U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2005–043

Parent and Family

Involvement in

Education: 2002–03

E.D. TAB
U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2005–043

Parent and Family

Involvement in

Education: 2002–03

E.D. TAB

May 2005

Nancy Vaden-Kiernan

John McManus

Westat

Chris Chapman

Project Officer

National Center for

Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Grover J. Whitehurst

Acting Commissioner

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Suggested Citation

Vaden-Kiernan, N., and McManus, J. (2005). Parent and Family Involvement in Education: 2002–03 (NCES

2005–043). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S.

Government Printing Office.

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iii

Acknowledgements 

The authors would like to thank Chris Chapman, Jerry West, Shelley Burns, Marilyn Seastrom, Holly 

Spurlock, Frank Johnson, Robert Lerner, and Val Plisko from the National Center for Education 

Statistics; Lisa Bridges of the Institute of Education Sciences; and Sandy Eyster, Stacey Bielick, 

Robert Stillwell, Lauren Gilbertson, and Zeyu Xu from the Education Statistics Services Institute for 

their helpful suggestions and reviews of the report. At Westat, we would also like to thank Mary 

Hagedorn, the director of the NHES Program at Westat; Kevin O’Donnell; and Ying Long. Finally, 

we would like to thank the parents who provided the data upon which the report is based. 
iv

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v

Table of Contents 

Section Page 

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................................iii 

Highlights ............................................................................................................................................... 1 

References ............................................................................................................................................ 55 

Appendix A: Technical Notes ............................................................................................................. 56 

Appendix B: Glossary ......................................................................................................................... 60 

List of Tables 

Table Page 

1. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported school-initiated 

 communication practices, by means of communication and selected characteristics: 

 2002–03 ....................................................................................................................................... 5 

1a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

 school-initiated communication practices, by means of communication and selected 

 characteristics: 2002–03 .............................................................................................................. 6 

2. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported school-initiated 

 provision of information, by information topic and selected characteristics: 2002–03 .............. 7 

2a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

 school-initiated provision of information, by information topic and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 ....................................................................................................................................... 9 

3. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported participation in school- 

 related activities, by activity type and selected characteristics: 2002–03 ................................. 11 

3a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

 participation in school-related activities, by activity type and selected characteristics: 

 2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 13 

4. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 who have homework whose parents reported 

 involvement in homework activities, by activity type, frequency, and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 15 

4a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 who have homework 

 whose parents reported involvement in homework activities, by activity type, frequency, and 

selected characteristics: 2002–03 .............................................................................................. 17 

5. Percentage of students in grades K through 3 whose parents reported reading to student, by 

 frequency and selected characteristics: 2002–03 ...................................................................... 19 

5a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 3 whose parents reported 

 reading to student, by frequency and selected characteristics: 2002–03 ................................... 20 
vi

List of Tables (Continued) 

Table Page 

6. Percentage of students in grades K through 5 whose parents reported participation in home 

 activities with student in the past week, by type of involvement and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 21 

6a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 5 whose parents reported 

 participation in home activities with student in the past week, by type of involvement and 

selected characteristics: 2002–03 .............................................................................................. 22 

7. Percentage of students in grades 6 through 12 whose parents reported participation in home 

 activities with student in the past week, by type of activity and selected characteristics: 

 2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 23 

7a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades 6 through 12 whose parents reported 

 participation in home activities with student in the past week, by type of activity and 

 selected characteristics: 2002–03 .............................................................................................. 24 

8. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported outings with 

 student in the past month, by type of outing and selected characteristics: 2002–03 ................. 25 

8a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents 

 reported outings with student in the past month, by type of outing and selected 

 characteristics: 2002–03 ............................................................................................................ 27 

9. Percentage distribution of students in grades K through 12, by statements regarding 

 student's experience in school, parent’s level of agreement with statement, and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 ............................................................................................................ 29 

9a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of students in grades K through 12, by 

 statements regarding student's experience in school, parent’s level of agreement with 

 statement, and selected characteristics: 2002–03 ...................................................................... 31 

10. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported educational 

 expectations and plans to help pay for education after high school, by educational attainment 

expectation and selected characteristics: 2002–03 .................................................................... 33 

10a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents 

reported educational expectations and plans to help pay for education after high school, 

by educational attainment expectation and selected characteristics: 2002–03 .......................... 35 

11. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 who participated in activities in and out of 

 school, by selected activity categories and selected characteristics: 2002–03 .......................... 37 

11a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 who participated in 

 activities in and out of school, by selected activity categories and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 39 

12. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported satisfaction with 

 school provision of information, by type of information and selected characteristics: 

 2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 41 
vii

List of Tables (Continued) 

Table Page 

12a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

satisfaction with school provision of information, by type of information and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 ........................................................................................................... 43 

13. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported satisfaction with 

 school characteristics, by selected school characteristics and selected characteristics: 

 2002–03 ..................................................................................................................................... 45 

13a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

satisfaction with school characteristics, by selected school characteristics and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 ............................................................................................................ 47 

14. Percentage distribution of public school students in grades K through 12 by school choice 

 and percent of students whose families moved to neighborhood for students to attend 

 school, by household and student characteristics: 2002–03 ...................................................... 49 

14a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of public school students in grades K through 

 12 by school choice and percent of students whose families moved to neighborhood for 

students to attend school, by household and student characteristics: 2002–03 .......................... 50 

15. Percentage of students with disabilities in grades K through 12 who received services from 

 public and private sources, by source of services and selected characteristics: 2002–03 ......... 51 

15a. Standard errors of the percentage of students with disabilities in grades K through 12 who 

 received services from public and private sources, by source of services and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 ............................................................................................................ 53 

B-1 Poverty definition for Parent and Family Involvement in Education (PFI) analysis ................ 60 
1

Highlights

This report presents data on parents’ and families’ involvement in their children’s education in the United States. The 

data are from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 National Household Education 

Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). The survey was completed by parents of over 12,000 children in kindergarten 

through grade 12. Data highlights are shown below, along with examples of questions for each topic area of the 

questionnaire. 

The NHES:2003 sample was selected using random digit dial (RDD) methods, and the data were collected using 

computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. The sample for the 2003 survey is nationally 

representative of all children in kindergarten through grade 12 enrolled in regular school or homeschooled in the 50 

states and the District of Columbia. A Screener was used to collect information on household composition and 

interview eligibility. Screener interviews had a weighted Screener unit response rate of 65 percent. In households 

with one eligible child, the child was selected for PFI with certainty. In households with two eligible children, both were 

selected for PFI with certainty. If there were more than two eligible children/youth, then two were sampled with equal 

probability. The parent interview had a weighted unit response rate of 83 percent using base weights. The overall 

unit response rate for the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey in 2003 was 54 percent. A unit 

nonresponse bias analysis was undertaken for NHES:2003. (See Montaquila et al. forthcoming.) The analysis of unit 

nonresponse bias showed no evidence of bias in estimates computed with nonresponse adjusted weights from the PFINHES:2003 survey. 

The results presented below were chosen to highlight some of the findings in the tables. To test the differences 

between estimates, Student’s t statistics were calculated. All differences reported were significant at the .05 level. 

More information about the statistical test used is in the Technical Notes section of this report, along with a 

discussion of sampling methodology. 

Many of the tables include estimates for students in kindergarten through grade 12. However, some tables are 

divided into estimates for students in kindergarten through grade 5 or in grades 6 through 12. This is because for 

some topic areas (e.g., home activities), different questions were asked of parents of younger children than of parents 

of older children. Similarly, while a common set of selected school, household, and student characteristics are 

repeated across most tables, there are occasional variations in either the characteristics, the population, or both that 

are designed to fit particular data items. Students who were homeschooled were excluded from all of the tables. 

School Practices Encouraging Parents’ Involvement 

Parents were asked about school communication with families, such as sending the family personal notes or e-mails 

specifically about their child; sending newsletters, memos, or notices; and calling the family on the telephone. 

Parents were also asked about school practices to provide information to parents, such as information about their 

child’s performance and their opportunities to volunteer at the school. 

 As the student’s grade level increased, relatively fewer parents reported that schools sent home notes or e-mails. 

Relatively more parents of fourth- and fifth-graders reported that schools sent home notes or e-mails specifically 

about their children (55 percent) than parents of students in sixth to eighth grade (49 percent) (table 1). Similarly, 

more parents of students in 6th to 8th grade reported that schools sent home notes or e-mails specifically about 

their children (49 percent) than parents of students in 9th and 10th grade (42 percent). 
2

Parents’ Involvement in Their Children’s School 

Parents were asked if they had attended a general school meeting, a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference, or 

a school or class event. They were also asked if they had acted as a volunteer or served on a school committee and if 

they had participated in fundraising for the school. 

 The percentage of students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported (in a single-item question) 

that they had acted as a volunteer at their children’s schools or served on a school committee was higher for 

students in private schools that were either church related or not church related (70 and 63 percent) than for 

students in public schools that were either assigned or selected by parents1

 (38 and 40 percent) (table 3). 

 The percentage of students whose parents had attended a general school meeting was higher in households where 

parents had completed higher levels of education. Specifically, the percentage of students whose parents reported 

that they had attended a general school meeting was higher for children whose parents had attended graduate or 

professional school (93 percent) or completed college (93 percent) than for children whose parents had completed 

only a high school education or the equivalent (84 percent), and children whose parents had completed less than a 

high school education (70 percent) (table 3). 

Parents’ Involvement in Their Children’s Homework 

Parents were asked about the frequency with which the student did homework at home and the number of hours the 

student spent doing homework. They were also asked if there is a place in their home set aside for the student to do 

homework, if an adult in the household checks that homework is done, and the number of days per week that persons 

inside or outside the household help with homework. 

 In kindergarten through grade 12, 95 percent of children had parents who reported they assisted with homework 

(table 4). In addition, 85 percent of children in kindergarten through grade 12 had parents who reported that an 

adult in the household checked that homework was done. 

 Overall, 90 percent of students in kindergarten through grade 12 had a place in their homes set aside for doing 

homework (table 4). Relatively fewer children of parents with less than a high school diploma had a place in 

their homes set aside for homework (80 percent), compared to children whose parents had completed a high 

school education or more—90 percent for high school education or the equivalent, 91 percent for 

vocational/technical education after high school or some college, 89 percent for completed college, and 92 

percent for attended graduate or professional school. 

Parents’ Involvement With Their Children in Nonschool Activities 

Parents of students in kindergarten through grade 3 were asked how often someone in the family had read to the 

student in the past week. Parents of students in kindergarten through grade 12 were asked about home activities with 

the student in the past week and outings with the student in the past month. 

 In kindergarten through grade 5, the percentage of students whose parents reported they had played sports, active 

games, or exercised with them increased as parents’ education level increased. Specifically, the percentage of 

students in kindergarten through grade 5 whose parents reported that they had played sports, active games, or 

exercised with their children was lower for children whose parents had completed less than a high school 

education (68 percent) than for children whose parents’ highest educational attainment was a high school 

education or the equivalent (77 percent), children whose parents had completed vocational or technical education 

after high school or some college (80 percent), children whose parents had completed college (84 percent), and 

children whose parents had attended graduate or professional school (87 percent) (table 6).

1 The analysis in this report divides private school students into those attending private, church-related and private, not church-related schools. Public school 

students are divided into those attending public assigned and public chosen schools. 
3

 The percentage of students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported taking them to a public 

library in the past month was higher for Asian students (65 percent) than for White, non-Hispanic (41 percent), 

Black, non-Hispanic (49 percent), or Hispanic students (44 percent) (table 8). 

Student Experiences With Their Schools 

Parents were asked about the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with statements about whether the student 

finds his or her schoolwork challenging, whether the student enjoys school, whether most students and teachers in the 

student’s school respect each other, and whether the school makes it easy for the family to be involved. 

 The percentage of students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported that they “strongly agreed” 

that the student’s school makes it easy for the family to be involved was higher for students in households above 

the poverty level (45 percent) than for students in households at or below the poverty level (35 percent) (table 9). 

Parents’ Expectations and Planned Financial Support for Their Children’s Postsecondary Education 

Parents were asked about the highest education level they expected their children to attain. Those who expected their 

children to continue education after high school were also asked questions about their plans to help pay for their 

children’s education after high school. 

 The percentage of students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents expected their children to earn a 

graduate or professional degree was higher among students in private schools that were not church related (48 

percent) than in other types of private and public schools (28 to 41 percent) (table 10). 

 Among students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents expected them to continue their education after 

high school, the percentage whose parents planned to help pay for their children’s postsecondary education was 

higher in households where parents had completed higher levels of education. Specifically, the percentage of 

students whose parents reported that they planned to help their children pay for education after high school was 

higher for children whose parents had attended graduate or professional school (93 percent) or completed college 

(91 percent) than for children whose parents‘ highest educational attainment was vocational or technical 

education after high school or some college (81 percent), children whose parents had completed only a high 

school education or the equivalent (75 percent), and children whose parents had completed less than a high 

school education (59 percent) (table 10). 

