Schools
Back to School, by the Numbers
With the return of fall classes just around the corner, Patch looks at what the Census says.
With the opening of school just about a month away, back-to-school preparations will soon start to take precedence over summer activities, camps and vacations.
From fees and scheduling to PTA information and school supply costs, Huntington Patch will keep parents and students up to date with all of the important back-to-school information they need for a successful start to the 2013-14 school year.
The U.S. Census Bureau has compiled the following facts and figures related to back-to-school shopping and school enrollment in the United States, using data from 2011 and 2012.
Back-to-School Shopping
$8.5 billion: The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2012. Sales at bookstores in August 2012 totaled $2 billion.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services
Students
79 million: The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2011 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 26.9 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students
Pre-K through 12 Enrollment
77%: Percentage of children age 3 to 6 enrolled in all-day kindergarten as of October 2011.
73%: Percentage of children age 3 to 6 enrolled in school.
25%: Percentage of elementary through high school students who had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2011.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students
Languages
11.8 million: Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home in 2011; 8.5 million of these children spoke Spanish at home.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey
Colleges
15%: Percentage of all college students 35 and older in October 2011. They made up 32 percent of those attending school part time.
42%: Percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2011.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, School Enrollment - Social and Economic Characteristics of Students
Work Status
52: Percentage of students enrolled in college, who worked less than full time, year-round in 2011; 20 percent worked full time, year-round.
3,068,911: Number of enrolled high school students who work less than full time, year-round; 145,740 students in high school worked full time, year-round.
Source: School Enrollment and Work Status: 2011 Appendix
Field of Degree
12.0 million: Number of people age 25 and older who held a bachelor's degree in business in 2011.
Business degrees were reported by 20 percent of the population with a bachelor's degree, followed by:
Education: 14 percent
Science and engineering related fields: 9 percent
Social sciences and engineering: 8 percent
Biological, agricultural and environmental sciences: 6 percent
Other, liberal arts and history: 5 percent
Psychology: 5 percent
Literature and languages: 4 percent
Computers, mathematics and statistics: 4 percent
Visual and performing arts: 4 percent
Communications: 4 percent
Physical and related sciences: 3 percent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey
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