Schoolhouse stats

What does “back to school” look like across the US? Grab a notebook and pencil, find a desk, and study up on the data shaping the new school year. Your syllabus includes the latest data on how public schools are funded, what we pay teachers, student math and reading scores, and the role the Education Department plays in it all.

Featured reports on education

Before the opening bell rings, dig into the latest reports on American schools.

Back to school by the numbers

For your first lesson, here's a few quick stats:

Teacher pay

$63k

median annual wage for pre-K-12 teachers, 2024

Federal support

4.0%

of the federal budget was spent by the Department of Education in FY 2024

Student progress

31%

of fourth graders were proficient in reading in 2024

How is your school district funded?

Lesson two: Most school funding comes from state and local governments (federal sources fill in the rest), meaning funding varies across states and counties. Explore district-level data to see how it all adds up.

Federal school funding

In the 2021-22 school year, 13.7% of public school funding was federal.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Learn more

Steve Ballmer explains the Department of Education

It’s time for our favorite part of every class: video day! Get out your snacks — hope you brought enough to share!

“... the future of US education is on the line. Without solid data, we can’t measure what’s working — or fix what’s not.” –Steve Ballmer

Read Steve’s letter to Education Secretary McMahon

How much are teachers paid?

Next lesson: Teacher pay. Last year, teachers earned a median annual wage of about $63,000. However, wages vary based on the grade level taught, school and classroom type, and location.

In pre-K-12 schools, high school teachers were paid the most. Teachers in public schools had higher wages than those in private schools, and special education teachers tended to earn more than other types of educators.

More salary data

High school teachers earn a median wage of $64,690

Median annual salary, 2024

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Federal support for education

What does the Department of Education do? What doesn’t it do? And what other federal agencies support students?

How many students go to charter schools?

Now that you’re back from recess, let’s talk about Charter schools. A charter school is a public school of choice: parents can choose to send their kids there instead of their assigned neighborhood school.

While the percentage of students in charter schools is increasing every year, the numbers vary by state. In Arizona, one in five public school students were enrolled in charter schools in the 2022-23 school year.

Compare your state