Student Activities in and out of School 

Parents were asked whether the student participated in school activities. They were also asked about student 

participation in a variety of out-of-school activities, such as music lessons, sports, and educational programs. 

 In kindergarten through grade 12, the percentage of students who reportedly participated in school activities 

increased as parents’ education level increased. Specifically, the percentage of students in kindergarten through 

grade 12 whose parents reported that their children participated in school activities was higher for students whose 

parents had attended or completed graduate or professional school (70 percent) than for students whose parents’ 

highest level of education completed was a vocational or technical education after high school or some college 

(58 percent), only a high school education or the equivalent (49 percent), and less than a high school education 

(35 percent) (table 11). 

Parents’ Satisfaction With School 

Parents were asked how well the school did at providing information in various areas related to the child and the 

school (e.g., their child’s performance, opportunities to volunteer at the school). Parents were also asked about their 

satisfaction with the school, their children’s teachers in 2002–03, the academic standards of the school, and order and 

discipline at the school. In addition, parents were asked about the amount of homework assigned and the amount of 

standardized testing at the school. 
4

 The percentage of students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported their children’s school did 

“very well” at providing information about the student’s performance was lower among students in public, 

assigned schools (58 percent) than in public schools selected by parents and private schools (64 to 76 percent) 

(table 12). 

 The percentage of students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported being “very satisfied” with 

their school was higher for students whose parents had graduated from college (64 percent) or attended graduate 

or professional school (64 percent) than for students whose parents’ highest education was a high school 

education or the equivalent (59 percent) or less than a high school education (56 percent) (table 13). 

School Choice 

Parents of public school students were asked if their children were in a regularly assigned school or a school that they 

chose. They were also asked whether the family had moved to the neighborhood so that the student would be eligible 

for the school. 

 The percentage of public school students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported that their 

children attended a public school of choice was higher for Black, non-Hispanic students (25 percent) and Asian 

or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic students (22 percent) than for White, non-Hispanic students (13 percent) (table 

14). The percentage of public school students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported their 

children attended a public school of choice was also higher for Black, non-Hispanic students (25 percent) than for 

Hispanic students (14 percent). 

 The percentage of public school students in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported they moved to 

the neighborhood so that their child would be eligible for the school was higher for students whose parents had 

graduated from college (29 percent) or attended graduate or professional school (35 percent) than for children 

whose parents had completed vocational or technical education after high school or some college (24 percent), 

children whose parents’ highest education was a high school education or the equivalent (24 percent), or children 

whose parents had less than a high school education (22 percent) (table 14). 

Services Provided for Students With Disabilities

Parents of students with disabilities were asked about the sources of services received for their children’s special 

health needs (e.g., the local school district, a doctor, a clinic, or other health care provider), Individualized Education 

Program (IEP) services, and their children’s participation in special education. 

 The percentage of students with disabilities in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported that their 

children received services through an IEP and that the family worked with the school to develop or change the 

student’s IEP was lowest for students whose parents did not have a high school diploma (71 percent) and highest 

for students whose parents had attended graduate or professional school (96 percent) (table 15). 

 The percentage of students with disabilities in kindergarten through grade 12 whose parents reported that their 

children received services through an IEP and that the family worked with the school to develop or change the 

student’s IEP was higher for White, non-Hispanic students (92 percent) than for Black, non-Hispanic students (81 

percent), and higher for both White, non-Hispanic (92 percent) and Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic 

students (93 percent) than for Hispanic students (75 percent) (table 15). 
5

Table 1. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported school-initiated 

communication practices, by means of communication and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Means by which school communicated with parents 

Characteristic Number of students in 

grades K through 12 

(thousands)

Notes or e-mail about 

student 

Newsletters, memos, 

or notices Telephone 

 

Total 51,388 49 91 42 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................ 37,875 49 91 41 

Public, chosen ................................................... 7,915 49 90 45 

Private, church-related ...................................... 4,317 51 97 39 

Private, not church-related ............................... 1,280 60 95 57 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 47,768 50 92 42 

Year-round ........................................................ 3,620 44 84 47 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 41,418 50 93 41 

At or below poverty level ................................. 9,970 45 85 47 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 45,505 51 92 42 

One of two parents speaks English .................. 1,090 42 88 40 

No parent speaks English ................................. 4,793 37 82 41 

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 7,823 55 96 45 

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 7,696 54 96 45 

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 8,368 55 96 43 

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 12,170 49 90 43 

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 7,783 42 85 38 

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 7,543 38 85 39 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 31,931 51 93 40 

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 8,165 50 87 51 

Hispanic ............................................................. 8,250 44 86 44 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 1,453 37 92 38 

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 1,588 56 95 44 

 

Student’s sex 

Male .............................................................. 26,328 53 91 46 

Female ........................................................... 25,060 45 92 39 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
6

Table 1a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

school-initiated communication practices, by means of communication and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Means by which school communicated with parents 

Characteristic Number of students in 

grades K through 12 

(thousands)

Notes or e-mail about 

student 

Newsletters, memos, 

or notices Telephone 

 

Total ............................................................. 94.8 0.6 0.3 0.5 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 288.1 0.7 0.4 0.7 

Public, chosen ................................................... 208.3 1.5 0.8 1.3 

Private, church-related ...................................... 165.0 2.1 0.7 1.8 

Private, not church-related ............................... 87.1 3.4 1.3 3.1 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 172.8 0.6 0.3 0.5 

Year-round ........................................................ 165.5 2.1 1.5 2.3 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 180.1 0.6 0.3 0.6 

At or below poverty level ................................. 178.3 1.4 1.1 1.2 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 194.9 0.6 0.3 0.6 

One of two parents speaks English .................. 85.9 3.4 2.0 3.5 

No parent speaks English ................................. 157.9 1.6 1.3 2.0 

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 32.5 1.3 0.5 1.7 

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 24.5 1.4 0.5 1.4 

4th – 5th grade ................................................. 30.1 1.4 0.6 1.2 

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 45.0 1.1 0.7 1.1 

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 28.4 1.5 0.9 1.3 

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 42.8 1.4 1.1 1.2 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 178.3 0.7 0.4 0.7 

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 36.1 1.6 1.2 1.5 

Hispanic ............................................................. 21.5 1.4 0.9 1.2 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 113.2 3.3 1.8 3.6 

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 124.7 3.7 1.3 3.3 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 282.6 0.8 0.4 0.7 

Female ............................................................... 272.3 0.8 0.5 0.9 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
7

Table 2. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported school-initiated provision of 

information, by information topic and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Topics about which school provided information 1

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance 

What 

children 

of the 

student’s 

age are 

like

Opportunities 

to volunteer 

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home 

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why 

student is 

placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes 

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

college 2

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

work 2

 

Total ................................... 51,388 93 81 91 82 79 83 79 73 63

 

School type 

Public, assigned ....................... 37,875 93 80 91 82 78 83 78 73 62

Public, chosen ......................... 7,915 91 81 90 84 79 84 80 72 66

Private, church-related ............ 4,317 97 90 97 86 84 88 83 75 62

Private, not church-related ..... 1,280 97 89 93 82 75 83 77 79 64

 

School schedule 

Traditional ............................... 47,768 93 81 92 82 79 83 79 73 63

Year-round .............................. 3,620 93 85 89 83 76 84 79 66 57

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ................ 41,418 93 81 92 83 79 83 79 75 64

At or below poverty level ....... 9,970 93 81 87 81 76 82 78 66 60

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) 

 speak(s) English ................ 45,505 93 80 92 83 79 83 79 74 63

One of two parents speaks 

 English ............................... 1,090 94 88 92 86 83 88 81 66 63

No parent speaks English ....... 4,793 92 86 85 80 77 85 77 69 63

 

Student’s grade level3 

K – 1st grade ........................... 7,823 93 90 96 93 84 91 80 — —

2nd – 3rd grade ....................... 7,696 94 86 96 91 85 90 84 — —

4th – 5th grade ......................... 8,368 94 88 97 87 83 87 83 — —

6th – 8th grade ......................... 12,170 94 79 90 80 76 82 77 58 50

9th – 10th grade ....................... 7,783 93 72 84 74 72 75 76 80 71

11th – 12th grade .................... 7,543 89 72 86 72 74 74 73 89 75

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ............... 31,931 93 80 93 82 79 83 79 75 64

Black, non-Hispanic ............... 8,165 94 80 91 82 77 83 79 70 58

Hispanic ................................... 8,250 92 84 87 82 79 84 79 69 61

Asian or Pacific Islander, 

 non-Hispanic ..................... 1,453 95 90 93 90 84 92 80 76 71

Other, non-Hispanic ................ 1,588 93 78 92 83 79 86 78 62 56

See notes at end of table. 
8

Table 2. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported school-initiated provision of 

information, by information topic and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Topics about which school provided information 1

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance 

What 

children 

of the 

student’s 

age are 

like

Opportunities 

to volunteer 

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home 

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why 

student is 

placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

college 2

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

work 2

 

Total ............................... 51,388 93 81 91 82 79 83 79 73 63

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................ 26,328 93 81 91 82 78 84 80 72 63

Female ............................ 25,060 92 81 92 83 79 83 78 74 62

— Not available.

1

 Parents of students in grades K through 12 were asked to rate school performance relative to the provision of seven types of information (items 

1-7 in the list below). Parents of students in grades 6 through 12 were asked to rate school performance for the provision of nine types of 

information (items 1-9 in the list that follows): (1) letting them know between report cards about student’s school performance; (2) helping them 

understand what children of the student’s age are like; (3) making them aware of chances to volunteer at school; (4) helping them help their child 

learn at home; (5) providing information about community services; (6) providing information about how to help with homework; (7) providing 

information about why their child was placed in particular groups or classes; (8) providing information on how to help their child plan for college 

or vocational school; and (9) providing information about how to help their child plan for work after completing his or her education. Response 

options were does it “very well,” “just okay,” “not very well,” “doesn’t do it at all,” or “don’t know.” Answers of “don’t know” were imputed. 

The table estimates indicate the percentage of parents who said their child’s school provided information on the given topic (i.e., parents who 

gave any answer other than “doesn’t do it at all”). 

2 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12. 

3

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
9

Table 2a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

school-initiated provision of information, by information topic and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Topics about which school provided information 1

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance

What 

children of 

the 

student’s 

age are like

Opportunities 

to volunteer 

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home 

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why 

student is 

placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes

How to help 

student plan 

for college2

How 

to help 

student 

plan 

for 

work2

 

Total ..................................... 94.8 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ........................ 288.1 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.7 

Public, chosen ........................... 208.3 0.8 1.2 0.8 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.1 1.9 1.9 

Private, church-related ............. 165.0 0.6 1.1 0.7 1.4 1.6 1.1 1.3 2.3 2.4 

Private, not church-related ....... 87.1 1.2 1.9 1.6 2.7 3.0 2.9 2.8 3.7 3.9 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ................................. 172.8 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 

Year-round ................................ 165.5 1.1 1.6 1.4 1.6 2.0 1.6 1.6 2.6 2.9 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ................. 180.1 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.7 

At or below poverty level ......... 178.3 0.7 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.9 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) 

 speak(s) English ................. 194.9 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.7 

One of two parents speaks 

 English ................................ 85.9 1.5 2.4 1.8 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.8 4.4 4.3 

No parent speaks English ......... 157.9 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.3 1.6 2.3 2.3 

 

Student’s grade level3 

K – 1st grade ............................. 32.5 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.9 1.2 — — 

2nd – 3rd grade ......................... 24.5 0.6 1.0 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.8 0.9 — — 

4th – 5th grade .......................... 30.1 0.6 0.8 0.5 1.0 1.2 0.9 0.9 — — 

6th – 8th grade .......................... 45.0 0.5 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 

9th – 10th grade ........................ 28.4 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 

11th – 12th grade ...................... 42.8 0.8 1.1 0.9 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 0.9 1.2 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ................. 178.3 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.8 

Black, non-Hispanic ................. 36.1 0.6 1.3 0.9 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 2.0 1.9 

Hispanic .................................... 21.5 0.7 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.6 1.7 

Asian or Pacific Islander, 

 non-Hispanic ...................... 113.2 1.3 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.8 1.7 2.4 4.2 4.0 

Other, non-Hispanic ................. 124.7 1.8 2.4 1.5 2.2 2.5 1.9 2.8 4.3 5.1 

See notes at end of table. 
10

Table 2a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported schoolinitiated provision of information, by information topic and selected characteristics: 2002–03—

Continued 

Topics about which school provided information 1

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance

What 

children of 

the 

student’s 

age are 

like

Opportunities 

 to volunteer 

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home 

Community 

services 

How to 

help 

with 

homework 

Why 

student is 

placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes

How to 

help student

plan for 

college2

How to 

help 

student 

plan 

for 

work2

 

Total ...................................... 94.8 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ....................................... 282.6 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.9 

Female ................................... 272.3 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.9 0.8 

— Not available.

