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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US public schools are losing students fast: What it means for teachers, budgets, and students
The future of public education in the United States is shifting, and the numbers back it up. According to the data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), national public school enrolment is not only lower than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is also projected to keep declining for years to come. While these numbers vary state by state, the broader story reveals demographic pressures, policy shifts, and long-term consequences for students, teachers, and state budgets. The data from NCES gives us a clear view of how enrolment trends have evolved since 2012 and what to expect in the decade ahead. A million fewer students since 2020 Between the 2020 and 2024 academic years, US public schools lost 1.28 million students, a 2.5% drop in total enrolment. Some of the steepest declines came from states already facing demographic challenges. New York, California, Mississippi, and West Virginia each lost more than 5% of their student population. Only nine states saw any growth during that period, and even those gains were modest. North Dakota, for example, was the only state with an increase above 2%. These numbers reflect the uneven landscape of American education, shaped by cost-of-living shifts, migration patterns, and the expanding role of alternative schooling models. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Seniors Are Snapping Up This TV Box, We Explain! Techno Mag Learn More Undo A post-pandemic plateau and now, renewed decline After hitting a low in 2021, enrolment inched upwards in 2022 and 2023. However, the recovery was short-lived. In 2024, NCES data shows that public schools again saw a net loss of over 102,000 students nationwide. Thirty-nine states recorded year-over-year declines. States like West Virginia, Arkansas, and Wyoming experienced some of the sharpest losses, with enrolment shrinking by up to 1.7%. Even states that posted modest gains such as New Jersey, South Carolina, and North Dakota saw growth under 1%. What is important to note is that this is not just a pandemic aftershock. It is part of a broader recalibration of public education that was already underway in many states well before 2020. From growth to reversal: The long view Between 2012 and 2020, enrolment in US public schools grew by 1.3 million students, a 2.6% increase. North Dakota (19%), Utah (14.3%), and Nevada (13%) led that growth. But the pandemic disrupted this momentum in ways that appear long-lasting. In Oregon, for example, enrolment rose by 7.5% between 2012 and 2020, only to fall by 6.2% between 2020 and 2024. Washington experienced a similar pattern, gaining 9.2% over eight years and losing 4.2% in the four years that followed. Some states, including California and New York, had relatively flat enrolment in the years leading up to the pandemic, but began to see sharper declines after 2020. What lies ahead for public schools Looking forward, NCES projections show public school enrolment will continue to fall, declining to approximately 46.9 million students by 2032. That marks a projected 5.3% drop from 2024 levels. States such as Hawaii, California, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New York are expected to lose more than 12% of their students in that period. Only 13 states are expected to see any increase in student numbers, which raises difficult questions about how to manage resources in areas facing population decline and how to scale infrastructure in areas where student numbers are rising. What this means for students and schools These shifts go beyond just numbers. Declining enrolment affects everything from school staffing and teacher recruitment to district funding models and building utilisation. Some districts have already begun consolidating schools, closing campuses, and reallocating resources. The NCES data underscores the need for policymakers to rethink long-term strategies around student distribution, staffing ratios, and the financial viability of school systems. The enrolment decline also intersects with broader debates around homeschooling, charter school growth, and how families make decisions about education. The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated trends already in motion, but the underlying forces behind shrinking public school enrolment are structural and ongoing. For educators, students, and policymakers, understanding these shifts is essential. The NCES data offers a roadmap for navigating what comes next. As the education landscape changes, so too must the conversations around it. For now, one thing is clear: in 2025, public school enrolment in the US is not just fluctuating, it is fundamentally evolving. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
New York Post
21-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Support for phone bans in school ticks up in the US, Pew study reveals
