor’s degree.

Over the last decade women have become more educated than men..

Educational attainment is defined as the highest level of formal education a person has completed. The concept can be applied to a person, a demographic group, or a geographic area. Data on educational attainment is produced by the Census Bureau in multiple surveys, which may produce different data. Data from the American Community Survey is shown here to allow for geographic comparisons.

In 2021 , 61% of the Asian 25+ population had completed at least four years of college.

Educational attainment data from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey allows for demographic comparisons across the US.

In 2022, proficiency in math for eighth graders was 26.5% .

Proficiency in reading in 8th grade was 30.8% ., based on a nationwide assessment, reading and math scores declined during the pandemic..

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative data that measures student achievement. NAEP is Congressionally mandated. Tests are given in a sample of schools based on student demographics in a given school district, state, or the US overall. Testing covers a variety of subjects, most frequently math, reading, science, and writing.

In fiscal year 2020, governments spent a combined total of $1.3 trillion on education.

That comes out to $4,010 per person..

USAFacts categorizes government budget data to allocate spending appropriately and to arrive at the estimate presented here. Most government spending on education occurs at the state and local levels rather than the federal.

Government revenue and expenditures are based on data from the Office of Management and Budget, the Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Each is published annually, although due to collection times, state and local government data are not as current as federal data. Thus, when combining federal, state, and local revenues and expenditures, the most recent year for a combined number may be delayed.

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The Bottom Line What Will It Take to Put U.S. K-12 Education on a Better Path?

There’s no question that public school students have experienced learning loss since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Closed schools, remote instruction, and reduced school hours have made the loss inevitable for most. The exceptions are students who received supplemental learning support beyond what their public schools provided – whether from parents, grandparents, older siblings, tutors, learning centers, or online resources.

Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a research-based nonprofit that assesses student progress and proficiency, recently released a report on learning during COVID-19. It found that students started the 2021–2022 school year with a 9- to 11-percentile-point decline in math and a 3- to 7-percentile-point decline in reading. The learning loss was greater among Hispanic, American Indian, and black students than among Asian and white students. Additionally, high-poverty students had greater than average learning loss.

The learning loss leads to substantial economic effects. According to an analysis from Dan Goldhaber, Thomas Kane, and Andrew McEachin, the deficit represents $43,800 in lifetime earnings per student. Multiply that by the 50 million students currently enrolled in public schools, and the figure is staggering: $2 trillion. Clearly, the impact is not only hurting our students today but will also be carried with them into their adult years.

The U.S. K-12 education system must change from adult-focused to student-focused, input-focused to output-focused, teaching-focused to learning-focused, group-focused to individual-focused, and time-focused to competency-focused. Keri D. Ingraham

Goldhaber, Kane, and McEachin provide additional insights regarding how long it will take for students to recover. For example, they noted that in grades four and five, it would take “an additional eight to 10 weeks of instruction to cover the loss in reading and math, respectively. In grades 6 through 8, where the material is more complex and students’ rate of progress slows, it would take an additional 14 and 19 weeks of instruction to cover those losses in reading and math, respectively.”

Parents want this learning loss remedied. At-home remote learning not only revealed to them how inefficient the education system was but also demonstrated the vastly differing learning needs among students. Consequently, parents are no longer satisfied with the ineffective one-size-fits-all approach – 95 percent of parents support tailored instruction as the key to recovering student learning loss and improving K-12 education. Parents understand that every child is uniquely wired, with differing strengths and interests. It’s illogical to conclude that all children will learn in the same way and at the same rate – but that’s how our current system operates.

This leads to a pivotal question: What stands in the way of personalizing education? With $800 billion annually devoted to K-12 public education (expanded by an additional nearly $200 billion of federal funding during the pandemic), the problem is clearly not lack of money. Nor can it be a lack of technology, as virtually every student now has an Internet-connected device during the school day. Ultimately, what stands in the way is a stagnant system, with its dearth of leadership and innovation and its entrenched interests that staunchly maintain the status quo.

We can and must do better for our students. What will it take to make up for the learning loss and set the United States’ K-12 education system on a better trajectory? It’s going to take one state to set an example – one state to show the courage to make policy changes that challenge entrenched interests, break down constraints to innovation, and open the door for a new breed of education leaders who will champion personalized learning.

These policy changes must address everything from increasing competition through universal school choice, allowing funding to follow students, promoting and expanding education savings accounts, supporting charter schools, awarding credit for learning activities outside school, redesigning the school year and day, and revamping grade levels and graduation requirements. Additionally, changes must be made to the curriculum, instruction methods, assessments, teacher and administrator certification, teacher seniority pay, and school-board selection processes. Foundational to making the required reforms is granting schools and districts the flexibility to innovate. And making these changes will only be possible if we transform how we select and train education leaders.  

It’s going to take one state changing the system from adult-focused to student-focused, input-focused to output-focused, teaching-focused to learning-focused, group-focused to individual-focused, and time-focused to competency-focused. This will require the governor, state legislature, and state educational establishment to unite around a common vision and work together. Such a transformation can only occur in a state willing to break the power of teacher unions and their domination of employment policies, teaching philosophies and practices, and educational purse strings.

If we can get just one state to flip K-12 education on its head, other states will follow, in time.

Which state has the courage and leadership to lead the way?

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50-State Comparison: K-12 Governance

State education governance is the practice of coordinating institutions, processes and norms to guide collective decision-making and action. Understanding how key governance roles are structured and relate to each other helps clarify complex systems for policymakers. Every state has the same or similar policymaking roles; however, each of the roles operate differently in the context of each state’s governance model.

This resource provides a national overview of the key policymaking roles in K-12 education policy, a summary of each role’s general powers and duties, and some information on how they relate to other policymaking roles. Education Commission of the States researched state level education governance roles to provide these three comprehensive resources.

Click on the questions below to access 50-State Comparisons for each of the data points.

Click here to view individual state profiles detailing all data elements for a single state.

50-State Comparisons

State constitutional language.