1

 Parents of students in grades K through 12 were asked to rate school performance relative to the provision of seven types of information (items 

1-7 in the list below). Parents of students in grades 6 through 12 were asked to rate school performance for the provision of nine types of 

information (items 1-9 in the list that follows): (1) letting them know between report cards about student’s school performance; (2) helping them 

understand what children of the student’s age are like; (3) making them aware of chances to volunteer at school; (4) helping them help their child 

learn at home; (5) providing information about community services; (6) providing information about how to help with homework; (7) providing 

information about why their child was placed in particular groups or classes; (8) providing information on how to help their child plan for college 

or vocational school; and (9) providing information about how to help their child plan for work after completing his or her education. Response 

options were does it “very well,” “just okay,” “not very well,” “doesn’t do it at all,” or “don’t know.” Answers of “don’t know” were imputed. 

The table estimates indicate the percentage of parents who said their child’s school provided information on the given topic (i.e., parents who 

gave any answer other than “doesn’t do it at all”).

2 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12. 

3

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
11

Table 3. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported participation in schoolrelated activities, by activity type and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Participation in school activities by parent or other household member 

Characteristic Number of 

students in K 

through 12

(thousands)

Attended a 

general 

school 

meeting

Attended 

regularlyscheduled 

parentteacher 

conference

Attended a 

school or 

class event 

Acted as 

volunteer or 

served on 

school 

committee

Participated in 

school 

fundraising

 

Total ....................................................................................................... 51,388 88 77 70 42 62

 

School type 

Public, assigned .......................................................................................... 37,875 87 75 68 38 60

Public, chosen ............................................................................................ 7,915 85 80 66 40 61

Private, church-related ............................................................................... 4,317 96 87 88 70 84

Private, not church-related ........................................................................ 1,280 95 84 80 63 63

 

School schedule 

Traditional .................................................................................................. 47,768 88 77 71 42 63

Year-round ................................................................................................. 3,620 84 82 60 35 49

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ................................................................................... 41,418 90 78 73 45 66

At or below poverty level .......................................................................... 9,970 79 75 57 27 46

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ................................................................................ 3,638 70 68 42 16 33

High school graduate or equivalent .......................................................... 12,891 84 75 62 30 56

Vocational/technical education after high school or some college ........ 16,186 89 78 70 39 63

College graduate ........................................................................................ 9,877 93 80 80 55 70

Graduate or professional school ............................................................... 8,797 93 79 80 60 71

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ....................................................... 45,505 89 77 72 44 65

One of two parents speaks English ........................................................... 1,090 83 79 62 31 44

No parent speaks English .......................................................................... 4,793 79 78 52 21 34

 

Student’s grade level1

K – 1st grade ............................................................................................ 7,823 93 92 71 54 70

2nd – 3rd grade ........................................................................................ 7,696 94 91 77 53 70

4th – 5th grade ......................................................................................... 8,368 94 91 78 50 70

6th – 8th grade ......................................................................................... 12,170 88 75 70 35 61

9th – 10th grade ....................................................................................... 7,783 83 59 63 30 50

11th – 12th grade ..................................................................................... 7,543 74 53 59 31 50

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .................................................................................. 31,931 89 76 74 48 67

Black, non-Hispanic .................................................................................. 8,165 89 79 63 32 59

Hispanic ...................................................................................................... 8,250 83 78 61 28 45

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ................................................... 1,453 89 78 65 34 61

Other, non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 1,588 87 78 72 40 57

See notes at end of table. 
12

Table 3. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported participation in school-related 

activities, by activity type and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Participation in school activities by parent or other household member 

Characteristic Number of 

students in K 

through 12

(thousands)

Attended a 

general 

school 

meeting

Attended 

regularlyscheduled 

parentteacher 

conference

Attended a 

school or 

class event 

Acted as 

volunteer or 

served on 

school 

committee

Participated in 

school 

fundraising

 

Total ....................................................................................................... 51,388 88 77 70 42 62

 

Student’s sex 

 Male ............................................................................................................ 26,328 87 78 67 41 59

 Female ........................................................................................................ 25,060 88 76 73 42 65

 

Student experiences in school 

Student participated in school activities ................................................... 29,616 91 78 84 48 69

Teacher or school contacted parent about behavior problems ................ 9,856 86 83 63 34 55

Teacher or school contacted parent about schoolwork problems ........... 13,307 88 83 67 36 59

 

Student grades or marks2

Mostly A’s or excellent ............................................................................. 20,868 91 77 78 50 69

Mostly B’s or above average .................................................................... 18,673 87 76 69 40 61

Mostly C’s or average ............................................................................... 9,785 82 78 60 32 53

Mostly D’s or lower, or below average or failing ................................... 2,062 81 81 43 21 43

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

2 Parents were asked whether overall, across all subjects, the student got mostly A’s, mostly B’s, mostly C’s, mostly D’s or lower, or whether the 

student’s school did not give those grades. If the student’s school did not give letter grades (e.g., A, B, C), they were asked whether the parent 

would describe the student’s work at school as excellent, above average, average, below average, or failing. The two questions about grades or 

marks were combined for the table. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
13

Table 3a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

participation in school-related activities, by activity type and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Participation in school activities by parent or other household member

Characteristic Number of 

students in K 

through 12

(thousands)

Attended a 

general 

school 

meeting

Attended 

regularlyscheduled 

parentteacher 

conference

Attended a 

school or 

class event 

Acted as 

volunteer or 

served on 

school 

committee

Participated in 

school 

fundraising

 

Total ....................................................................................................... 94.8 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6

 

School type 

Public, assigned .......................................................................................... 288.1 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.7

Public, chosen ............................................................................................ 208.3 0.9 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.8

Private, church-related ............................................................................... 165.0 0.7 1.1 1.2 2.0 1.4

Private, not church-related ........................................................................ 87.1 1.5 2.5 2.8 3.2 3.0

 

School schedule 

Traditional .................................................................................................. 172.8 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6

Year-round ................................................................................................. 165.5 1.6 1.4 1.9 2.5 2.2

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ................................................................................... 180.1 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.6

At or below poverty level .......................................................................... 178.3 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.7

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ................................................................................ 205.6 2.0 2.5 2.4 2.0 2.3

High school graduate or equivalent .......................................................... 280.2 0.9 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.3

Vocational/technical education after high school or some college ........ 333.9 0.6 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0

College graduate ........................................................................................ 281.7 0.7 0.9 0.9 1.4 1.5

Graduate or professional school ............................................................... 245.6 0.8 0.9 1.1 1.5 1.2

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ....................................................... 194.9 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.6

One of two parents speaks English ........................................................... 85.9 2.8 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.5

No parent speaks English .......................................................................... 157.9 1.6 1.6 1.9 1.6 1.7

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ............................................................................................ 32.5 0.7 0.8 1.3 1.4 1.2

2nd – 3rd grade ........................................................................................ 24.5 0.8 0.8 1.3 1.4 1.5

4th – 5th grade ......................................................................................... 30.1 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.4 1.1

6th – 8th grade ......................................................................................... 45.0 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2

9th – 10th grade ....................................................................................... 28.4 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.1

11th – 12th grade ..................................................................................... 42.8 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.5

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .................................................................................. 178.3 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.7

Black, non-Hispanic .................................................................................. 36.1 0.9 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.6

Hispanic ...................................................................................................... 21.5 1.0 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.4

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ................................................... 113.2 2.1 3.0 3.7 2.7 3.6

Other, non-Hispanic ................................................................................... 124.7 2.2 3.2 3.0 3.9 3.8

See notes at end of table. 
14

Table 3a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

participation in school-related activities, by activity type and selected characteristics: 2002–03—

Continued 

Participation in school activities by parent or other household member 

Characteristic Number of 

students in K 

through 12

(thousands)

Attended a 

general 

school 

meeting

Attended 

regularlyscheduled 

parentteacher 

conference

Attended a 

school or 

class event 

Acted as 

volunteer or 

served on 

school 

committee

Participated in 

school 

fundraising

 

Total ....................................................................................................... 94.8 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6

 

Student’s sex 

 Male ............................................................................................................ 282.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.7

 Female ........................................................................................................ 272.3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.7

 

Student experiences in school 

Student participated in school activities ................................................... 284.2 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.9 0.7

Teacher or school contacted parent about behavior problems ................ 210.9 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2

Teacher or school contacted parent about schoolwork problems ........... 245.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.1

 

Student grades or marks2 

Mostly A’s or excellent ............................................................................. 283.8 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.9

Mostly B’s or above average .................................................................... 268.1 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9

Mostly C’s or average ............................................................................... 251.6 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.4 1.2

Mostly D’s or lower, or below average or failing ................................... 131.4 2.3 2.5 3.3 2.8 3.0

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

2 Parents were asked whether overall, across all subjects, the student got mostly A’s, mostly B’s, mostly C’s, mostly D’s or lower, or whether the 

student’s school did not give those grades. If the student’s school did not give letter grades (e.g., A, B, C), they were asked whether the parent 

would describe the student’s work at school as excellent, above average, average, below average, or failing. The two questions about grades or 

marks were combined for the table. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
15

Table 4. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 who have homework whose parents reported 

involvement in homework activities, by activity type, frequency, and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Number of days per week persons inside or 

outside household helped with homework1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands)

Place in home 

set aside for 

homework 

Adult in 

household 

checks that 

homework 

is done No help given

Less than 

once a 

week 

1 to 2 days 

a week 

3 to 4 days 

a week

5 or more 

days a 

week

 

Total .............................................................. 49,132 90 85 5 25 34 25 11

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 36,222 90 85 5 26 34 25 11

Public, chosen ................................................... 7,585 90 89 4 20 34 28 13

Private, church-related ...................................... 4,174 89 81 5 22 31 27 14

Private, not church-related ............................... 1,150 87 76 5 28 32 23 12

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 45,727 90 85 5 25 34 25 11

Year-round ........................................................ 3,404 87 92 4 13 35 31 16

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 39,747 91 84 5 26 33 25 11

At or below poverty level ................................. 9,385 86 91 5 17 37 26 15

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 3,342 80 90 9 17 41 21 12

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 12,222 90 89 6 22 34 27 12

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 15,591 91 86 4 24 34 26 11

College graduate ............................................... 9,469 89 82 4 28 33 24 11

Graduate or professional school ...................... 8,508 92 78 4 29 32 24 11

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 43,519 91 85 4 26 34 25 11

One of two parents speaks English .................. 1,031 88 91 6 14 29 30 20

No parent speaks English ................................. 4,582 78 90 9 14 37 26 14

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 7,010 87 100 # 11 30 37 22

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 7,608 89 99 1 ! 10 28 43 19

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 8,254 91 97 1 14 34 36 16

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 11,824 91 87 4 26 41 21 8

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 7,325 91 72 10 39 38 10 3

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 7,109 88 53 16 49 28 6 2

 

Student’s race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 30,450 90 82 5 29 34 23 9

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 7,929 95 93 4 16 33 29 17

Hispanic ............................................................. 7,853 83 92 6 16 36 27 15

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 1,404 92 82 7 19 30 29 15

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 1,496 94 88 5 25 27 32 11

See notes at end of table. 
16

Table 4. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 who have homework whose parents reported 

involvement in homework activities, by activity type, frequency, and selected characteristics: 2002–

03—Continued 

Number of days per week persons inside or 

outside household helped with homework1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands)

Place in home 

set aside for 

homework 

Adult in 

household 

checks that 

homework 

is done

No help 

given

Less than 

once a 

week 

1 to 2 days 

a week 

3 to 4 days 

a week

5 or more 

days a 

week

 

Total .............................................................. 49,132 90 85 5 25 34 25 11

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 24,862 90 87 5 24 33 26 12

Female ............................................................... 24,270 89 83 4 25 35 25 11 

Frequency student does homework3

 Less than once per week ................................... 1,408 84 82 9 91 † † †

 1-2 days per week ............................................. 7,416 87 84 7 35 58 † †

 3-4 days per week ............................................. 21,550 90 88 4 21 34 41 †

 5 or more days per week ................................... 18,757 91 83 5 20 27 19 30

 

Number hours student does homework 

 Less than an hour but not zero ......................... 1,752 83 91 5 42 30 15 8

 1-2 hours per week ............................................ 11,276 88 89 5 28 37 23 7

 3-4 hours per week ............................................ 11,060 89 88 5 24 37 26 8

 5-6 hours per week ............................................ 10,609 90 86 4 22 31 28 14

 7 or more hours per week ................................. 14,434 92 80 6 22 31 25 16

† Not applicable. Parents could not report that someone helped more days than the student had homework. 

