New report predicts small enrollment growth, more high school graduates in Kentucky through 2019

A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics offers some critical projections for school leaders attempting to look ahead to enrollment numbers over the next eight years.

The report, Projections of Education Statistics through 2019, includes statistics on:

•     enrollment
•     graduates
•     teachers
•     expenditures in elementary and secondary schools

For the nation, the tables, figures, and text contain data on enrollment, teachers, graduates, and expenditures for the past 14 years and projections to the year 2019. For the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the tables, figures, and text contain data on projections of public elementary and secondary enrollment and public high school graduates to the year 2019.

Highlights

Enrollment

Total public and private elementary and secondary school enrollment reached 55 million in fall 2007, representing a 10 percent increase since fall 1994. Between fall 2007, the last year of actual public school data, and fall 2019, a further increase of 6 percent is expected, with increases projected in both public schools and in private schools. Increases in public school enrollment are expected for Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaska Natives, and decreases are expected for whites and blacks. Increases in public school enrollment are expected in the South and West, and decreases are expected in the Northeast and the Midwest.

Kentucky falls in the group of states with a projected K-12 student enrollment increase of less than 5 percent between 2007 and 2019.

High school graduates

The number of high school graduates increased nationally by 27 percent between 1994–95 and 2006–07, the last year of actual data. A further increase of 1 percent is expected between 2006–07 and 2019–20. Public schools are expected to have an increase in high school graduates, and private schools are expected to have a decrease. Increases are expected in the West and South, and decreases are expected in the Northeast and Midwest.

Kentucky is one of only nine states with a projected increase in high school graduates of as much as 15 percent by 2019.

To access the full report, click here School, student data.