• Location of education provision in state constitution.
• Education provision language.
• Funding provision.
• Religious restriction.
• Students with disabilities.
• Student age.
• School year.

State Legislature

• What constitutional or statutory powers does the legislature have as it relates to education policy?
• What is the appointment or confirmation authority of the legislature in education?
• Which committees in the legislature focus on education issues?
• Are the legislature’s duties and powers found in the state constitution and/or state statute?
• What constitutional or statutory duties does the governor have as it relates to education?
• What is the appointment authority provided to the governor in education?
• Are the governor’s duties and powers found in the state constitution and/or state statute?

Chief State School Officer

• What are the duties of the chief state school officer?
• What constitutional or statutory authority does the chief state school officer have as it relates to education policy?
• How is the chief state school officer selected, and are there term limits/lengths?
• Are the chief state school officer’s duties and powers found in the state constitution and/or state statute?

Executive-Level Secretary

• Does the state have an executive-level secretary?
• What other powers or duties does the executive-level secretary have?
• Are the executive-level secretary’s duties and powers found in the state constitution and/or state statute?

State Board of Education

• What constitutional or statutory powers and duties does the state board have as it relates to education policy?
• What is the composition of the state board of education?
• How are members of the state board of education selected?
• Are there term limits for state board members?
• Are the state board of education’s duties and powers found in the state constitution and/or state statute?

School Boards

• What constitutional or statutory authority do school boards have?
• What is the required composition and selection of school board members?

Key Takeaways

• Twenty-five states have outlined a formal constitutional role specific to education for their governor.
• Every state has constitutional language detailing the authority and duties of state legislatures in education, and 40 states give the legislature some role in appointing or confirming the chief state school officer or state board of education members.
• Thirty chief state school officers have a formal constitutional role in state government. Additionally, how they are selected for office varies: 21 are appointed by state boards of education, 16 are appointed by the governor, 12 are elected, and one is appointed by the state executive-level secretary. In Oregon, the governor is the superintendent of education.
• State board of education authority and duties are also detailed in state constitutions and statute. Twenty-three states include state boards in the constitution, and 26 have only statutory powers and duties. Only Minnesota and Wisconsin do not have a state board, and New Mexico’s public education commission is advisory only.
• Thirty-four states have some variation of an executive-level secretary. Such positions may mean additional formal duties for chief state school officers, or they may be individually appointed positions designated to serve the state board of education or work in some other capacity.
• Every state except for the District of Columbia and Hawaii has statutory provisions related to outlining the authority of local school boards. (Hawaii is one single school district and so is the District of Columbia.)

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State of the States: Governors and PK-12 education policy 

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, rachel m. perera rachel m. perera fellow - governance studies , brown center on education policy.

April 6, 2023

• 10 min read

This blog is part of a Brown Center series called  State of the States: Gubernatorial Policy Priorities in 2023 , in which Brookings experts analyze the education policy proposals outlined in governors’ 2023 State of the State addresses.

The right to a free public K-12 education in the United States is enshrined in state constitutions. As a result, states play the lead role in K-12 education policy. For example, states determine how local public schools are funded (in large part, by providing significant funding to local districts), how educators are licensed to teach, and what students should learn and by when. States also administer consequential standardized exams and determine high school graduation requirements.   

In sum, state governments hold significant sway over what K-12 education looks like across the United States. As part of our series analyzing governors’ “State of the State” addresses, I examine state legislative priorities for PK-12 education with an eye towards identifying promising education policy priorities. I also highlight research that can support policymakers and practitioners working to develop these priorities and ideas into new policies and programs.  

Strengthening the teaching profession by increasing pay and improving the pipeline

Governors in 24 states proposed initiatives aimed at strengthening the teacher workforce in one form or another—a priority shared by Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike. This is almost certainly in response to concerns over teacher shortages in public schools and broader concerns about the plight of the teaching profession. That governors and state legislatures are taking these concerns seriously and thinking about how to strengthen the teaching profession is unequivocally a good thing. On top of concerns over localized teacher shortages , teachers are stressed, and morale is low. Given the vital role that teachers play in our society, it’s critical that policymakers attend to the myriad issues facing the teaching profession.  

Most of the governors who talked about strengthening the teaching profession took direct aim at improving teacher compensation. This is sensible since teachers are significantly underpaid relative to other professions that require similar levels of post-secondary education. Some states like West Virginia and Kentucky are raising all teachers’ salaries by 5%. Other states like South Carolina are raising salaries for all teachers but concentrating the benefits for early career teachers with the goal of raising starting salaries to $50,000 by 2026. South Carolina and Virginia have also proposed offering one-time retention bonuses for teachers.   

This is a good start, but teacher compensation reform can and should go further. First, of the states proposing to increase teacher pay, only a few focused on raising the floor to ensure that starting salaries are attractive to job candidates. As I discuss below, many states are also considering ways to increase the number of people training to become teachers given mounting evidence that the teacher pipeline is shrinking. Increased starting salaries can be an important lever to encourage more folks to enter the profession. Raising starting salaries can also help improve retention rates among early career teachers as turnover rates are highest in teachers’ first few years on the job. Second, as my colleague and other scholars have noted, teacher shortages are localized phenomena and typically concentrated in certain subject areas, districts, and schools. If compensation reform is being designed (in part) to stem the threat of harmful teacher shortages, policymakers should be working to create pay structures that attract teachers to the subject areas and schools most in need.   

Many governors also proposed programs aimed at strengthening the teacher pipeline. A few states proposed developing or expanding grow-your-own programs (GYO) that aim to recruit local community members—including high school and local college students, paraprofessionals and other school-based staff, parents, and/or other adults looking to change careers—to train to teach in their local schools. For example, Gov. Tony Evers in Wisconsin proposed $5 million in grants to support districts in developing GYO programs. These programs show promise for diversifying the teaching workforce and improving teacher retention. If these initiatives successfully move through state legislatures, policymakers and practitioners should ensure that key features of GYO programs are integrated into program design.  