# Rounds to zero. 

! Interpret data with caution. 

1

 Persons inside or outside the household included relatives, another adult living inside the household, a tutor, someone at an after-school 

program, or an adult living outside the child’s home. 

2

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

3 Parents were asked how often their children did homework, either at home, at an after-school program, or somewhere else outside of school. 

Overall, the percentage of students in kindergarten through 12th grade whose parents reported that their children had homework was 96 percent. 

One percent of students were reported by parents to never do homework, and 3 percent were reported to not have homework. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from all tables. Students who never did homework and students to whom no 

homework was given were excluded from this table, since no further questions about homework were asked. Detail may not sum to totals 

because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
17

Table 4a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 who have homework whose 

parents reported involvement in homework activities, by activity type, frequency, and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 

Number of days per week persons inside or 

outside household helped with homework1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands)

Place in home 

set aside for 

homework 

Adult in 

household 

checks that 

homework 

is done No help given

Less than 

once a 

week 

1 to 2 days 

a week 

3 to 4 days 

a week

5 or more 

days a 

week

 

Total .............................................................. 148.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.4

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 286.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.4

Public, chosen ................................................... 206.4 1.1 0.8 0.5 1.1 1.2 1.3 0.9

Private, church-related ...................................... 166.9 1.3 1.7 1.0 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.1

Private, not church-related ............................... 81.4 2.3 2.6 1.4 3.3 3.2 3.6 2.1

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 210.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.4

Year-round ........................................................ 156.4 1.4 0.9 0.7 1.3 2.1 2.0 1.5

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 193.6 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4

At or below poverty level ................................. 182.8 1.0 1.0 0.6 1.3 1.6 1.3 1.1

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 200.3 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.8 2.9 1.9 1.7

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 261.4 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.7

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 337.5 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.8 1.1 0.9 0.6

College graduate ............................................... 273.2 1.0 1.0 0.5 1.2 1.2 1.0 0.8

Graduate or professional school ...................... 247.9 0.8 1.0 0.5 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.9

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 226.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.4

One of two parents speaks English .................. 76.8 2.4 2.2 1.6 2.2 3.2 3.4 2.5

No parent speaks English ................................. 154.4 1.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.7 1.4 1.2

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 70.4 1.0 0.2 0.1 0.8 1.4 1.6 1.1

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 30.4 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.1

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 42.6 0.8 0.5 0.2 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.1

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 67.9 0.6 0.8 0.4 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.6

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 54.9 0.8 1.1 0.8 1.3 1.4 0.8 0.4

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 72.9 1.0 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.4

 

Student’s race/ethnicity

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 197.0 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.4

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 57.2 0.7 0.9 0.6 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.1

Hispanic ............................................................. 49.8 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.9 1.3 1.1 0.9

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 106.7 1.9 2.5 1.6 2.5 2.9 3.5 2.5

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 120.0 1.5 2.5 1.4 2.7 2.7 3.4 2.0

See notes at end of table. 
18

Table 4a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 who have homework whose 

parents reported involvement in homework activities, by activity type, frequency, and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Number of days per week persons inside or 

outside household helped with homework1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands)

Place in home 

set aside for 

homework 

Adult in 

household 

checks that 

homework 

is done No help given

Less than 

once a 

week 

1 to 2 days 

a week 

3 to 4 days 

a week

5 or more 

days a 

week

 

Total .............................................................. 148.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.4 

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................... 270.6 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.5

Female ................................................................ 277.5 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.6

 

Frequency student does homework3 

 Less than once per week .................................... 77.7 2.0 2.2 1.7 1.7 † † †

 1-2 days per week ............................................... 216.5 1.0 0.9 0.8 1.4 1.6 † †

 3-4 days per week ............................................... 309.6 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.9 0.9 †

 5 or more days per week .................................... 292.4 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.8

 

Number hours student does homework 

 Less than an hour but not zero ........................... 94.7 2.6 1.4 1.1 2.6 2.7 2.3 1.5

 1-2 hours per week ............................................. 254.6 0.8 0.7 0.5 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.6

 3-4 hours per week ............................................. 266.0 0.8 0.7 0.5 1.0 1.2 1.0 0.6

 5-6 hours per week ............................................. 212.2 0.7 0.8 0.4 1.0 1.2 1.1 0.8

 7 or more hours per week ................................... 270.5 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.7

† Not applicable. Parents could not report that someone helped more days than the student had homework. 

# Rounds to zero. 

1

 Persons inside or outside the household included relatives, another adult living inside the household, a tutor, someone at an after-school 

program, or an adult living outside the child’s home. 

2

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

3 Parents were asked how often their children did homework, either at home, at an after-school program, or somewhere else outside of school. 

Overall, the percentage of students in kindergarten through 12th grade whose parents reported that their children had homework was 96 percent. 

One percent of students were reported by parents to never do homework, and 3 percent were reported to not have homework. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from all tables. Students who never did homework and students to whom no 

homework was given were excluded from this table, since no further questions about homework were asked. Detail may not sum to totals 

because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003).
19

Table 5. Percentage of students in grades K through 3 whose parents reported reading to student, by 

 frequency and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Parent or other family member read to student in past week 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 3

(thousands) Not at all Once or twice Three or more times Every day

 

Total .............................................................. 15,519 10 25 29 36

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 11,031 10 25 30 35

Public, chosen ................................................... 2,537 11 25 29 35

Private, church-related ...................................... 1,553 7 25 28 39

Private, not church-related ............................... 397 8 ! 15 25 52

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 14,178 10 24 30 36

Year-round ........................................................ 1,341 7 31 25 37

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 12,422 10 24 30 37

At or below poverty level ................................. 3,097 10 29 27 34

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 1,072 18 33 26 23

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 3,652 10 29 27 34

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 4,963 11 26 31 33

College graduate ............................................... 3,269 7 22 30 40

Graduate or professional school ...................... 2,562 6 17 31 46

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 13,482 10 24 30 37

One of two parents speaks English .................. 440 10 21 36 34

No parent speaks English ................................. 1,598 11 32 26 31

 

Student’s grade level1

K – 1st grade 7,823 3 18 32 47

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 7,696 16 32 27 25

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 9,218 9 23 30 37

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 2,404 10 30 28 32

Hispanic ............................................................. 2,940 10 27 28 35

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 462 15 26 24 35

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 495 9 18 34 40

 Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 7,943 10 24 31 35

Female ............................................................... 7,575 9 26 28 37

! Interpret data with caution. 

1

Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
20

Table 5a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 3 whose parents reported 

reading to student, by frequency and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Parent or other family member read to student in past week 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 3

(thousands) Not at all Once or twice Three or more times Every day

 

Total .............................................................. 42.1 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.9

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 148.5 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.1

Public, chosen ................................................... 117.0 1.5 2.2 2.1 2.0

Private, church-related ...................................... 80.6 1.3 2.5 2.5 2.8

Private, not church-related ............................... 48.4 3.0 3.0 4.1 5.0

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 83.7 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.9

Year-round ........................................................ 70.8 1.5 3.1 3.0 3.7

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 138.3 0.6 1.0 0.9 0.9

At or below poverty level ................................. 132.7 1.4 1.9 2.0 2.4

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 91.1 2.9 3.6 3.1 4.4

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 136.4 1.4 1.8 1.8 1.9

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 165.3 1.2 1.6 1.5 1.5

College graduate ............................................... 127.2 1.0 1.7 1.7 1.9

Graduate or professional school ...................... 105.5 1.2 1.7 2.4 2.7

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 91.9 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.9

One of two parents speaks English .................. 51.5 2.6 3.9 5.7 5.6

No parent speaks English ................................. 81.5 1.5 2.9 2.3 2.6

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade 32.5 0.5 1.1 1.2 1.3

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 24.5 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 114.9 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.0

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 96.4 1.7 2.8 2.5 2.7

Hispanic ............................................................. 86.6 1.2 1.8 1.4 1.9

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 58.4 3.9 4.5 4.5 5.3

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 59.0 2.7 4.0 5.5 4.6

 Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 166.0 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.4

Female ............................................................... 162.0 0.8 1.3 1.3 1.2

1

Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
21

Table 6. Percentage of students in grades K through 5 whose parents reported participation in home 

activities with student in the past week, by type of involvement and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Home activities with student in past week 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 5 

(thousands)

Told 

student 

story

Did arts 

and crafts

Played sports, 

active games, or 

exercised

Involved 

student in 

household 

chores 

Worked 

on project 

Talked 

about family 

or ethnic 

heritage

Played board 

games or did 

puzzles

 

Total ...................................................................... 23,887 75 75 80 97 61 53 73

 

School type 

Public, assigned ......................................................... 17,063 75 75 81 97 60 51 74

Public, chosen ........................................................... 3,941 76 77 78 98 62 57 71

Private, church-related .............................................. 2,307 73 71 83 95 62 59 70

Private, not church-related ....................................... 576 77 75 80 94 64 56 64

 

School schedule 

Traditional ................................................................. 21,922 75 74 81 97 61 52 73

Year-round ................................................................ 1,965 77 79 79 95 56 63 73

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .................................................. 19,064 75 74 81 98 62 51 73

At or below poverty level ......................................... 4,823 74 77 77 96 56 62 73

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ............................................... 1,664 67 75 68 95 42 60 67

High school graduate or equivalent ......................... 5,604 71 75 77 97 58 55 73

Vocational/technical education after high 

 school or some college ....................................... 7,786 76 75 80 97 63 51 71

College graduate ....................................................... 4,764 78 73 84 97 63 48 76

Graduate or professional school .............................. 4,068 77 75 87 98 67 58 74

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ...................... 20,920 75 74 82 98 64 51 74

One of two parents speaks English .......................... 614 79 76 82 94 56 75 81

No parent speaks English ......................................... 2,353 69 79 70 90 38 66 64

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ............................................................... 7,823 84 89 82 97 61 48 77

2nd – 3rd grade ........................................................... 7,696 75 74 80 97 60 55 73

4th – 5th grade ............................................................ 8,368 66 62 79 98 62 57 69

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ................................................. 14,419 76 75 82 98 65 45 74

Black, non-Hispanic ................................................. 3,765 70 68 79 99 59 67 73

Hispanic ..................................................................... 4,220 74 80 76 93 48 65 68

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .................. 709 76 71 84 89 59 68 77

Other, non-Hispanic .................................................. 773 84 76 83 97 68 68 77

 

Student’s sex 

Male ........................................................................... 12,192 73 70 83 97 63 51 72

Female ....................................................................... 11,695 77 80 78 97 59 55 74

1

Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
22

Table 6a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 5 whose parents reported 

participation in home activities with student in the past week, by type of involvement and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 

Home activities with student in past week 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 5 

(thousands) 

Told 

student 

story

Did arts 

and crafts

Played sports, 

active games, or 

exercised

Involved 

student in 

household 

chores 

Worked 

on project 

Talked about 

family or 

ethnic 

heritage

Played board 

games or did 

puzzles

 

Total ...................................................................... 55.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.9 0.9 0.7 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ......................................................... 168.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.2 1.1 1.1 0.8 

Public, chosen ............................................................ 136.0 2.1 1.8 1.5 0.5 2.2 2.2 2.0 

Private, church-related .............................................. 104.4 2.5 2.1 1.9 1.0 2.5 2.4 2.3 

Private, not church-related ........................................ 59.5 3.8 4.1 4.1 2.2 4.5 4.5 4.9 

 

School schedule 

Traditional .................................................................. 111.2 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.2 1.0 0.9 0.7 

Year-round ................................................................. 94.1 2.3 2.0 2.1 1.1 2.8 2.8 2.5 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .................................................. 170.0 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.2 1.0 1.0 0.7 

At or below poverty level ......................................... 161.5 1.7 1.8 1.5 0.7 1.9 2.0 1.8 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ................................................ 120.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 1.2 3.4 3.0 3.2 

High school graduate or equivalent .......................... 163.6 1.6 1.3 1.4 0.6 1.8 1.9 1.4 

Vocational/technical education after high 

 school or some college ....................................... 200.6 1.2 1.3 1.1 0.5 1.6 1.6 1.4 

College graduate ........................................................ 169.1 1.6 1.6 1.2 0.5 2.1 1.9 1.4 

Graduate or professional school ............................... 149.9 1.5 1.5 1.1 0.5 1.7 2.1 1.7 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ....................... 126.0 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.2 1.0 0.9 0.7 

One of two parents speaks English .......................... 60.6 3.1 3.8 3.5 2.4 4.2 3.6 3.1 

No parent speaks English .......................................... 103.8 2.4 1.6 1.9 1.1 2.0 2.5 2.1 

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade .............................................................. 32.5 0.9 0.8 1.1 0.4 1.5 1.4 1.2 

2nd – 3rd grade .......................................................... 24.5 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.4 1.5 1.3 1.1 

