NCES Releases U.S. Education in the Time of COVID

U.S. Education in the Time of COVID synthesizes highlights from a variety of data sources to provide a composite, high-level view of the American education landscape since the onset of the pandemic. Key findings: Spring 2020: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of American schools transitioned to distance education models. During this period, 77 percent of public schools moved to online distance learning and 84 percent of college students reported having some or all classes moved to online-only instruction. Overall, 27 percent of undergraduate students received a tuition refund from their institutions in spring 2020. Fall 2020: Total K-12 public school enrollment declined by 2.7 percent, and enrollment for first-time undergraduate students decreased by 9 percent compared with fall 2019. The number of public school teachers declined by 0.2 percent, smaller than the enrollment decline. The pupil/teacher ratio declined from 15.9 to 15.4 pupils per teacher compared with 2019. Two-thirds of adults with children in school reported that their children moved to online learning. Spring 2021: About half (52 percent) of public school students were enrolled in full-time in-person instruction in May 2021. A quarter (25 percent) of adults with children in public or private school reported that their children received food assistance from the school in spring 2021. Fall 2021: Almost all public schools (98 percent) planned to offer full-time in-person learning in fall 2021. In September 2021, almost all public schools (96 percent) reported providing digital devices, such as tablets, to students who needed them, and about 86 percent of public schools encouraged staff members to address students' social, emotional, and mental well-being. The percentage of state and local public education sector jobs with openings was 2.9 percent in December 2021, which was higher than in December 2019 or December 2020. Visit the COVID-19 Dashboard today https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/annualreports/topical-studies/covid/.