National reference · federal data

U.S. Public School Statistics

The national reference figures behind PlainSchools - 95,891 public schools, 49.0M students, every figure read live from federal records. Quote them freely with attribution.

Compiled from official source data by .
95,891
Public schools
49.0M
Students
15.7:1
Avg student-teacher ratio

Data as of · figures update with each federal data refresh.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the Common Core of Data has been the federal government's annual census of public schools since 1986. The reference figures on this page draw on the 2024-25 release, which covers roughly 98,000 public schools across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. See our methodology for how each figure is sourced and computed.

The United States has 95,891 public schools enrolling 49.0M students across 17,873 districts, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The typical classroom runs 15.7:1, and the average district spends $16.6K per pupil. This page collects the national reference figures behind PlainSchools, with the methodology for every derived number.

Headline figures

Public schools

95,891

School districts

17,873

Students enrolled

49.0M

States covered

50 + DC

Avg student–teacher ratio

15.7:1

NCES CCD 2024-25

Avg free/reduced lunch

51.7%

NCES CCD 2024-25

Avg district per-pupil spending

$16.6K

NCES F-33 FY 2021-22

Chronic absenteeism

29.7%

CRDC 2021-22

Charter schools

7,931

NCES CCD 2024-25

Magnet schools

0

NCES CCD 2024-25

States with the most public schools

Rank State Public schools Students enrolled
1 California 10,006 5,787,663
2 Texas 9,061 5,491,723
3 New York 4,812 2,505,133
4 Florida 4,029 2,838,009
5 Illinois 3,845 1,844,783
6 Ohio 3,586 1,675,943
7 Michigan 3,399 1,376,868
8 Pennsylvania 2,930 1,664,154
9 North Carolina 2,703 1,544,406
10 New Jersey 2,509 1,354,386

States with the most students

Rank State Students enrolled Public schools
1 California 5,787,663 10,006
2 Texas 5,491,723 9,061
3 Florida 2,838,009 4,029
4 New York 2,505,133 4,812
5 Illinois 1,844,783 3,845
6 Georgia 1,738,641 2,315
7 Ohio 1,675,943 3,586
8 Pennsylvania 1,664,154 2,930
9 North Carolina 1,544,406 2,703
10 Michigan 1,376,868 3,399

Download the state-level summary (CSV)

Source: U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25), Civil Rights Data Collection (2021-22), NCES F-33 finance survey (FY 2021-22) Compiled and formatted by PlainSchools Editorial.