4th – 5th grade ........................................................... 30.1 1.2 1.4 1.0 0.4 1.3 1.4 1.2 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ................................................. 155.8 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.2 1.1 1.1 0.9 

Black, non-Hispanic .................................................. 111.4 2.0 2.1 1.8 0.4 2.2 2.5 1.9 

Hispanic ..................................................................... 98.3 1.5 1.4 1.3 0.9 1.7 1.7 1.8 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .................. 82.9 3.7 4.3 3.0 2.6 4.3 4.8 3.8 

Other, non-Hispanic .................................................. 77.8 4.4 3.6 3.6 1.2 5.1 5.0 3.8 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ............................................................................ 215.7 0.9 1.0 0.8 0.3 1.1 1.2 0.9 

Female ........................................................................ 207.6 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.3 1.2 1.3 1.1 

1

Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
23

Table 7. Percentage of students in grades 6 through 12 whose parents reported participation in home 

activities with student in the past week, by type of activity and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Home activities with student in past week 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in grades 

6 through 12 

(thousands)

Worked with student on 

project

Played a sport or 

exercised together 

Discussed time 

management 

 

Total ............................................................................. 27,496 44 57 78 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................................ 20,807 43 56 77 

Public, chosen .................................................................. 3,974 48 60 81 

Private, church-related ..................................................... 2,010 45 59 77 

Private, not church-related .............................................. 705 40 58 81 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ........................................................................ 25,843 44 57 78 

Year-round ....................................................................... 1,654 41 58 82 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ......................................................... 22,351 45 56 78 

At or below poverty level ................................................ 5,145 43 57 76 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ...................................................... 1,972 36 55 78 

High school graduate or equivalent ................................ 7,287 43 53 74 

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ....................................... 8,396 47 58 78 

College graduate .............................................................. 5,113 46 57 78 

Graduate or professional school ..................................... 4,728 44 59 83 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ............................. 24,580 45 57 77 

One of two parents speaks English ................................. 476 45 65 86 

No parent speaks English ................................................ 2,440 39 55 84 

 

Student’s grade level1 

6th – 8th grade .................................................................. 12,170 54 68 78 

9th – 10th grade ................................................................ 7,783 38 54 78 

11th – 12th grade .............................................................. 7,543 34 41 77 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ........................................................ 17,509 46 56 76 

Black, non-Hispanic ........................................................ 4,399 39 56 81 

Hispanic ............................................................................ 4,030 41 59 85 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ......................... 744 50 60 79 

Other, non-Hispanic ......................................................... 815 42 63 72 

 

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................................. 14,131 45 60 79 

Female .............................................................................. 13,365 44 53 77 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
24

Table 7a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades 6 through 12 whose parents reported 

participation in home activities with student in the past week, by type of activity and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 

Home activities with student in past week 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in grades 

6 through 12 

(thousands)

Worked with student on 

project

Played a sport or 

exercised together 

Discussed time 

management 

 

Total .............................................................................. 62.4 0.8 0.7 0.7 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................................. 204.6 0.9 0.8 0.8 

Public, chosen ................................................................... 155.2 2.1 2.0 1.6 

Private, church-related ...................................................... 114.6 2.7 2.7 2.6 

Private, not church-related ............................................... 56.8 4.2 4.4 4.0 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................................... 121.5 0.8 0.7 0.8 

Year-round ........................................................................ 118.6 2.9 3.3 2.1 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................................... 156.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 

At or below poverty level ................................................. 153.2 2.2 2.0 1.9 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................................... 129.6 3.0 3.0 2.1 

High school graduate or equivalent ................................. 204.9 1.7 1.7 1.6 

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................................... 223.6 1.2 1.4 1.0 

College graduate ............................................................... 168.0 1.5 1.7 1.5 

Graduate or professional school ...................................... 172.8 2.3 1.7 1.4 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............................. 132.3 0.8 0.8 0.8 

One of two parents speaks English .................................. 51.2 5.3 4.6 3.9 

No parent speaks English ................................................. 108.7 2.4 2.6 2.0 

 

Student’s grade level1 

6th – 8th grade .................................................................. 45.0 1.2 1.1 1.0 

9th – 10th grade ................................................................ 28.4 1.2 1.4 1.2 

11th – 12th grade .............................................................. 42.8 1.3 1.5 1.3 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................................... 163.6 0.9 1.0 0.9 

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................................... 109.7 2.4 2.2 1.9 

Hispanic ............................................................................. 100.6 1.9 2.2 1.1 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......................... 69.0 4.2 4.1 3.8 

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................................... 82.3 4.5 4.2 5.3 

 

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................................. 180.7 1.1 1.0 1.0 

Female .............................................................................. 177.0 1.1 1.0 0.9 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
25

Table 8. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported outings with student in the 

past month, by type of outing and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Outings with student in past month 

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Visited a 

library

Went to a 

play, concert, 

or other live 

show

Visited an art 

gallery, 

museum, or 

historical site

Visited a 

zoo or 

aquarium

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

religious 

group 

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

community 

or ethnic 

group

Attended 

athletic or 

sporting 

event

 

Total .............................................................. 51,388 44 35 20 12 53 24 38 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 37,875 42 34 18 12 51 23 37 

Public, chosen ................................................... 7,915 47 38 24 14 52 27 36 

Private, church-related ...................................... 4,317 53 41 25 13 70 26 47 

Private, not church-related ............................... 1,280 46 38 32 14 50 28 31 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 47,768 43 36 19 12 53 24 38 

Year-round ........................................................ 3,620 48 28 21 22 48 21 32 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 41,418 44 37 20 11 55 25 39 

At or below poverty level ................................. 9,970 42 27 17 16 45 19 32 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 3,638 32 22 10 15 33 10 19 

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 12,891 39 27 15 12 42 18 35 

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 16,186 41 35 18 11 54 25 39 

College graduate ............................................... 9,877 50 40 24 13 62 27 44 

Graduate or professional school ...................... 8,797 54 47 29 13 66 30 41 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 45,505 43 36 20 11 55 25 40 

One of two parents speaks English .................. 1,090 55 31 23 23 47 23 29 

No parent speaks English ................................. 4,793 48 24 18 23 37 14 21 

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 7,823 49 34 21 18 52 21 34 

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 7,696 51 33 22 18 54 25 38 

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 8,368 51 39 23 14 57 24 39 

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 12,170 47 37 20 11 53 25 41 

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 7,783 36 34 17 7 53 24 39 

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 7,543 27 30 13 7 48 22 34 

See notes at end of table. 
26

Table 8. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported outings with student in the past 

month, by type of outing and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Outings with student in past month 

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Visited a 

library

Went to a 

play, concert, 

or other live 

show

Visited an art 

gallery, 

museum, or 

historical site

Visited a 

zoo or 

aquarium

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

religious 

group 

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

community 

or ethnic 

group

Attended 

athletic or 

sporting 

event

 

Total ............................................................. 51,388 44 35 20 12 53 24 38 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 31,931 41 36 19 9 54 24 40 

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 8,165 49 36 22 15 62 29 41 

Hispanic ............................................................. 8,250 44 28 18 21 43 17 31 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 1,453 65 39 30 16 50 34 25 

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 1,588 44 34 24 12 50 24 35 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 26,328 39 32 20 12 52 23 41 

Female ............................................................... 25,060 48 38 19 13 55 24 35 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
27

Table 8a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

outings with student in the past month, by type of outing and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Outings with student in past month 

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Visited a 

library

Went to a 

play, concert, 

or other live 

show

Visited an art 

gallery, 

museum, or 

historical site

Visited a 

zoo or 

aquarium

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

religious 

group 

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

community 

or ethnic 

group

Attended 

athletic or 

sporting 

event

 

Total ............................................................. 94.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.6 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 288.1 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.7 

Public, chosen ................................................... 208.3 1.4 1.3 1.2 0.9 1.5 1.1 1.4 

Private, church-related ...................................... 165.0 2.2 2.2 1.6 1.6 1.9 1.7 2.0 

Private, not church-related ............................... 87.1 3.3 3.2 3.6 2.3 3.6 2.6 3.2 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 172.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.7 

Year-round ........................................................ 165.5 2.3 1.9 1.7 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.5 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 180.1 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.8 0.5 0.7 

At or below poverty level ................................. 178.3 1.7 1.5 1.2 1.0 1.5 1.2 1.6 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 205.6 2.4 2.3 1.4 1.6 2.8 1.5 1.9 

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 280.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 0.9 1.3 1.0 1.3 

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 333.9 1.1 1.1 0.9 0.6 1.2 0.9 1.3 

College graduate ............................................... 281.7 1.2 1.2 1.3 0.9 1.3 1.1 1.3 

Graduate or professional school ...................... 245.6 1.6 1.5 1.4 0.9 1.4 1.4 1.5 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 194.9 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.7 

One of two parents speaks English .................. 85.9 4.0 3.7 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.4 3.7 

No parent speaks English ................................. 157.9 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.9 2.0 1.2 1.6 

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 32.5 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.4 

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 24.5 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.5 

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 30.1 1.3 1.2 1.3 0.9 1.3 1.1 1.4 

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 45.0 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.7 1.3 0.9 1.1 

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 28.4 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 1.5 1.0 1.3 

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 42.8 1.3 1.1 0.9 0.7 1.6 1.1 1.3 

See notes at end of table. 
28

Table 8a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported outings 

with student in the past month, by type of outing and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Outings with student in past month 

Characteristic Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Visited a 

library

Went to a 

play, concert, 

or other live 

show

Visited an art 

gallery, 

museum, or 

historical site

Visited a 

zoo or 

aquarium

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

religious 

group 

Attended 

event 

sponsored by 

community 

or ethnic 

group

Attended 

athletic or 

sporting 

event

 

Total ............................................................. 94.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.6 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 178.3 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.5 1.0 0.6 0.7 

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 36.1 1.7 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.6 1.4 1.7 

Hispanic ............................................................. 21.5 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.1 1.3 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 113.2 3.6 3.8 3.0 2.6 3.5 3.3 3.4 

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 124.7 3.5 3.2 2.7 1.9 4.0 2.9 3.8 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 282.6 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.9 0.7 0.9 

Female ............................................................... 272.3 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.9 0.6 0.8 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
29

Table 9. Percentage distribution of students in grades K through 12, by statements regarding student’s 

experience in school, parent’s level of agreement with statement, and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Student experiences in school1

Student finds his/her 

schoolwork challenging Student enjoys school

Most students and 

teachers in student’s 

school respect 

each other 

Student’s school makes 

it easy for family to be 

involved there

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD

 

Total ............................................................. 51,388 27 60 11 2 40 50 8 2 39 52 6 2 43 50 6 1

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 37,875 25 61 12 2 38 51 9 3 34 56 7 2 39 53 6 1

Public, chosen ................................................... 7,915 27 60 11 2 44 49 6 2 43 51 5 2 45 49 5 1

Private, church-related ...................................... 4,317 38 55 7 1! 53 43 4 # 70 30 1 ! # 64 35 1! 1! 

Private, not church-related ............................... 1,280 43 48 9 # 49 42 7 2! 67 30 2 ! 1 ! 60 35 2! 1! 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 47,768 27 60 11 2 40 49 8 3 40 52 6 2 43 50 6 1

Year-round ........................................................ 3,620 26 61 11 2! 40 51 8 1 35 57 6 3 ! 38 56 5 1! 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 41,418 28 59 11 2 41 49 8 2 41 51 6 2 45 49 5 1

At or below poverty level ................................. 9,970 23 62 12 3 37 52 9 2 32 57 9 3 35 56 7 2

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 3,638 19 68 11 2 32 58 8 2! 29 60 8 3 27 64 7 1! 

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 12,891 25 61 11 2 37 51 9 3 33 56 8 3 39 55 5 1

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 16,186 26 60 12 2 39 50 9 3 38 54 7 2 43 49 6 2

College graduate ............................................... 9,877 29 59 10 2 44 47 7 2 44 50 4 1 48 46 5 1

Graduate or professional school ...................... 8,797 33 56 9 2 47 46 5 2 51 45 4 1 49 46 4 1

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 45,505 27 59 11 2 40 49 8 3 40 52 6 2 44 49 6 1

One of two parents speaks English .................. 1,090 30 58 9 3! 45 50 4 1! 37 59 3 2 ! 32 64 4 #

No parent speaks English ................................. 4,793 25 65 9 1! 38 57 4 1 34 59 6 1 ! 31 64 5 1

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 7,823 26 58 13 3 56 40 3 1 53 43 2 1 57 40 3 1

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 7,696 27 60 11 2 50 45 4 1 52 44 3 1 ! 55 41 3 1

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 8,368 30 61 8 1 42 49 7 1 46 50 4 1 49 47 3 1! 