As policymakers consider other ways to ensure the short- and long-term health of the teaching profession, a top priority should be improving working conditions for teachers.

Further, as states consider ways to strengthen the teacher pipeline, it is critical that policymakers work to reduce the upfront cost of teacher preparation for prospective teachers—a strategy that can also help attract more people of color into the profession. This can take the form of loan forgiveness and/or scholarship programs that cover the cost of teacher preparation in exchange for commitments to teach for a certain number of years.   

As policymakers consider other ways to ensure the short- and long-term health of the teaching profession, a top priority should be improving working conditions for teachers. In surveys , stress (notably, not pay) topped the reasons former educators gave for leaving the profession. Poor working conditions push educators out of the profession—a dynamic that places disproportionate stress on high-needs schools. Relatedly, efforts to strengthen the teacher pipeline should also aim to bolster the attractiveness of the teaching profession—in the form of increased compensation, as well as more professional autonomy and opportunities for career advancement .   

Expanding families’ access to affordable childcare and universal pre-K

More than one third of governors announced statewide efforts to expand access to childcare and early learning opportunities. Many governors are specifically looking to expand access to pre-K—with governors in Kentucky, Illinois, and Michigan proposing plans to make public pre-K universal in their states. For example, Gov. J. B. Pritzker in Illinois announced an ambitious plan to make pre-K universally available to all 3- and 4-year-olds, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan is pushing to make preschool universal for 4-year-olds by 2027. To date, only 3 states and the District of Columbia have universal pre-K programs—a glaring gap that many families struggle to fill. And efforts to create universal pre-K programs are well supported by a large body of research. As states work to design universal pre-K programs, a top priority for policymakers is to ensure that existing programs are scaled while maintaining quality . Policymakers also need to increase salaries for preschool teachers who are grossly underpaid relative to their (also underpaid) K-12 counterparts. Finally, states should be attentive to the ways that expanding universal pre-K can unintentionally create additional financial pressures for already-strapped private child-care providers.  

Several governors also proposed efforts to improve access to affordable childcare for families. For example, Gov. Kathy Hochul in New York proposed increasing income eligibility limits for statewide programs that subsidize (either in part or fully) the cost of childcare. The intention here is good—the high cost of childcare causes many families to choose lower-quality options or drop out of the workforce temporarily. However, efforts to expand eligibility without additional public investment in childcare programs may only increase demand for childcare slots while supply remains stubbornly low.  

In Illinois, where lawmakers increased eligibility for childcare subsidies last summer, Gov. Pritzker proposed a publicly funded initiative to increase salaries for childcare teachers (who are also unacceptably underpaid ). This marks an important first step towards increasing public investment in childcare that I hope other states will take notice of and follow suit. This is also an area desperately in need of more federal investment, although the prospects of a bipartisan effort to bolster the childcare industry seem low.   

Educational savings accounts or voucher programs? Either way, a waste of taxpayers’ money

A number of Republican governors are pushing to expand private school choice via universal education savings accounts (ESAs) or other similar scholarship programs. ESAs are akin to private school vouchers but are far less restrictive. With an ESA, families are given access to a government-administered and funded savings account with money that can be used to educate their child. Arizona’s ESA, for example, provides families with up to $7,000 annually. Most ESAs can be used for private school tuition, homeschool related costs, and a broad array of other educational expenses . Importantly, the recent wave of legislative efforts aims to make eligibility for ESAs universal (as opposed to earlier voucher programs like those in Milwaukee and D.C. that specifically targeted low-income families enrolled in public schools). Based on my reading, expanding this type of private school choice is bad for public education and a huge waste of taxpayers’ dollars. Let me explain why. 

Setting aside the question of whether taxpayers should have access to a portion of public education funds to subsidize private options or the cost of homeschooling, it is disingenuous to cloak this policy under the guise of promoting choice when the primary beneficiaries are those who never opted into public schools in the first place. 

Despite politicians’ claims that ESAs will give more families choice (including in the form of private and religious schools), ESAs do not meaningfully achieve that goal by a long shot. First, ESAs do not provide enough money to cover most private school tuitions, meaning only families that can afford to cover the remaining cost of private school tuition will reap the benefits of “choice” under these programs. It’s better to think of these programs as subsidizing private school tuition for families that can already afford to send their kids to private school. And early data bears this out—in Arizona, 75% of applicants to their ESA program never attended public schools. Estimates from legislative analysts in Iowa , where Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed a bill establishing a universal ESA program, project that the vast majority of families who would benefit from the program in its first few years are those that never attended public schools. Setting aside the question of whether taxpayers should have access to a portion of public education funds to subsidize private options or the cost of homeschooling, it is disingenuous to cloak this policy under the guise of promoting choice when the primary beneficiaries are those who never opted into public schools in the first place. It’s for these reasons that education historian Jack Schneider and journalist Jennifer Berkshire argue that we should understand this new wave of unrestricted private school choice as a giant transfer of wealth to already well-off families (or as they call it, a “ reverse Robin Hood scheme ”).  

Another important critique of the Republican rhetoric around ESAs is that many families—including, importantly, families that live in rural areas—don’t have any school choices besides their local public schools (other than to possibly homeschool their child). While 82% of families have access to one or more private elementary schools within a 5 mile radius, that number drops to only 34% for families living in rural areas. In Iowa , 42 out of the state’s 99 counties do not have any private schools. In Utah (where legislatures also recently established a universal ESA program), most zip codes do not have a private school. In fact, resistance from rural communities stymied Oklahoma’s efforts to establish a statewide ESA program last year.   