People increasingly support school phone bans — and New York got the message. As New York bans cellphone use during the school day, a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that support for phone bans in school is increasing. 3 The majority of U.S. adults support prohibiting students from using their phones during class time. Getty Images About 74% of US adults say they would support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class — that's up from 68% last fall. Only a small portion — fewer than 19% — oppose classroom bans and even fewer — 7% — are unsure. But a growing number of people don't just think students should be banned from using their phones during class time, but support the devices being banned during the entire school day. More than four-in-ten Americans — 44% — back school day bans. That's up from 36% last fall. Those 50 years and older are more likely to support these bans, but support among all age groups is growing. It's one issue that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on — 78% vs. 71% for class time bans. About two-thirds of adults support all-day cellphone bans, believing it would improve students' social skills, grades and behavior in class. Far fewer say this of physical safety. 3 About 74% of U.S. adults say they would support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class — that's up from 68% last fall. CarlosBarquero – Some opponents worry that children won't be able to contact their parents in case of an emergency, such as a school shooting — but most adults believe the benefits outweigh this increasingly possible scenario. The push for cellphone bans has largely been spurred by growing concerns about the negative impact screen time has on children's mental health. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy — who has called for the implementation of a tobacco-style 'warning label' for social media platforms about their effects on young people's lives — has said schools need to provide phone-free times. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 77% of U.S. schools say they prohibit cellphones at school for non-academic use. 3 More than four-in-ten Americans — 44% — back school day bans. That's up from 36% last fall. Getty Images/iStockphoto However, experts note that while schools may have phone restrictions, they may not be enforced or followed. Kim Whitman, co-founder of the Phone Free Schools Movement, said the issue is catching on because parents and teachers are struggling with the consequences of kids on mobile devices. 'It doesn't matter if you live in a big city or a rural town, urban or suburban, all children are struggling and need that seven-hour break from the pressures of phones and social media during the school day,' she said. Florida was the first state to crack down on phones in school, passing a 2023 law that requires all public schools to ban cellphone use during class time and block access to social media on district Wi-Fi. Several other states have followed suit, including New York. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul signed the Distraction-Free Schools law into practice. The new law requires bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions in K-12 school districts statewide, starting this upcoming 2025 to 2026 school year. The state's powerful teachers' union — New York State United Teachers — backs a 'phone-free' school policy. All New York public school districts must publish their policy, which must provide parents with a way to contact their kids during the day when necessary, for approval by August 1. 'As Governor, my priority is ensuring every New York student receives a high-quality education, free from constant clicking and scrolling – that's why I've directed my team to commit every available resource for school districts to develop their distraction-free learning policies by the August 1 deadline,' Gov. Hochul said in a statement. 'I'm encouraged by my discussion with Capital Region school districts that have already implemented their distraction-free policy, and I am confident that New York will be ready to implement bell-to-bell smartphone restrictions on the first day of school.'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Public school enrollment continues to fall
Teacher Lisa Schultheis (C) talks with students on the second to last day of school as New York City public schools prepare to wrap up the year at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 on June 24, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by) Across the country, public school enrollment has failed to rebound to pre-pandemic levels — and data suggests the decline is far from over. According to projections from the National Center for Education Statistics, public K-12 enrollment peaked at 50.8 million students in autumn 2019, but is expected to fall by nearly 4 million students to 46.9 million by 2031, a 7.6% nationwide drop. The steepest enrollment losses are in elementary and middle grades, with districts in the Northeast, West and Rust Belt most affected. When public school enrollment fell by 3% in 2020, it was the largest single-year decline since World War II. The NCES 2024 December report, which accounts for fall 2023 data, found that 18 states saw public school enrollment declines of more than 4%. Ten states — California, Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia declined more than 5%. Pennsylvania's fell 2.3% between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2023 A new study from Boston University found that high-income districts and middle schools in Massachusetts were especially vulnerable, with middle grade enrollment in fall of 2024 down almost 8% and the most significant losses concentrated among white and Asian students. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Public school enrollment in Massachusetts was down 2% from pre-pandemic trends for the fall 2024 school year, while private school enrollment rose 14% and homeschooling surged 45%. Long-term demographic shifts — such as falling birth rates, domestic migration and a post-COVID shift toward school choice — are also a factor in public school enrollment declines. Parents increasingly opt for private, charter or homeschooling models — options that expanded rapidly during and after the pandemic. A February Gallup poll showed that dissatisfaction with the U.S. public education system is rising, with the percentage of adults who report feeling satisfied about public education falling from 37% to 24% between 2017 and 2025. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reported a net gain of 400,000 students over five years, offsetting some of the 1.8 million student losses from traditional districts. Public school funding, often tied to enrollment, is also shrinking. According to the Reason Foundation, 98 public schools closed in 2023-24 across 15 states, with significant losses in California, Colorado, Florida and New York. Districts are facing tough decisions around school consolidations, staffing and infrastructure. ProPublica reported that shrinking enrollment left roughly 150 Chicago schools operating at half-capacity this past school year, with another 47 at one-third capacity. However, some researchers offer a more nuanced view. A Kennesaw State University researcher notes that declining enrollment can lead to higher per-student funding. Since districts often retain funding for students who've left, those resources can be reallocated to support remaining students, improving staff compensation and access to teachers and other support services. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Another Education Department delay: Release of NAEP science scores
The repercussions from the decimation of staff at the Education Department keep coming. Last week, the fallout led to a delay in releasing results from a national science test. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is best known for tests that track reading and math achievement but includes other subjects too. In early 2024, when the main reading and math tests were administered, there was also a science section for eighth graders. The board that oversees NAEP had announced at its May meeting that it planned to release the science results in June. But that month has since come and gone. Why the delay? There is no commissioner of education statistics to sign off on the score report, a requirement beforeit is released, according to five current and former officials who are familiar with the release of NAEP scores, but asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press or feared retaliation. Related: Our free weekly newsletter alerts you to what research says about schools and classrooms. Peggy Carr, a former Biden administration appointee, was dismissed as the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics in February, two years before the end of her six-year term set by Congress. Chris Chapman was named acting commissioner, but then he was fired in March, along with half the employees at the Education Department. The role has remained vacant since. A spokesman for the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP, said the science scores will be released later this summer, but denied that the lack of a commissioner is the obstacle. "The report building is proceeding so the naming of a commissioner is not a bureaucratic hold up to its progress," Stephaan Harris said by email. The delay matters. Education policymakers have been keen to learn if science achievement had held steady after the pandemic or tumbled along with reading and math. (Those reading and math scores were released in January.) The Trump administration has vowed to dismantle the Education Department and did not respond to an emailed question about when a new commissioner would be appointed. Related: Chaos and confusion as the statistics arm of the Education Department is reduced to a skeletal staff of 3 Researchers hang onto data Keeping up with administration policy can be head spinning these days. Education researchers were notified in March that they would have to relinquish federal data they were using for their studies. (The department shares restricted datasets, which can include personally identifiable information about students, with approved researchers.) But researchers learned on June 30 that the department had changed its mind and decided not to terminate this remote access. Lawyers who are suing the Trump administration on behalf of education researchers heralded this about-face as a "big win." Researchers can now finish projects in progress. Still, researchers don't have a way of publishing or presenting papers that use this data. Since the mass firings in mid-March, there is no one remaining inside the Education Department to review their papers for any inadvertent disclosure of student data, a required step before public release. And there is no process at the moment for researchers to request data access for future studies. "While ED's change-of-heart regarding remote access is welcome," said Adam Pulver of Public Citizen Litigation Group, "other vital services provided by the Institute of Education Sciences have been senselessly, illogically halted without consideration of the impact on the nation's educational researchers and the education community more broadly. We will continue to press ahead with our case as to the other arbitrarily canceled programs." Pulver is the lead attorney for one of three suits fighting the Education Department's termination of research and statistics activities. Judges in the District of