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 12,170 28 59 11 2 34 55 8 3 33 56 8 2 36 56 6 1

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 7,783 26 60 11 3 33 50 13 4 28 59 10 4 31 58 9 2

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 7,543 25 61 12 2 29 55 12 4 27 61 10 2 32 58 9 1

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 31,931 27 60 11 2 40 49 8 3 42 51 6 2 46 48 6 1

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 8,165 25 60 12 3 39 50 8 2 33 56 8 3 38 55 5 2

Hispanic ............................................................. 8,250 26 62 10 2 39 53 6 2 35 56 7 2 36 57 6 1

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 1,453 33 53 12 1! 54 42 3 # 44 54 2 ! # 37 59 4 #

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 1,588 24 55 18 3! 39 49 9 3 37 50 12 1 ! 45 47 6 2! 

See notes at end of table. 
30

Table 9. Percentage distribution of students in grades K through 12, by statements regarding student’s 

experience in school, parent’s level of agreement with statement, and selected characteristics: 

2002–03—Continued 

Student experiences in school1

Student finds his/her 

schoolwork challenging Student enjoys school

Most students and 

teachers in student’s 

school respect 

each other 

Student’s school makes 

it easy for family to be 

involved there

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD

 

Total .............................................................. 51,388 27 60 11 2 40 50 8 2 39 52 6 2 43 50 6 1

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 26,328 25 60 12 2 34 52 10 3 39 54 6 2 42 51 6 1

Female ............................................................... 25,060 29 60 10 2 46 47 5 2 40 51 7 2 44 49 5 1

# Rounds to zero. 

! Interpret data with caution. 

1

 Parents were asked whether they strongly agreed (SA), agreed (A), disagreed (D), or strongly disagreed (SD) with statements about the child’s 

school experiences. 

2

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
31

Table 9a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of students in grades K through 12, by statements 

regarding student’s experience in school, parent’s level of agreement with statement, and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03 

Student experiences in school1 

Student finds his/her 

schoolwork challenging Student enjoys school

Most students and 

teachers in student’s 

school respect 

each other

Student’s school 

makes it easy for 

family to be 

involved there 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD

 

Total .............................................................. 94.8 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.1

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 288.1 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.1

Public, chosen ................................................... 208.3 1.4 1.4 1.0 0.3 1.4 1.3 0.6 0.3 1.5 1.4 0.8 0.4 1.7 1.7 0.6 0.2

Private, church-related ...................................... 165.0 1.8 1.8 1.0 0.4 1.8 1.9 0.7 0.2 2.0 1.9 0.6 0.1 2.1 2.0 0.3 0.5

Private, not church-related ............................... 87.1 3.3 3.3 2.0 0.3 3.3 3.2 2.0 0.7 3.1 3.0 1.2 0.6 3.6 3.5 0.8 0.8

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................................... 172.8 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.1

Year-round ........................................................ 165.5 1.9 2.0 1.2 0.6 2.0 2.0 1.3 0.3 1.8 1.8 1.0 0.9 1.9 1.9 0.8 0.3

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 180.1 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.1

At or below poverty level ................................. 178.3 1.4 1.4 1.0 0.5 1.5 1.5 0.9 0.4 1.5 1.6 0.7 0.6 1.6 1.5 0.9 0.4

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 205.6 2.2 2.5 1.6 0.5 2.3 2.2 1.4 0.8 2.5 2.6 1.3 0.8 2.4 2.7 1.4 0.7

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 280.2 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.4 1.1 1.1 0.6 0.4 1.1 1.3 0.7 0.4 1.2 1.2 0.6 0.2

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ...................... 333.9 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.3 1.0 1.0 0.6 0.3 0.8 0.9 0.5 0.3 1.0 1.1 0.5 0.2

College graduate ............................................... 281.7 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.3 1.1 1.1 0.6 0.3 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.3 1.2 1.3 0.6 0.3

Graduate or professional school ...................... 245.6 1.4 1.3 0.7 0.4 1.6 1.5 0.6 0.3 1.4 1.4 0.6 0.2 1.6 1.6 0.5 0.2

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 194.9 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.1

One of two parents speaks English .................. 85.9 3.0 3.4 1.7 1.0 3.6 3.4 1.1 0.6 3.8 3.8 0.9 1.1 3.5 3.5 1.0 0.3

No parent speaks English ................................. 157.9 1.5 1.7 1.0 0.4 2.0 2.0 0.7 0.2 2.0 2.1 0.8 0.3 1.8 1.8 0.7 0.2

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 32.5 1.1 1.3 0.8 0.5 1.3 1.3 0.4 0.4 1.2 1.3 0.5 0.3 1.3 1.4 0.4 0.3

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 24.5 1.3 1.4 0.9 0.5 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.2 1.3 1.3 0.4 0.3 1.4 1.4 0.5 0.3

4th – 5th grade .................................................. 30.1 1.2 1.4 0.9 0.2 1.4 1.4 0.7 0.3 1.2 1.3 0.6 0.3 1.4 1.4 0.5 0.2

6th – 8th grade .................................................. 45.0 1.1 1.3 0.8 0.4 1.2 1.1 0.6 0.3 0.9 1.0 0.6 0.4 1.1 1.1 0.5 0.2

9th – 10th grade ................................................ 28.4 1.2 1.3 0.8 0.5 1.2 1.3 0.9 0.5 1.2 1.3 0.7 0.4 1.3 1.3 0.7 0.3

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 42.8 1.2 1.3 1.0 0.4 1.3 1.3 1.0 0.6 1.3 1.4 0.9 0.3 1.4 1.6 0.9 0.3

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 178.3 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.8 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.2

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 36.1 1.1 1.5 0.9 0.6 1.5 1.5 0.9 0.4 1.4 1.5 1.0 0.6 1.6 1.7 0.8 0.4

Hispanic ............................................................. 21.5 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.3 1.2 1.3 0.6 0.3 1.3 1.4 0.7 0.3 1.4 1.3 0.6 0.2

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 113.2 3.1 3.2 2.0 0.6 3.5 3.3 1.1 0.1 3.7 3.6 0.8 0.3 3.3 3.5 1.1 0.3

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 124.7 2.8 3.5 2.5 1.0 2.9 3.2 1.7 0.9 3.5 3.9 3.2 0.5 4.0 4.2 1.6 0.9

See notes at end of table. 
32

Table 9a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of students in grades K through 12, by statements 

regarding student’s experience in school, parent’s level of agreement with statement, and selected 

characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Student experiences in school1 

Student finds his/her 

schoolwork challenging Student enjoys school

Most students and 

teachers in student’s 

school respect 

each other

Student’s school makes 

it easy for family to be 

involved there

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD SA A D SD

 

Total .............................................................. 94.8 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.1

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 282.6 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.8 0.8 0.4 0.1

Female ............................................................... 272.3 0.7 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.8 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.8 0.9 0.4 0.2

1

 Parents were asked whether they strongly agreed (SA), agreed (A), disagreed (D), or strongly disagreed (SD) with statements about the child’s 

school experiences. 

2

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
33

Table 10. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported educational expectations 

and plans to help pay for education after high school, by educational attainment expectation and 

selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Parent expects student to... 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12

(thousands)

Receive less 

than a high 

school 

diploma

Graduate 

from high 

school

Attend 

vocational 

or technical 

school after 

high school

Attend 2 

or more 

years of 

college

Finish 4- 

or 5-year 

college 

degree 

Earn a 

graduate or 

professional 

degree

Family plans 

to help pay 

for student 

education 

after high 

school1 

 

Total .............................................................. 51,388 # 7 7 16 39 30 83 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ...................................................... 37,875 # 8 8 17 39 28 82 

Public, chosen ......................................................... 7,915 1 9 7 16 35 33 79 

Private, church-related ........................................... 4,317 # 2 2 9 45 41 91 

Private, not church-related ..................................... 1,280 1 ! 6 6 7 32 48 92 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ............................................................... 47,768 # 7 7 15 39 31 83 

Year-round .............................................................. 3,620 1 ! 11 8 17 34 29 66 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ............................................... 41,418 # 6 7 15 41 32 86 

At or below poverty level ...................................... 9,970 1 15 9 20 30 26 64 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ............................................. 3,638 1 ! 23 10 20 27 20 59 

High school graduate or equivalent ....................... 12,891 1 14 11 25 30 20 75 

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ............................ 16,186 # 6 9 18 39 27 81 

College graduate ..................................................... 9,877 # 2 3 8 55 33 91 

Graduate or professional school ............................ 8,797 # 1 3 4 38 54 93 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .................... 45,505 # 7 8 16 39 29 85 

One of two parents speaks English ....................... 1,090 0 6 4 14 27 49 66 

No parent speaks English ....................................... 4,793 1 ! 9 4 10 36 41 61 

 

Student’s grade level2

K – 1st grade ........................................................... 7,823 # 6 4 13 44 34 † 

2nd – 3rd grade ....................................................... 7,696 # 7 5 15 40 33 † 

4th – 5th grade ........................................................ 8,368 # 7 7 16 39 30 † 

6th – 8th grade ........................................................ 12,170 # 8 8 15 37 31 83 

9th – 10th grade ...................................................... 7,783 1 10 10 17 35 27 82 

11th – 12th grade .................................................... 7,543 1 ! 7 11 17 38 27 83 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .............................................. 31,931 1 7 8 15 42 27 87 

Black, non-Hispanic ............................................... 8,165 # 9 7 17 30 36 76 

Hispanic .................................................................. 8,250 # 8 6 16 36 34 72 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ............... 1,453 # 2 ! 1 ! 9 30 56 76 

Other, non-Hispanic ............................................... 1,588 1 ! 10 8 20 31 29 85 

See notes at end of table. 
34

Table 10. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported educational expectations 

and plans to help pay for education after high school, by educational attainment expectation and 

selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Parent expects student to... 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12

(thousands)

Receive less 

than a high 

school 

diploma

Graduate 

from high 

school

Attend 

vocational 

or technical 

school after 

high school

Attend 2 

or more 

years of 

college

Finish 4- 

or 5-year 

college 

degree 

Earn a 

graduate or 

professional 

degree

Family plans 

to help pay 

for student 

education 

after high 

school1

 

Total ............................................................... 51,388 # 7 7 16 39 30 83 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ........................................................................ 26,328 1 9 10 15 38 28 82 

Female .................................................................... 25,060 # 6 5 16 39 33 83 

 

Student grades or marks3 

Mostly A’s or excellent ......................................... 20,868 # 3 2 9 40 45 85 

Mostly B’s or above average ................................ 18,673 # 6 7 19 43 24 83 

Mostly C’s or average ........................................... 9,785 1 16 14 22 31 15 76 

Mostly D’s or lower, or below average or 

 failing ............................................................... 2,062 5 25 23 17 20 10 75 

† Not applicable. 

# Rounds to zero. 

! Interpret data with caution. 

1 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12 who expected their children to continue education after high school. 

2 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

3 Parents were asked whether overall, across all subjects, the student got mostly A’s, mostly B’s, mostly C’s, mostly D’s or lower, or whether the 

student’s school did not give those grades. If the student’s school did not give letter grades (e.g., A, B, C), they were asked whether the parent 

would describe the student’s work at school as excellent, above average, average, below average, or failing. The two questions about grades or 

marks were combined for the table. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
35

Table 10a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

educational expectations and plans to help pay for education after high school, by educational 

attainment expectation and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Parent expects student to... 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12

(thousands)

Receive less 

than a high 

school 

diploma

Graduate 

from high 

school

Attend 

vocational 

or technical 

school after 

high school

Attend 2 

or more 

years of 

college

Finish 4- 

or 5-year 

college 

degree 

Earn a 

graduate or 

professional 

degree

Family plans 

to help pay 

for student 

education 

after high 

school1 

 

Total ................................................................... 94.8 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.8 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ...................................................... 288.1 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 1.0 

Public, chosen ........................................................ 208.3 0.2 0.9 0.6 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.8 

Private, church-related ........................................... 165.0 0.2 0.8 0.4 1.1 1.9 1.7 1.4 

Private, not church-related .................................... 87.1 0.7 1.7 1.9 1.8 2.5 2.9 2.8 

 

School schedule 

Traditional .............................................................. 172.8 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.8 

Year-round ............................................................. 165.5 0.5 1.2 1.1 1.8 2.1 1.8 3.3 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ............................................... 180.1 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 

At or below poverty level ...................................... 178.3 0.2 1.2 0.8 1.2 1.0 1.4 2.5 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ............................................ 205.6 0.4 2.6 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 

High school graduate or equivalent ...................... 280.2 0.1 0.9 0.7 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.6 

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ........................... 333.9 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.9 1.6 

College graduate .................................................... 281.7 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.3 1.0 

Graduate or professional school ........................... 245.6 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.5 1.4 1.4 0.9 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ................... 194.9 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 

One of two parents speaks English ....................... 85.9 0.0 1.4 1.1 2.6 3.4 4.1 4.6 

No parent speaks English ...................................... 157.9 0.2 1.0 0.6 1.2 2.1 1.9 2.7 