Finally, I want to underscore two final points against creating statewide ESA programs. First, most evidence suggests that statewide voucher programs (ESAs’ more restrictive predecessor) do not boost academic achievement—and in some cases, students may be left worse off. Second, students attending private schools do not have the same civil rights protections as students attending public schools. Outright discrimination against LGBTQ+ students and families—which has been documented in private religious schools across the country—has been a particularly malicious aspect of the current school choice movement. Private schools can discriminate using their admissions policies and/or programmatic offerings—two aspects of schooling that are heavily regulated in the public sector and under-regulated in the private education sector. State legislatures can integrate anti-discrimination provisions into their ESA bills mandating that private schools accepting public dollars cannot discriminate against certain vulnerable groups, but most have chosen not to do so.    

Governors across the country are taking seriously the threat of teacher shortages and a weakened teaching profession, but at the same time (and in Utah, in the same bill !) many governors seek to undermine public education with the expansion of private school subsidies that primarily benefit affluent families. The push to establish expensive and wasteful universal ESA accounts is especially pernicious in the context of a public education system that underpays its teachers and has yet to provide universal preschool to all families with young children —n ot to mention a childcare system that is on the brink of collapse and desperately in need of public investment. Investing in any of those efforts, rather than funding a push to expand private school choice for the affluent few, would be money better spent.   

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Partisan divides over K-12 education in 8 charts

K-12 education is shaping up to be a key issue in the 2024 election cycle. Several prominent Republican leaders, including GOP presidential candidates, have sought to limit discussion of gender identity and race in schools , while the Biden administration has called for expanded protections for transgender students . The coronavirus pandemic also brought out partisan divides on many issues related to K-12 schools .

Today, the public is sharply divided along partisan lines on topics ranging from what should be taught in schools to how much influence parents should have over the curriculum. Here are eight charts that highlight partisan differences over K-12 education, based on recent surveys by Pew Research Center and external data.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to provide a snapshot of partisan divides in K-12 education in the run-up to the 2024 election. The analysis is based on data from various Center surveys and analyses conducted from 2021 to 2023, as well as survey data from Education Next, a research journal about education policy. Links to the methodology and questions for each survey or analysis can be found in the text of this analysis.

Most Democrats say K-12 schools are having a positive effect on the country , but a majority of Republicans say schools are having a negative effect, according to a Pew Research Center survey from October 2022. About seven-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (72%) said K-12 public schools were having a positive effect on the way things were going in the United States. About six-in-ten Republicans and GOP leaners (61%) said K-12 schools were having a negative effect.

About six-in-ten Democrats (62%) have a favorable opinion of the U.S. Department of Education , while a similar share of Republicans (65%) see it negatively, according to a March 2023 survey by the Center. Democrats and Republicans were more divided over the Department of Education than most of the other 15 federal departments and agencies the Center asked about.

In May 2023, after the survey was conducted, Republican lawmakers scrutinized the Department of Education’s priorities during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing. The lawmakers pressed U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on topics including transgender students’ participation in sports and how race-related concepts are taught in schools, while Democratic lawmakers focused on school shootings.

Partisan opinions of K-12 principals have become more divided. In a December 2021 Center survey, about three-quarters of Democrats (76%) expressed a great deal or fair amount of confidence in K-12 principals to act in the best interests of the public. A much smaller share of Republicans (52%) said the same. And nearly half of Republicans (47%) had not too much or no confidence at all in principals, compared with about a quarter of Democrats (24%).

This divide grew between April 2020 and December 2021. While confidence in K-12 principals declined significantly among people in both parties during that span, it fell by 27 percentage points among Republicans, compared with an 11-point decline among Democrats.

Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to say teachers’ unions are having a positive effect on schools. In a May 2022 survey by Education Next , 60% of Democrats said this, compared with 22% of Republicans. Meanwhile, 53% of Republicans and 17% of Democrats said that teachers’ unions were having a negative effect on schools. (In this survey, too, Democrats and Republicans include independents who lean toward each party.)

The 38-point difference between Democrats and Republicans on this question was the widest since Education Next first asked it in 2013. However, the gap has exceeded 30 points in four of the last five years for which data is available.

Republican and Democratic parents differ over how much influence they think governments, school boards and others should have on what K-12 schools teach. About half of Republican parents of K-12 students (52%) said in a fall 2022 Center survey that the federal government has too much influence on what their local public schools are teaching, compared with two-in-ten Democratic parents. Republican K-12 parents were also significantly more likely than their Democratic counterparts to say their state government (41% vs. 28%) and their local school board (30% vs. 17%) have too much influence.

On the other hand, more than four-in-ten Republican parents (44%) said parents themselves don’t have enough influence on what their local K-12 schools teach, compared with roughly a quarter of Democratic parents (23%). A larger share of Democratic parents – about a third (35%) – said teachers don’t have enough influence on what their local schools teach, compared with a quarter of Republican parents who held this view.

Republican and Democratic parents don’t agree on what their children should learn in school about certain topics. Take slavery, for example: While about nine-in-ten parents of K-12 students overall agreed in the fall 2022 survey that their children should learn about it in school, they differed by party over the specifics. About two-thirds of Republican K-12 parents said they would prefer that their children learn that slavery is part of American history but does not affect the position of Black people in American society today. On the other hand, 70% of Democratic parents said they would prefer for their children to learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today.

Parents are also divided along partisan lines on the topics of gender identity, sex education and America’s position relative to other countries. Notably, 46% of Republican K-12 parents said their children should not learn about gender identity at all in school, compared with 28% of Democratic parents. Those shares were much larger than the shares of Republican and Democratic parents who said that their children should not learn about the other two topics in school.

Many Republican parents see a place for religion in public schools , whereas a majority of Democratic parents do not. About six-in-ten Republican parents of K-12 students (59%) said in the same survey that public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers, including 29% who said this should be the case even if prayers from other religions are not offered. In contrast, 63% of Democratic parents said that public school teachers should not be allowed to lead students in any type of prayers.

In June 2022, before the Center conducted the survey, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a football coach at a public high school who had prayed with players at midfield after games. More recently, Texas lawmakers introduced several bills in the 2023 legislative session that would expand the role of religion in K-12 public schools in the state. Those proposals included a bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom, a bill that would allow schools to replace guidance counselors with chaplains, and a bill that would allow districts to mandate time during the school day for staff and students to pray and study religious materials.