Columbia and Maryland have denied researchers a preliminary injunction to restore the research and data cuts. But the Maryland case is now fast-tracked and the court has asked the Trump administration to produce an administrative record of its decision making process by July 11. (See this previous story for more background on the court cases.) Related: Education researchers sue Trump administration, testing executive power Some NSF grants restored in California Just as the Education Department is quietly restarting some activities that DOGE killed, so is the National Science Foundation (NSF). The federal science agency posted on its website that it reinstated 114 awards to 45 institutions as of June 30. NSF said it was doing so to comply with a federal court order to reinstate awards to all University of California researchers. It was unclear how many of these research projects concerned education, one of the major areas that NSF funds. Researchers and universities outside the University of California system are hoping for the same reversal. In June, the largest professional organization of education researchers, the American Educational Research Association, joined forces with a large coalition of organizations and institutions in filing a legal challenge to the mass termination of grants by the NSF. Education grants were especially hard hit in a series of cuts in April and May. Democracy Forward, a public interest law firm, is spearheading this case. Contact staff writer Jill Barshay at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or barshay@ This story about delaying the NAEP science score report was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Proof Points and other Hechinger newsletters. The post Another Education Department delay: Release of NAEP science scores appeared first on The Hechinger Report.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Millions of US kids attend schools in dangerous ‘urban heat zones,' analysis finds
Millions of U.S. children attend schools located in cities disproportionately threatened by the impact of climate change, researchers recently warned. Climate change is making heat waves more frequent and intense, and dialing up humidity — which can make climates feel even hotter. Cities absorb and re-emit heat from the sun more than natural landscapes, thanks to their highly concentrated buildings, roads and infrastructure. These pockets of heat are known to climate scientists as 'heat islands,' resulting in temperatures up to 20 degrees higher for cities and their inhabitants. Humid regions and communities with larger and denser populations and more buildings — such as the East Coast's New York City and the West Coast's San Francisco — experience the greatest temperature differences. The heat island effect is expected to strengthen and grow in the future, as urban areas become more populated. This puts children in those areas at a heightened risk. Children are already one of the groups most vulnerable to extreme heat: the nation's top killer. Furthermore, many schools do not have adequate air conditioning. A Government Accountability Office report in 2020 found that tens of thousands of schools need their heating and cooling systems replaced or updated. More than 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. Now, a new report from non-profit Climate Central says the majority of K-12 public school students located in the nation's biggest cities go to school on 'extreme' urban heat islands. Approximately 76 percent are in zones where temperatures are at least 8 degrees higher than outlying areas. 'Across the nearly 6.2 million K-12 public school students included in this analysis, the average student attends school in neighborhoods that are 8.3 degrees hotter due to the built environment,' the report found. In an analysis of 65 of America's largest cities and more than 12,000 K-12 public schools, Climate Central said that in a quarter of the cities assessed, nine in every 10 students attend a school located in an extreme urban heat island. The city with the lowest additional heat for the average student was Phoenix. New York City, the largest city in the country, had the maximum additional heat, with an increase of 9.6 degrees. Climate Central said in 62 of the 65 cities studied that at least half of all K-12 students attend public school in extreme urban heat zones. The three exceptions included Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and Richmond, Virginia. Among the included cities, Louisville, Kentucky, Orlando, Florida, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, have the largest shares of public K-12 students enrolled at schools in extreme urban heat zones. The analysis is based on Climate Central's previous modeling work and data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The report also noted that the risk is not equally felt. Urban heat islands are more likely in lower-income and non-white communities and Climate Central said burdens have linked to a history of racially biased housing policy. With hotter temperatures expanding into the fall and winter months, the authors have called for action to prevent greater impacts on children. 'Future generations are likely to face accelerating change and intensifying risks — particularly from heat waves — with continued warming,' the group asserted. 'Ultimately, a commitment to rapid, sustained cuts to carbon pollution is the most impactful action to slow the rate of warming and set younger generations on a different path, toward a safer future.'