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade .......................................................... 32.5 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.9 1.5 1.2 † 

2nd – 3rd grade ...................................................... 24.5 0.1 0.7 0.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 † 

4th – 5th grade ....................................................... 30.1 0.1 0.7 0.8 1.1 1.5 1.3 † 

6th – 8th grade ....................................................... 45.0 0.2 0.7 0.6 0.7 1.0 1.0 1.0 

9th – 10th grade ..................................................... 28.4 0.3 1.0 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.2 

11th – 12th grade ................................................... 42.8 0.3 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .............................................. 178.3 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.8 

Black, non-Hispanic .............................................. 36.1 0.2 1.1 0.7 1.2 1.2 1.4 2.1 

Hispanic .................................................................. 21.5 0.2 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.3 1.3 2.1 

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ............... 113.2 0.3 1.3 0.7 2.5 2.6 3.1 3.8 

Other, non-Hispanic ............................................... 124.7 0.4 3.3 2.0 2.8 3.1 2.9 3.5 

See notes at end of table. 
36

Table 10a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

educational expectations and plans to help pay for education after high school, by educational 

attainment expectation and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Parent expects student to... 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12

(thousands)

Receive less 

than a high 

school 

diploma

Graduate 

from

 high 

school

Attend 

vocational or 

technical 

school after 

high school

Attend 2 

or more 

years of 

college

Finish 4- 

or 5-year 

college 

degree 

Earn a 

graduate or 

professional 

degree

Family plans 

to help pay 

for student 

education 

after high 

school1 

 

Total .............................................................. 94.8 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.8 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 282.6 0.1 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.7 1.0 

Female ............................................................... 272.3 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 

 

Student grades or marks3 

Mostly A’s or excellent .................................... 283.8 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.9 0.9 1.0 

Mostly B’s or above average ........................... 268.1 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.1 

Mostly C’s or average ...................................... 251.6 0.2 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.3 0.8 2.0 

Mostly D’s or lower, or below average or 

 failing .......................................................... 131.4 1.3 2.3 2.4 2.1 2.8 1.5 3.9 

† Not applicable. 

1 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12 who expected their children to continue education after high school. 

2 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

3 Parents were asked whether overall, across all subjects, the student got mostly A’s, mostly B’s, mostly C’s, mostly D’s or lower, or whether the 

student’s school did not give those grades. If the student’s school did not give letter grades (e.g., A, B, C), they were asked whether the parent 

would describe the student’s work at school as excellent, above average, average, below average, or failing. The two questions about grades or 

marks were combined for the table. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
37

Table 11. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 who participated in activities in and out of school, by selected 

activity categories and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Out-of-school activities 

 Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student 

participated 

in school 

activities Music lessons

Religious 

group

Organized 

sports Scouting

Educational 

programs College prep1 Other

 

Total ............................................. 51,388 58 17 58 42 24 21 15 2 

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................ 37,875 57 16 58 41 23 21 15 3 

Public, chosen ................................... 7,915 51 17 57 38 24 24 18 3 

Private, church-related ...................... 4,317 71 24 63 55 29 22 17 2 

Private, not church-related ............... 1,280 68 32 49 50 25 28 18 2 !

 

School schedule 

Traditional ......................................... 47,768 59 17 59 43 24 21 15 2 

Year-round ........................................ 3,620 43 13 48 33 15 25 20 2 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ......................... 41,418 61 19 60 46 26 21 16 2 

At or below poverty level ................. 9,970 45 9 49 26 14 22 15 3 

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................... 3,638 35 7 36 22 8 19 13 1 !

High school graduate or 

 equivalent .................................... 12,891 49 8 49 30 16 21 13 2 

Vocational/technical 

 education after high school 

 or some college ........................... 16,186 58 14 60 40 25 21 15 3 

College graduate ............................... 9,877 66 23 66 54 29 20 17 2 

 Graduate or professional 

 school ........................................ 8,797 70 32 67 59 33 25 18 3 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) 

 English ........................................ 45,505 60 17 61 44 25 22 15 2 

One of two parents speaks 

 English ........................................ 1,090 51 20 50 35 18 27 20 4 !

No parent speaks English ................. 4,793 41 14 31 28 11 19 15 2 

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade ..................................... 7,823 29 11 53 43 20 14 † 1 

2nd – 3rd grade ................................. 7,696 43 15 60 48 31 20 † 2 

4th – 5th grade .................................. 8,368 68 22 61 50 29 21 † 2 

6th – 8th grade .................................. 12,170 72 20 61 46 21 22 7 2 

9th – 10th grade ................................ 7,783 64 17 59 35 22 24 12 4 

11th – 12th grade .............................. 7,543 60 13 51 28 21 27 33 4 

See notes at end of table. 
38

Table 11. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 who participated in activities in and out of school, by selected 

activity categories and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Out-of-school activities

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student 

participated 

in school 

activities1 Music lessons

Religious 

group

Organized 

sports Scouting

Educational 

programs College prep1 Other 

 

Total ...................................... 51,388 58 17 58 42 24 21 15 2 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ................. 31,931 62 18 61 48 27 18 13 2 

Black, non-Hispanic ................. 8,165 53 14 67 30 20 32 26 2 

Hispanic ..................................... 8,250 46 13 40 32 15 19 15 2 

Asian or Pacific Islander, 

 non-Hispanic ....................... 1,453 61 33 56 39 21 33 23 3 !

Other, non-Hispanic .................. 1,588 57 14 51 46 24 27 14 2 !

 

Student’s sex 

Male ........................................... 26,328 57 14 56 48 22 21 14 2 

Female ....................................... 25,060 59 19 60 36 26 22 16 3 

† Not applicable. 

! Interpret data with caution. 

1

 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12. 

2 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
39

Table 11a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 who participated in activities in and 

out of school, by selected activity categories and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Out-of-school activities 

 Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student 

participated 

in school 

activities Music lessons

Religious 

group Organized sports Scouting

Educational 

programs College prep1 Other 

 

Total ........................................... 94.8 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.2 

 

School type 

Public, assigned .............................. 288.1 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.2 

Public, chosen ................................. 208.3 1.5 1.0 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.2 0.4 

Private, church-related .................... 165.0 1.7 1.5 1.9 2.1 1.6 1.4 1.8 0.4 

Private, not church-related ............. 87.1 3.4 2.8 3.5 3.3 2.6 3.3 3.1 0.9 

 

School schedule 

Traditional ....................................... 172.8 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.2 

Year-round ...................................... 165.5 2.2 1.3 2.2 2.1 1.4 1.8 2.7 0.5 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ....................... 180.1 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.2 

At or below poverty level ............... 178.3 1.3 0.8 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.6 0.6 

 

Parents’ highest education 

 level 

Less than high school ..................... 205.6 1.9 0.9 2.4 1.8 1.1 1.8 2.1 0.4 

High school graduate or 

 equivalent .................................. 280.2 1.1 0.7 1.4 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.2 0.4 

Vocational/technical education 

 after high school or some 

 college ....................................... 333.9 1.0 0.7 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.3 

College graduate ............................. 281.7 1.1 0.9 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.3 

Graduate or professional school .... 245.6 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.3 0.6 

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) 

 English ...................................... 194.9 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.2 

One of two parents speaks 

 English ...................................... 85.9 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.6 2.6 3.2 4.3 1.4 

No parent speaks English ............... 157.9 1.8 1.2 1.8 1.9 1.0 1.3 1.8 0.5 

 

Student’s grade level2 

K – 1st grade ................................... 32.5 1.2 0.7 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.9 † 0.3 

2nd – 3rd grade ............................... 24.5 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.1 0.9 † 0.4 

4th – 5th grade ................................ 30.1 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.1 † 0.5 

6th – 8th grade ................................ 45.0 1.0 0.8 1.3 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.4 

9th – 10th grade .............................. 28.4 1.4 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.6 

11th – 12th grade ............................ 42.8 1.3 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.4 0.5 

See notes at end of table. 
40

Table 11a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 who participated in activities in and out 

of school, by selected activity categories and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Out-of-school activities 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student 

participated 

in school 

activities Music lessons

Religious 

group

Organized 

sports Scouting

Educational 

programs College prep1 Other 

 

Total ...................................... 94.8 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.2 

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .................. 178.3 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.3 

Black, non-Hispanic .................. 36.1 1.6 1.2 1.7 1.5 1.2 1.6 2.1 0.5 

Hispanic ...................................... 21.5 1.2 0.9 1.2 1.2 0.9 0.9 1.2 0.4 

Asian or Pacific Islander, 

 non-Hispanic ........................ 113.2 2.9 3.3 3.6 3.8 2.2 3.3 3.9 1.1 

Other, non-Hispanic .................. 124.7 3.2 2.1 3.8 3.1 2.6 2.7 3.1 1.5 

 

Student’s sex 

Male ............................................ 282.6 0.7 0.5 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.8 0.3 

Female ........................................ 272.3 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.3 

† Not applicable. 

1

 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12. 

2 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
41

Table 12. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported satisfaction with school provision 

of information, by type of information and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Percentage of parents reporting that school did “very well” at providing information about...1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance

What 

children of 

the student’s 

age are like

Opportunities 

to volunteer

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why student 

is placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes

How to help 

student plan 

for college2

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

work2

 

Total ......................................... 51,388 61 40 59 39 33 42 43 32 21

 

School type 

Public, assigned ........................... 37,875 58 37 56 38 32 39 41 30 19

Public, chosen .............................. 7,915 64 44 61 45 36 49 50 36 28

Private, church-related ................ 4,317 74 50 82 38 39 47 47 44 22

Private, not church-related .......... 1,280 76 56 73 50 40 51 57 53 25

 

School schedule 

Traditional .................................... 47,768 61 39 59 38 33 41 43 32 20

Year-round ................................... 3,620 63 51 56 50 42 52 52 37 29

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .................... 41,418 60 38 60 38 32 40 42 32 19

At or below poverty level ........... 9,970 63 48 54 46 39 49 48 33 27

 

Parents’ highest education 

 level 

Less than high school ................... 3,638 62 47 49 49 40 50 48 38 34

High school graduate or 

 equivalent ............................... 12,891 64 44 58 44 36 46 47 32 24

Vocational/technical 

 education after high 

 school or some college .......... 16,186 60 38 56 37 32 40 43 29 19

College graduate .......................... 9,877 60 37 62 36 30 38 39 33 16

Graduate or professional 

 school ...................................... 8,797 60 37 67 37 33 39 42 34 17

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) 

 English .................................... 45,505 61 38 60 38 32 40 43 31 19

One of two parents speaks 

 English .................................... 1,090 65 57 58 52 46 59 57 39 32

No parent speaks English ............ 4,793 63 51 49 49 43 54 47 38 32

 

Student’s grade level3 

K – 1st grade ................................. 7,823 65 55 74 56 41 60 51 — —

2nd – 3rd grade ............................. 7,696 67 49 74 53 42 54 52 — —

4th – 5th grade .............................. 8,368 65 45 70 45 37 45 47 — —

6th – 8th grade .............................. 12,170 62 35 54 33 29 36 41 20 14

9th – 10th grade ............................ 7,783 54 28 39 27 26 28 38 38 24

11th – 12th grade .......................... 7,543 51 27 45 23 27 28 33 46 28

See notes at end of table. 
42

Table 12. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported satisfaction with school provision of 

information, by type of information and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Percentage of parents reporting that school did “very well” at providing information about...1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance 

What 

children 

of the 

student’s 

age are 

like

Opportunities 

to volunteer

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why 

student is 

placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes 

How to 

help 

student

 plan for 

college2

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

work2

 

Total ................................... 51,388 61 40 59 39 33 42 43 32 21

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .............. 31,931 60 36 61 35 31 37 40 30 18

Black, non-Hispanic ............... 8,165 67 45 58 48 36 48 48 34 24

Hispanic .................................. 8,250 61 50 56 47 42 52 50 38 29

Asian or Pacific Islander, 

 non-Hispanic ..................... 1,453 62 43 50 41 34 44 42 35 21

Other, non-Hispanic ............... 1,588 59 40 60 41 32 43 49 26 20

 

Student’s sex 

Male ........................................ 26,328 60 39 57 38 32 41 44 31 21

Female ..................................... 25,060 62 41 61 40 34 43 43 33 20

— Not available.

1 Parents of students in grades K through 12 were asked to rate school performance relative to the provision of seven types of information (items 1-7 

in the list below). Parents of students in grades 6 through 12 were asked to rate school performance for the provision of nine types of information 

(items 1-9 in the list that follows): (1) letting them know between report cards about student’s school performance; (2) helping them understand 

what children of the student’s age are like; (3) making them aware of chances to volunteer at school; (4) helping them help their child learn at home; 

(5) providing information about community services; (6) providing information about how to help with homework; (7) providing information about 

why their child was placed in particular groups or classes; (8) providing information on how to help their child plan for college or vocational school; 

and (9) providing information about how to help their child plan for work after completing his or her education. Response options were does it “very 

well,” “just okay,” “not very well,” “doesn’t do it at all,” or “don’t know.” 