Mentions of diversity, social-emotional learning and related topics in school mission statements are more common in Democratic areas than in Republican areas. K-12 mission statements from public schools in areas where the majority of residents voted Democratic in the 2020 general election are at least twice as likely as those in Republican-voting areas to include the words “diversity,” “equity” or “inclusion,” according to an April 2023 Pew Research Center analysis .

Also, about a third of mission statements in Democratic-voting areas (34%) use the word “social,” compared with a quarter of those in Republican-voting areas, and a similar gap exists for the word “emotional.” Like diversity, equity and inclusion, social-emotional learning is a contentious issue between Democrats and Republicans, even though most K-12 parents think it’s important for their children’s schools to teach these skills . Supporters argue that social-emotional learning helps address mental health needs and student well-being, but some critics consider it emotional manipulation and want it banned.

In contrast, there are broad similarities in school mission statements outside of these hot-button topics. Similar shares of mission statements in Democratic and Republican areas mention students’ future readiness, parent and community involvement, and providing a safe and healthy educational environment for students.

• Education & Politics
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• Politics & Policy

Jenn Hatfield is a writer/editor at Pew Research Center .

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In the United States, students begin formal education around age five or six. Generally, elementary and secondary school grades kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) are required, after which a student may choose to attend college or university. There are two types of kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools in the United States: public and private. Laws regarding compulsory education vary by state. They address starting and ending ages, as well as level of participation. These laws apply to both public and private K-12 schools. For a better understanding of these requirements, please visit our Kindergarten to Grade 12 Schools page  and talk to school officials in the state where the student plans to live.

SEVP can certify a private school for F-1 or M-1 student enrollment in any or all of its K-12 programs. SEVP can certify a public school for F-1 or M-1 student enrollment in grades 9-12, which is limited to a maximum of 12 months.

Prospective international students who wish to study in the United States must be able to prove their ability to pay for their educational program, a place to stay and other applicable living expenses while in the United States. Determination of the living expenses figure is an institutional decision and schools must receive a student’s financial evidence and report the student’s assets before issuing the  Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status."

While F-1 and M-1 students are not eligible for U.S. government-funded financial aid, private schools may decide to award financial aid or scholarships to a student. This ability to award financial aid is dependent on the school’s financial aid policies and governing regulations. Prospective international students can use government tools and information, such as EducationUSA’s Find Financial Aid tool , to access financial aid resources designed specifically for international students.

Local, state and federal tax revenue funds public schools. An F-1 or M-1 student may attend a  Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified  public secondary school (i.e., high school; grades 9-12), with certain restrictions:

• For a maximum period of 12 months—This time limit includes all public schools the student attends. An F-1 or M-1 student cannot spend a year at one public high school and then transfer to another public high school; however, you can transfer to an SEVP-certified private school to continue toward a diploma.
• Must pay the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of attending the school district. Payment of this fee must occur before the student applies for an F-1 or M-1 visa. You must be able to present proof of this payment at the visa interview and at the port of entry when applying for admission into the United States.

For more information, contact the school’s designated school official (DSO).

An F-1 or M-1 student may not attend a public school for grades kindergarten through eight because those schools cannot be SEVP-certified.

For more information concerning the SEVP rules and regulations for public high schools, please visit our  Grade 9 to Grade 12 Public Schools page .

Unlike public schools that are primarily funded by local, state and federal tax revenue, tuition funds private schools. International students may apply for F-1 or M-1 status to attend a private,  SEVP-certified school  for grades K-12. Unlike public schools, regulations place no limit on the length of time an F-1 student may attend a private, SEVP-certified school.

For more information concerning the SEVP rules and regulations for private K-12 schools, please visit our  Kindergarten to Grade 12 Private Schools page .

A graduating F-1 high school student, whether at a public or a private school, who would like to continue studying in the United States, may apply to an SEVP-certified college or university. As with graduating domestic high school students, it is in your best interest to initiate the application and approval for college in the United States well in advance of high school graduation.

F-1 student SEVIS records will need to be transferred to the accepting college or university. For information about transferring, please visit Transfer for F-1 Students on ICE.gov/SEVP . If you are an F-2 or M-2 dependent who wants to continue studying in the United States, you can learn more on the  Change of Status page.

• A minor F-2 or M-2 dependent of an F-1 or M-1 student may attend public K-12 school at the appropriate grade level without any additional permission or documentation from SEVP.
• State education laws may require that F-2 and M-2 students attend the appropriate grade level until a certain age.
• The elementary or secondary school an F-2 or M-2 student attends does not need to be SEVP-certified.
• For a minor F-2 or M-2 dependent to transfer from a public school to a private school, the F-1 or M-1 student and/or F-2 spouse, if applicable, should talk to the school’s DSO.
• If you are an F-2 or M-2 dependent who wants to continue studying in the United States, you can learn more on the  Change of Status page.

Related Tags: K-12 , K-12 Students

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I want to lead, i want to learn, register for the newsletter, resource library, budget, deficits, and debt, demographics, defense and national security, other programs, retirement security, taxes and revenues, infographics, you are here, how is k-12 education funded.

Public schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) are financed through a combination of local, state, and federal dollars in proportions that vary across and within states. In the 2022 fiscal year, the most recent data available, spending for public K-12 education totaled $857 billion from all sources .

State and local governments provide the vast majority of funding for K-12 education — 86 percent of all school funding. State governments rely on formulas that distribute education funds among school districts. Those school districts use state dollars and additional revenue raised from federal and local sources to fund individual schools. Although both states and localities apply approaches intended to allocate funds fairly, disparities nevertheless occur . Those disparities primarily stem from the sources of revenues and the varying costs of providing education in each school district.

Meanwhile, the federal government provides a small share of education funding through specific grant programs. They are designed to supplement funding for schools with at-risk youth, including students with disabilities or from low-income households. During recent economic downturns, federal spending has also helped supplement diminished school funding from state and local sources.

