A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

The Baby Boom Echo* Signals Record Enrollments

Children of the baby boom generation are on the verge of breaking a national record. Twenty-five years ago, the baby boomers set a national record for school enrollment at 51.3 million students. This fall, that record will be broken by their children. Enrollment projections, based on data from two National Center for Education Statistics publications-Projections of Education Statistics to 2006 and Digest of Education Statistics-indicate that this fall some 51.7 million students will enroll in the nation's elementary and secondary schools.

Enrollment projections data indicate that between 1996 and 2006: total public and private school enrollment will rise from a record 51.7 million to 54.6 million;

• total public and private school enrollment will rise from a record 51.7 million to 54.6 million;
• public high school enrollment is expected to increase by 15 percent;
• about half of the states will have at least a 15 percent increase in the number of high school graduates, with the Western States having almost a 30 percent increase in high school graduates;
• Hispanic-Americans and Asian-Americans will be the fastest growing segments of the student population; and
• college enrollment is projected to rise by 14 percent.

To maintain current K-12 student service levels in 2006, the nation will need about 190,000 additional teachers; over 6,000 additional schools; and approximately $15 billion in additional annual operating expenditures.

To learn more about projected enrollment at all education levels, order a copy of Projections of Education Statistics to 2006 (065-000-00853-0, $14). For information about other statistical data covering American education from kindergarten through adult education, order a copy of the Digest of Education Statistics 1996 (065-000-00904-8, $44). Both are available from the Government Printing Office. See ordering information.

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