Facts on Our Educational Infrastructure

Here are some additional facts related to infrastructure, public policy, and learning environment.

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• According to a General Accounting Office Report issued in 1995 and 1996,  
  • It would cost $112 billion to bring the nation's schools into good overall condition;
  • One-third of all public schools - about 25,000 schools - need extensive repair or replacement.
  • About 60 percent of all schools report needing at least one major building feature replaced or extensively repaired.
  • Over 28,000 schools have less than adequate heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems.
  • Over 23,000 schools have less than adequate plumbing.
  • Over 21,000 schools have less-than adequate roofs. 
  • Twelve million American kids go to school in buildings with leaky roofs;
  • Ten million American children study in classrooms without adequate lighting.
  • Seven million students in the U.S. attend schools with safety code violations. 
• According to a National Center for Education Statistics issue brief released in January of 1999
  • The average public school in America is 42 years old, and school buildings begin rapid deterioration after 40 years.
• According to a National Center for Education Statistics Special Report released in September of 1998
  • At least 2,400 new public schools will be needed by 2003 just to accommodate rising enrollments and relieve overcrowding. Thousands more will be needed in following years.
  • Unlike at the end of the "baby boom" of the 1950's and 1960's, we will gain no respite from the current enrollment boom, as births will begin edging up from 4.1 million in 2008 to 4.5 million in 2018.
• According to a National Center for Education Statistics report titled Mini Digest of Educational Statistics, released in 1998  (Note: requires Adobe Acrobat software.)
  • Revenues for public elementary and secondary schools in 1995-96 came 47.5% from state sources, 45.9% from local sources and 6.6% from the federal government. 
  • Expenditures for public and private education, from preprimary through graduate school, are estimated at about $584 billion for 1997-98 ($351 billion for elementary and secondary, $233 billion for institutions of higher learning).
  • School enrollment in K-12 is a record 52.2 million today.
  • The expenditure per student in public schools has risen significantly in the past 10 years, especially during the mid-1980s. In 1997-98, the estimated current expenditure per student in average daily attendance was $6,624. After adjustment for inflation, this represents an increase of 12 percent since 1987-88.
  • Enrollment has risen steadily since 1990 and is expected to increase from 52.7 to about 54.3 million over the next 9 years
• According to a July 20, 1999 press release for The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century in 1998  (Note: requires Adobe Acrobat software.)
  • The U.S. will be facing a teacher shortage during the next decade as some 2.2 million additional teachers will be needed. The shortages are particularly acute in the areas of mathematics and science.
  • Many mathematics and science teachers lack the appropriate licensure and credentials for the subjects they teach.
    • Slightly more than 25% of America's current high school math and science teachers lack a major or a minor in the subject they teach. In high poverty areas, that figure is nearly 50%.
    • Moreover, many teachers do not have regular opportunities to improve their professional practice by upgrading content and teaching skills.
• According to a National Center for Education Statistics report titled Overview of the Condition of Education
  • In 1995, the United States spent 3.5 percent of its gross national product (GNP) on elementary-secondary education, and 1.1 percent on higher education. Among large, industrialized countries, only Canada spent higher proportions of its GNP on education, yet our United State's performance in international testing of educational achievement continues to lag.

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