Federal Funding Programs for K-12

The federal government provides support for K-12 education through specific grant programs administered by the states to school districts. Federal dollars supplement state resources by narrowing funding gaps for at-risk students through programs such as Title I grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Part B grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Federal funds made up $119 billion or roughly 14 percent of total education funding during the 2022 fiscal year. That amount has doubled from pre-pandemic levels ($58 billion in 2019) partially due to legislation enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which provided emergency relief funding to address the impact that COVID-19 had on elementary and secondary schools.

Title I ESEA

Title I grants provide funds to school districts serving large shares of low-income students. It is the largest grant program of ESEA, totaling $15 billion during the 2022 fiscal year. Those funds are allocated through four formulas that are based on the number of eligible students and several provisions, including a state's target level of funding per student. Eligible students include children ages 5 to 17 in:

• low-income families;
• institutions for neglected or delinquent children or in foster homes; and
• families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments.

Part B IDEA and Other Programs

During the 2022 fiscal year, the federal government provided $12.5 billion in IDEA grants to states. Those funds are awarded through a formula based on a state's total population with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21, the percentage of those individuals living in poverty, and the state's IDEA appropriations in 1999.

The federal government also allocated $29 billion for child nutrition , which was used to reimburse schools that provided free or reduced-price lunches to eligible students. About $1 billion of federal funds went directly to school districts for various programs including Impact Aid. In addition, the federal government provided $0.7 billion for vocational programs and $57 billion on the aforementioned programs for which reporting units could not provide distinct amounts.

State Funding Formulas for K-12 Education

States use formulas that aim, at least in part, to equitably distribute education funding across school districts. Although their ability to do so is limited by the resources available, those formulas account for locally raised revenues and the needs of students in each district. As a result, the state's share of education funding tends to be higher in school districts with a low capacity to raise revenues. State funding is also higher in school districts with a large concentration of students who are English-language learners, have low family incomes, or have other special needs.

Nearly all states (46 out of 50) primarily allocate education funds through foundation program formulas. Such programs establish a minimum level (or "foundation") of funding per student and ensure that each school district receives enough school funding to meet that foundation. The funding provided through foundation programs may also take into account different student characteristics, such as family income and disability status, to ensure at-risk students receive sufficient resources.

Local Funding Methods for K-12

In addition to the revenues allocated by the federal and state government, school districts raise funding at the local level, in general by levying local property taxes. Once revenues are raised and allocated from federal, state, and local sources, school districts are tasked with distributing that funding to each school in the district. School districts have typically allocated teachers, administrators, and equipment to each school while calculating funding per student retroactively based on the resources assigned.

In recent years, a number of school districts have moved away from that process and have begun to develop budgets for individual schools that apply the concept of weighted student funding formulas to assign resources based on student need. Proponents of student-based allocation argue that it would improve transparency by reflecting actual expenditures per school and promote equity by linking resources to specific needs. However, many states have layers of rules that limit the application of this new approach. Moreover, as a relatively new practice among school districts, comprehensive research on its effects is not yet available .

Why Does Education Funding Differ Across School Districts?

Nearly 43 percent of funding for public education stems from local taxes. As a result, funding can vary widely among school districts based on the wealth of families living in them. School districts with high-value property are often able to fund their schools above the minimum level established by the state, contributing to wider disparities. Those disparities become more apparent during economic downturns because wealthier school districts benefit from relatively stable revenues from property taxes. In contrast, funding for school districts more reliant on the state, and specifically a state income tax, tends to vary with economic performance. Ultimately, the variation in school finance systems produces disparate results, with some states spending far more on each student than others.

Differences in wealth among districts are partially attributable to remnants of racial covenants — legal contracts embedded in property deeds to prevent nonwhite people from moving to an area. Although those covenants have not been enforceable for decades, their impacts persist today. For example, a 2019 analysis by EdBuild found that predominantly nonwhite districts received $23 billion less than predominantly white districts from state and local governments despite serving the same number of students.

Despite school districts allocating resources based on standardized factors like student-teacher ratios that, in theory, should fairly distribute funding per student between schools, there can be significant disparities in the amounts actually spent on schools within a district. That can partially stem from the school district’s practice of distributing resources, not dollars, which masks higher spending for some schools. For example, a school assigned educators with more experience would receive higher funding for teacher compensation .

While state financing programs aim to fairly distribute funding and resources across all school districts, no state is capable of fully equalizing funding disparities. Those disparities are driven by differences among districts in the cost of education as well as the ability and willingness of districts to spend money on education. Further, while financing from the federal government has resulted in increased funding for disadvantaged students, the method of financing is also limited.

How Has Education Funding Changed over Time?

Over the past century, the local share of education funding has declined, with state funding largely making up the difference. The federal share of education funding has been relatively constant over the last 40 years after generally rising from 1920 to 1980.

State revenue streams are an important tool in limiting funding disparities, but can be particularly volatile during recessions, leading to reductions in funding for programs like education. In recent economic downturns, such as during the Great Recession, federal support increased to offset declines in state resources. However, while federal funding was used to mitigate state-level declines during the 2007–2009 recession, average education funding declined when the economy recovered and federal funding tapered off. Many states did not compensate for the loss of federal funding ; in 2019, 17 states spent less than they did in 2008 (in inflation-adjusted terms), according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government sent an additional $190 billion to states and school districts in emergency funding for K-12 education . That investment is nearly triple the amount the federal government spent on K-12 education in the previous school year and increased the share of education revenue received from federal sources. That spending was intended to assist schools in responding to the pandemic while maintaining academic progress. Federal spending on K-12 education is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in subsequent years.

K-12 education funding is an important investment in our future . Understanding the complicated joint commitment and relationships among local, state, and federal governments to fund education is a key part of discerning its place in the budget among other priorities and against the backdrop of an unsustainable federal fiscal outlook.

