Selected Statistics from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2011–12

This First Look report presents findings on the numbers and types of public elementary and secondary schools and local education agencies and public school student enrollment and staff in the United States for school year 2011–12.

Findings include:

• There were 98,328 operating public elementary/secondary schools in the school year 2011–12 that included 1,517 new schools that opened for the first time. States reported 1,840 schools that closed since the prior school year 2010-11.

• There were 17,992 operating local education agencies in school year 2011–12 including 211 new agencies that opened for the first time. States reported 161 local education agencies that closed since the prior school year 2010-11.

• In school year 2011-12 public elementary and secondary schools reported 49.5 million students in membership. In addition, the schools and agencies employed 3.1 million full-time-equivalent teachers. This resulted in a pupil/teacher ratio of 16.0 in school year 2011-12.