School & District Management Interactive

Enrollment Data: How Many Students Went Missing in Your State?

A look at state enrollment data during the 2020-21 school year
By Eesha Pendharkar & Maya Riser-Kositsky — July 02, 2021 | Updated: February 01, 2022 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Updated: This page was updated with new data from Illinois on July 9, 2021. It was updated with new data from Delaware, Illinois (special education data), and New Jersey (special education data) on July 22, 2021. It was updated with new data from Alabama, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, and North Carolina on Dec. 6, 2021. It was updated with new data from Tennessee on Jan. 13, 2022. Data for Nebraska (English-language learners, special education students, and free and reduced price meal enrollment) was updated on Feb. 1, 2022.

America’s public school system lost more than 1.3 million students in the 2020-21 school year, according to an Education Week analysis of state data.

The loss was spread out across the nation, touching almost every demographic group and concentrated in lower grades. It will likely have academic, financial and staffing repercussions for years to come.

Education Week reached out to 51 state departments of education in order to collect a more comprehensive picture of enrollment losses across the country.

See Also

Students participate in class outside at the Woodland Pond School, a private school located near Bangor, Maine. Maine experienced one of the nation's largest drops in student enrollment in the 2020-21 school year, according to an EdWeek analysis.
Students participate in class outside at the Woodland Pond School, a private school located near Bangor, Maine. Maine experienced one of the nation's largest drops in student enrollment in the 2020-21 school year, according to an EdWeek analysis.
Photo courtesy of Woodland Pond School

Contact Information

For media or research inquiries about this data, contact library@educationweek.org.

How to Cite This Page

Enrollment Data: How Many Students Went Missing in Your State? (2021, July 2). Education Week. Retrieved Month Day, Year from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/enrollment-data-how-many-students-went-missing-in-your-state/2021/07

Holly Peele, Library Director contributed to this article.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
(Re)Focus on Dyslexia: Moving Beyond Diagnosis & Toward Transformation
Move beyond dyslexia diagnoses & focus on effective literacy instruction for ALL students. Join us to learn research-based strategies that benefit learners in PreK-8.
Content provided by EPS Learning
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
How Early Adopters of Remote Therapy are Improving IEPs
Learn how schools are using remote therapy to improve IEP compliance & scalability while delivering outcomes comparable to onsite providers.
Content provided by Huddle Up
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Cohesive Instruction, Connected Schools: Scale Excellence District-Wide with the Right Technology
Ensure all students receive high-quality instruction with a cohesive educational framework. Learn how to empower teachers and leverage technology.
Content provided by Instructure

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management This State Is Bucking Gender and Race Trends in School Leadership
A 12-year study in one state shows a major uptick in the diversity of school leaders.
8 min read
principal diversity 1423165395
kali9/E+
School & District Management NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks Plans to Resign Amid Federal Investigation
The hand-picked head of the nation’s largest school district is expected to resign amid a federal corruption investigation.
Cayla Bamberger
1 min read
David Banks, chancellor of New York Public schools, answers a question during a House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education hearing on antisemitism in K-12 public schools, May 8, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
David Banks, chancellor of New York City public schools, answers a question during a congressional hearing on antisemitism in K-12 public schools on May 8, 2024. Banks is expected to resign amid a federal corruption investigation.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
School & District Management Opinion 5 Lessons Principals Can Learn From U.S. Presidents About Leadership
What does it take to lead a school in this polarized political climate? Let history be your guide.
Ronald S. Thomas
5 min read
Conceptual image of a crowd gathered outside the White House watching what the president will do. Giant sky compass represents the decisions the President of the United States must make.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management What Stresses Out Superintendents? It Depends on How Big Their District Is
The tasks taking up superintendents' time and their top sources of stress differ depending on the size of the districts they lead.
3 min read
Illustration of a man wearing a tie, covering his and running away from icons in the air behind him. Icons consist of charts, books, emojis, lightbulb, target, clipboard with checklist, calculator, money, and various social media icons.
iStock/Getty