Solutions Initiative 2024

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K-12 Education: Student, Teacher, and School Characteristics Associated with English Learners' Academic Performance

In the U.S., students whose native language isn't English may have academic trouble in school, where the instruction is primarily delivered in English. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of students learning English grew from 4.5 to 5 million in K-12 schools.

Our Q&A report examines the student, teacher, and school characteristics associated with these students' academic performance.

For example, having positive feelings about school and being female were associated with higher reading scores. Overcrowded classrooms and high rates of teacher absences were associated with lower reading and math scores and less progress toward English proficiency.

What GAO Found

English learners—most of whom were born in the U.S.—are a diverse and growing group of students. Between fall 2010 and fall 2020, English learners in U.S. public schools grew from 4.5 million to 5.0 million students. They speak more than 400 languages and represent a wide range of cultures, grade levels, experiences, and backgrounds.

GAO's multivariate regression analyses of three Department of Education (Education) data sets identified a variety of student, teacher, and school characteristics associated with English learners' academic performance and progress towards English proficiency.

• Student characteristics: Characteristics including a student's school experience, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics were associated with how they performed. For example, having positive feelings about school, being Asian, and being female were associated with higher reading scores. In contrast, feeling disconnected from school, frequent absences, having a disability, and being economically disadvantaged were associated with lower reading scores.
• Teacher characteristics: For some student groups, having a teacher of the same ethnicity was associated with higher scores in math or reading. Overcrowded classrooms and high levels of teacher absences were significantly associated with lower reading and math scores and less progress towards English proficiency.
• School characteristics: Characteristics such as school size and socioeconomic composition were associated with English learners' academic performance and progress toward English proficiency. Over time, schools with higher percentages of students enrolled in dual language immersion English instruction were associated with slightly higher rates of growth in reading scores.

Why GAO Did This Study

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce asked GAO to examine the academic achievement of English learners.

Education provides supplemental funding to states to help ensure that English learners attain English proficiency and can meet the same academic standards that all children are expected to meet. As part of its oversight duties, Education collects state, national, and longitudinal data on English learners. To do this work, GAO conducted multivariate regressions using three data sources to explore which student, teacher, and school characteristics were associated with English learners' performance. Regressions are a statistical method that explores whether a relationship exists between two or more variables of interest. For example, a regression can look at whether a relationship exists between poverty and reading scores, while accounting for other factors that may affect the scores.

Data Sources on English Learner Performance

Source: GAO summary of information from the U.S. Department of Education, The National Center for Education Statistics, within the department’s Institute of Education Sciences. | GAO-24-106360

For more information, contact Jacqueline M. Nowicki at (202) 512-7215 or [email protected] .

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Breaking the Gridlock: An Action Plan to Strengthen Education-to-Workforce Pathways

Usccf bellwether report digital aug2024.

August 27, 2024

This report highlights that two-thirds of American fourth-grade students struggle with reading and math, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these issues, particularly for marginalized groups. This has led to significant setbacks in educational achievement, with some states regressing to 1990s levels. Without foundational literacy and math skills, students are unprepared for the workforce and civic life. The report calls for policymakers and business leaders to collaborate to address these inequities and build a skilled, competitive workforce.

Urgency and Demographic Shifts

The urgency to improve the education system is underscored by a labor shortage, changing demographics, and fiscal challenges. U.S. employers face a critical gap in labor and talent, with many job candidates lacking essential skills. The report emphasizes the need for a comprehensive, long-term solution to generate homegrown talent through strong education systems. Additionally, demographic shifts are changing the composition of classrooms, with growing populations of students who are not well-served by the current K-12 system.

Policy Solutions and State Initiatives

The report showcases several state-level initiatives that have successfully addressed education-to-workforce challenges. These include:

• Science of Reading : States like Mississippi and Delaware have implemented laws aligned with the Science of Reading, resulting in significant improvements in reading scores.
• High-Quality Math Instruction : Colorado and Alabama have invested in math tutoring and teacher training to address declines in math achievement.
• Equitable Funding : California and Tennessee have revised their funding formulas to direct more resources to districts with greater needs.
• School Choice Policies : States like Idaho and Connecticut have expanded school choice options to improve educational equity.
• High-Dosage Tutoring : Georgia and Maine have invested in high-dosage tutoring programs to help students catch up academically.

Call to Action for Business Leaders and Policymakers

The report calls on business leaders to use their influence to advocate for policies that strengthen teaching, learning, and whole-child supports. It also urges policymakers to invest in evidence-based practices and create programs that expand access to work-based learning and postsecondary education. By working together, business leaders and policymakers can create a more equitable and effective education system that prepares students for the demands of the 21st-century economy.

Learn about what else what we uncovered in the full report.

Recommended

• Education Education's MVP: Public-Private Partnerships Public-private partnerships are a win-win for communities and schools. Learn how the Dallas Cowboys' best season is off the field. By Lu Johns-De La Garza
• Education A Call for a Community Approach to Chronic Absenteeism By Kyle Butler
• Education National Child Care Innovation Summit: Tackling America's Top Workforce and Economic Crisis By Lu Johns-De La Garza
• Education Timely State Assessment Results are Overdue By Kyle Butler
• Education Supporting, Disrupting and Innovating on America’s Child Care Solutions By Jon-Paul Bianchi

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Philosophy & Religion

A Proper Understanding of K-12 Education: Theory and Practice

9.5 h total length

Discover the true purpose and principles of K-12 education.

Education is one of the primary means by which human beings become fully human. The American Founders understood that a liberal education—which entails proper instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic—prepares the student for self-government and is therefore essential for the maintenance and prosperity of a free society. The liberally educated soul seeks to grasp the highest things and, with the help of others, to live in light of them.

In this free, 12-lecture online course, “A Proper Understanding of K-12 Education: Theory and Practice,” you will examine the classical understanding of the purpose of education, the more recent Progressive approach that has become dominant today, and some essential, though often neglected or misunderstood, elements of K-12 education—including phonics, handwriting, composition, Latin, and more.

Join us today in this important study of how a proper K-12 education can enable human beings to live fully human lives through the cultivation of wisdom and virtue.

Expand Course Details

Lessons in this course.

Teaching Education at Hillsdale College

Education is one of the primary means by which human beings come to be fully human. The American Founders understood that a liberal education—which includes proper instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic—prepares the student for self-government and is therefore essential for the maintenance and prosperity of a free society. The liberally educated soul seeks to grasp the highest things and, with the help of others, to live in light of them. This kind of education requires hard work on the part of the student and the teacher.

A Proper Understanding of Education

In the ongoing debates over contemporary education policy, questions regarding different conceptions of human nature are ignored or assumed to be irrelevant. However, a proper education seeks to discover what man is and what he ought to be. Human nature, properly understood, should inform education policy, which in turn makes larger societal or political goals possible to achieve.

The Progressive Influence on Modern Education

John Dewey, a leading Progressive thinker, sought to reform education in accordance with Progressive ideals. Some of his proposals were attempted haphazardly, and parts of his philosophy persist in education today. However, Dewey’s educational program was never fully implemented, much to his dismay.

Learning to Read and Write: Phonics and Handwriting

Over the course of the 20th century, phonics instruction was largely rejected and replaced with other methods. Yet, to create a skilled reader, teachers must guide their students from the decoding of single characters to comprehending complex sentences. Explicit phonics instruction is essential for achieving this educational goal.

Stories and the Teaching of History

Contemporary education policy often views the task of learning history as nothing more than the memorization of dates and names. As a result, Americans today have lost familiarity with some of the greatest stories of the past. In turn, they have forgotten the importance of the virtues taught therein. Teaching history through meaningful and inspiring stories reminds students and parents alike of the vital importance of such virtues for a free society.

The Tried and True Way to Teach Math

In addition to being used to manipulate numbers and to solve equations for practical purposes, mathematics traditionally has been viewed as a tool of reason and logic. As such, it is an essential means of preparing students for higher learning. With the rise of a Progressive approach to education, the teaching of mathematics was dumbed down, focusing only on its direct practical value. A return to the tried and true way to teach math would prepare children to understand and express great ideas.

Why Grammar is Essential

Since antiquity, grammar education has been viewed as foundational to the liberal arts. Consequently, grammar was taught from a young age and with great care. With the rise of Progressive education theory, grammar education largely disappeared from K-12 curricula. A return to explicit grammar instruction would restore grammar to its proper place and help to inculcate in students a love of the English language and the Western tradition.

The Teaching of Science and the Problem with STEM

The study of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is often viewed as merely a means to the ends of gaining employment and competing with other nations in a global economy. However, science is something to be studied for its own sake. Properly taught, the study of science inculcates a sense of wonder in students and promotes scientific discovery.

The Importance of Literature

Contemporary education begrudgingly views literature as a subject that must be taught, and it is considered a subject of little value for college and career preparation. Literature is usually taught as a historical or cultural artifact, as a tool for reflection on culture or self, or as a means of teaching moral lessons. While these approaches are useful, the primary focus of proper literature education should be to teach the student to enter into and engage with the world of the author.

Why Learn Latin

The study of Latin greatly enhances a student’s understanding of the English language, more than half of which is derived from Latin roots. Learning Latin is also helpful in fields such as medicine and law, which employ numerous Latin words and phrases. In addition, the principal reason for the study of Latin is that it allows one to engage in a conversation with some of the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition.

The Fundamentals of Writing

Writing is a difficult subject to teach well because the process of writing is different for each writer. The teacher must understand the fundamentals of writing—logic, organization, focus, and purpose. In addition, these fundamentals must be taught properly to the student in order to develop a habit of mind that produces good writing.

Looking Forward

The purpose of education is to enable human beings to live fully human lives. In order to achieve this goal, students must develop the virtues of character and thinking by means of careful study and practice. Parents and teachers are the best resources for such learning.

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Proportion of people reporting BMI above 30, new diagnosis of diabetes or high blood pressure stratified by ISCED education level (2019)

Proportion (%) of people reporting bmi above 30, new diagnosis of diabetes or high blood pressure stratified by isced education level in eu member states in 2019.

Source: Eurostat  

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Effect of diabetes education on complications and diabetic control amongst adult patients with diabetes in madinah, saudi arabia.

1. Introduction

Research objectives, 2.1. study design and inclusion/exclusion criteria, 2.2. sample size calculations, 2.3. study tool, 2.4. statistical analysis, 2.5. ethical considerations, 3.1. patients’ characteristics, 3.2. factors associated with differences in patients’ knowledge score, 3.3. educating patients with type 2 diabetic significantly improves their k scores, 3.4. educating patients with diabetes influences their diabetic control, 3.5. educating patients with diabetes improves their quality of life by reducing diabetic complications, 4. discussion, limitations, 5. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Al-Nozha, O.M.; Mogharbel, G.H.; Badawi, A.S.; Alawfi, A.K.; Aljayyar, M.W.; Makhdoom, O.N.; Kateb, H.M.; Sayed, A.A. Effect of Diabetes Education on Complications and Diabetic Control Amongst Adult Patients with Diabetes in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare 2024 , 12 , 1708. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171708

Al-Nozha OM, Mogharbel GH, Badawi AS, Alawfi AK, Aljayyar MW, Makhdoom ON, Kateb HM, Sayed AA. Effect of Diabetes Education on Complications and Diabetic Control Amongst Adult Patients with Diabetes in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Healthcare . 2024; 12(17):1708. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171708

Al-Nozha, Omar M., Ghazi H. Mogharbel, Ahmad S. Badawi, Abdulaziz K. Alawfi, Mohammed W. Aljayyar, Osamah N. Makhdoom, Husain M. Kateb, and Anwar A. Sayed. 2024. "Effect of Diabetes Education on Complications and Diabetic Control Amongst Adult Patients with Diabetes in Madinah, Saudi Arabia" Healthcare 12, no. 17: 1708. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12171708

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