2 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12. 

3 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
43

Table 12a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

satisfaction with school provision of information, by type of information and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Percentage of parents reporting that school did “very well” at providing information about...1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance 

What children 

of the 

student’s age 

are like

Opportunities 

to volunteer

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why student 

is placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes 

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

college2

 How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

work2 

 

Total ........................................ 94.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.6

 

School type 

Public, assigned ........................... 288.1 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.7

Public, chosen .............................. 208.3 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.3 2.0

Private, church-related ................ 165.0 1.9 1.7 1.4 1.8 1.7 2.0 1.7 2.2 2.0

Private, not church-related .......... 87.1 2.7 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.4 4.3 3.6

 

School schedule 

Traditional ................................... 172.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.6

Year-round ................................... 165.5 2.1 2.6 1.7 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.3 3.5 2.8

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .................... 180.1 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.6

At or below poverty level ........... 178.3 1.6 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.0 1.6

 

Parents’ highest education 

 level 

Less than high school .................. 205.6 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.0 2.9

High school graduate or 

 equivalent .............................. 280.2 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.3

Vocational/technical 

 education after high 

 school or some college ......... 333.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.2

College graduate ......................... 281.7 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.5 1.2

Graduate or professional 

 school ..................................... 245.6 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.8 1.3

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) 

 English ................................... 194.9 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.6

One of two parents speaks 

 English ................................... 85.9 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.7 4.8 4.7

No parent speaks English ........... 157.9 1.7 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.9 2.3 2.4

 

Student’s grade level3 

K – 1st grade ................................ 32.5 1.4 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.5 — —

2nd – 3rd grade ............................ 24.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.3 1.5 1.3 — —

4th – 5th grade ............................. 30.1 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 — —

6th – 8th grade ............................. 45.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.1 0.9 0.7

9th – 10th grade ........................... 28.4 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.1

11th – 12th grade ......................... 42.8 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.2

See notes at end of table. 
44

Table 12a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

satisfaction with school provision of information, by type of information and selected characteristics: 

2002–03—Continued 

Percentage of parents reporting that school did “very well” at providing information about...1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Student’s 

performance 

What

 children of 

the 

student’s 

age are like

Opportunities 

to volunteer

How to 

help 

student 

learn at 

home

Community 

services

How to 

help with 

homework 

Why student 

is placed in 

particular 

groups or 

classes

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

college2 

How to 

help 

student 

plan for 

work2 

 

Total ......................................... 94.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.6

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .................... 178.3 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.7

Black, non-Hispanic ..................... 36.1 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.7 2.2 1.7

Hispanic ........................................ 21.5 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.8 1.6

Asian or Pacific Islander, non- 

 Hispanic .................................. 113.2 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.3 2.8 3.1 2.9 4.7 3.7

Other, non-Hispanic ..................... 124.7 3.1 3.5 3.6 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.6 5.0 4.4

 

Student’s sex 

Male .............................................. 282.6 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.8

Female ........................................... 272.3 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 0.8

— Not available.

1 Parents of students in grades K through 12 were asked to rate school performance relative to the provision of seven types of information (items 1-7 

in the list below). Parents of students in grades 6 through 12 were asked to rate school performance for the provision of nine types of information 

(items 1-9 in the list that follows): (1) letting them know between report cards about student’s school performance; (2) helping them understand 

what children of the student’s age are like; (3) making them aware of chances to volunteer at school; (4) helping them help their child learn at home; 

(5) providing information about community services; (6) providing information about how to help with homework; (7) providing information about 

why their child was placed in particular groups or classes; (8) providing information on how to help their child plan for college or vocational school; 

and (9) providing information about how to help their child plan for work after completing his or her education. Response options were does it “very 

well,” “just okay,” “not very well,” “doesn’t do it at all,” or “don’t know.” 

2 This question was only asked of parents of children in grades 6 through 12. 

3 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
45

Table 13. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported satisfaction with school 

characteristics, by selected school characteristics and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Parent reports of being “very satisfied”1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

With the 

school

With teachers 

student had this 

year

With academic 

standards of the 

school

With order and 

discipline at the 

school 

Amount 

of 

homework 

assigned is 

“about 

right”2 

Amount 

of 

standardized 

testing is 

“about 

right”3

 

Total ............................................................ 51,388 61 64 61 63 76 77

 

School type 

Public, assigned ............................................... 37,875 57 61 58 60 75 75

Public, chosen .................................................. 7,915 68 68 66 67 76 79

Private, church-related ..................................... 4,317 78 75 81 82 82 89

Private, not church-related .............................. 1,280 75 73 81 81 80 88

 

School schedule 

Traditional ........................................................ 47,768 61 63 61 63 76 77

Year-round ....................................................... 3,620 59 64 60 65 77 77

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ........................................ 41,418 62 64 62 64 76 77

At or below poverty level ................................ 9,970 57 61 58 61 74 76

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ...................................... 3,638 56 61 58 63 78 77

High school graduate or equivalent ................ 12,891 59 63 60 61 77 80

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college .................... 16,186 60 64 60 62 73 76

College graduate .............................................. 9,877 64 63 64 65 77 77

Graduate or professional school ..................... 8,797 64 65 64 66 77 75

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ............. 45,505 61 63 61 63 75 77

One of two parents speaks English ................. 1,090 60 68 64 68 72 80

No parent speaks English ................................ 4,793 61 65 62 63 80 79

 

Student’s grade level4 

K – 1st grade .................................................... 7,823 73 78 72 76 83 80

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................ 7,696 71 76 68 72 81 78

4th – 5th grade ................................................. 8,368 67 70 64 69 74 76

6th – 8th grade ................................................. 12,170 55 57 57 59 71 75

9th – 10th grade ............................................... 7,783 52 51 54 52 73 77

11th – 12th grade ............................................. 7,543 52 53 56 54 76 77

See notes at end of table. 
46

Table 13. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported satisfaction with school 

characteristics, by selected school characteristics and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Parent reports of being “very satisfied”1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

With the 

school

With teachers 

student had this 

year

With academic 

standards of the 

school

With order 

and 

discipline at 

the school 

Amount 

of 

 homework 

assigned is 

“about 

right” 2 

Amount 

of 

standardized 

testing is 

“about 

right” 3

 

Total .............................................................. 51,388 61 64 61 63 76 77

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

 White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 31,931 64 65 62 65 76 77

 Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 8,165 54 57 57 60 73 75

 Hispanic ............................................................. 8,250 61 66 63 64 78 79

 Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 1,453 54 59 54 59 73 79

 Other, non-Hispanic ......................................... 1,588 56 61 59 56 70 74

 

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................... 26,328 60 62 60 62 75 76

Female ................................................................ 25,060 63 65 63 64 77 79

1

 Parents were asked to rate satisfaction (1) “with the school”; (2) “with teachers student had this year”; (3) “with academic standards of the school”; 

and (4) “with order and discipline at the school.” Response options were “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” “somewhat dissatisfied,” or “very 

dissatisfied.” 

2 Response options were “the amount is about right,” “it’s too much,” or “it’s too little.” This estimate pertains only to the children whose parents 

reported that their children did homework outside of school. 

3 Response options were “doing about the right amount of standardized testing and assessment,” “doing too much,” or “doing too little.” 

4 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
47

Table 13a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

satisfaction with school characteristics, by selected school characteristics and selected characteristics: 

2002–03 

Parent reports of being “very satisfied”1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

With the 

school

With teachers 

student had this 

year

With academic 

standards of the 

school

With order 

and 

discipline at 

the school 

Amount 

of 

homework 

assigned is 

“about 

right”2 

Amount 

of 

standardized 

testing 

 is “about 

right” 3

 

Total ............................................................ 94.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5

 

School type 

Public, assigned ............................................... 288.1 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.6

Public, chosen .................................................. 208.3 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.3

Private, church-related ..................................... 165.0 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.4

Private, not church-related .............................. 87.1 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.8

 

School schedule 

Traditional ........................................................ 172.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6

Year-round ....................................................... 165.5 2.2 1.7 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ........................................ 180.1 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.6

At or below poverty level ................................ 178.3 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.3

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ...................................... 205.6 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.2 1.8 2.2

High school graduate or equivalent ................ 280.2 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ..................... 333.9 1.0 0.9 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.1

College graduate .............................................. 281.7 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.4 0.9 1.1

Graduate or professional school ..................... 245.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.1 1.3

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ............. 194.9 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.6

One of two parents speaks English ................. 85.9 3.6 3.1 3.5 3.5 3.0 3.2

No parent speaks English ................................ 157.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.2 1.6

 

Student’s grade level4 

K – 1st grade .................................................... 32.5 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................ 24.5 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2

4th – 5th grade ................................................. 30.1 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.0

6th – 8th grade ................................................. 45.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 0.9

9th – 10th grade ............................................... 28.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.1

11th – 12th grade ............................................. 42.8 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.1

 See notes at end of table. 
48

Table 13a. Standard errors of the percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported 

satisfaction with school characteristics, by selected school characteristics and selected characteristics: 

2002–03—Continued 

Parent reports of being “very satisfied”1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

With the 

school

With teachers 

student had this 

year

With academic 

standards of the 

school

With order and 

discipline at the 

school 

Amount 

 of 

homework 

assigned 

 is 

“about 

right” 2 

Amount 

of standardized 

testing 

 is 

“about 

 right” 3 

 

Total ............................................................ 94.8 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

 White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 178.3 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7

 Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 36.1 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.4 1.6

 Hispanic ............................................................. 21.5 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.1

 Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 113.2 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.4 2.7 2.6

 Other, non-Hispanic ......................................... 124.7 3.4 3.2 3.9 3.2 3.2 3.8

 

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................. 282.6 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.7

Female .............................................................. 272.3 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.6 0.8

1

 Parents were asked to rate satisfaction (1) “with the school”; (2) “with teachers student had this year”; (3) “with academic standards of the school”; 

and (4) “with order and discipline at the school.” Response options were “very satisfied,” “somewhat satisfied,” “somewhat dissatisfied,” or “very 

dissatisfied.” 

2 Response options were “the amount is about right,” “it’s too much,” or “it’s too little.” This estimate pertains only to the children whose parents 

reported that their children did homework outside of school. 

3 Response options were “doing about the right amount of standardized testing and assessment,” “doing too much,” or “doing too little.” 

4 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003).
49

Table 14. Percentage distribution of public school students in grades K through 12 by school choice and 

percent of students whose families moved to neighborhood for students to attend school, by 

household and student characteristics: 2002–03 

Enrollment by school choice 

Characteristic Number of students in 

grades K through 12 

(thousands)

Student is in 

assigned school

Student is in 

chosen school

Student’s assigned 

school is school of 

choice 

Family moved to 

neighborhood so 

student eligible for 

school

 

Total .............................................................. 45,790 83 15 2 26 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 36,181 83 15 2 27

At or below poverty level ................................. 9,609 82 17 2 22

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ....................................... 3,535 80 18 2 ! 22

High school graduate or equivalent ................. 12,262 83 15 2 24

Vocational/technical education after high 

 school or some college .............................. 14,822 83 15 2 24

College graduate ............................................... 8,144 83 14 2 29

Graduate or professional school ....................... 7,028 83 16 2 35

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .............. 40,298 83 16 2 26

One of two parents speaks English .................. 991 76 22 3 ! 30

No parent speaks English ................................. 4,501 85 13 1 29

 

Student’s grade level1

K – 1st grade ..................................................... 6,798 82 16 2 26

2nd – 3rd grade ................................................. 6,770 81 17 2 26

4th – 5th grade ................................................... 7,436 81 16 2 

6th – 8th grade ................................................... 10,903 84 15 1 27

9th – 10th grade ................................................. 7,058 83 15 2 24

11th – 12th grade .............................................. 6,819 85 14 1 27

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 27,955 85 13 2 28

Black, non-Hispanic ......................................... 7,472 74 25 1 19

Hispanic ............................................................. 7,672 84 14 2 26

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 1,252 78 22 # 33

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 1,439 79 21 1 ! 19

Student’s sex 

Male ................................................................... 23,496 83 15 2 26

Female ............................................................... 22,295 83 15 2 26

# Rounds to zero. 

! Interpret data with caution. 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of 

the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
50

Table 14a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of public school students in grades K through 12 by 

school choice and percent of students whose families moved to neighborhood for students to attend 

school, by household and student characteristics: 2002–03

Enrollment by school choice 

Characteristic Number of students in 

grades K through 12 

(thousands)

Student is in 

assigned school

Student is in 

chosen school

Student’s assigned 

school is school of 

choice 

Family moved to 

neighborhood so 

student eligible

for school

 

Total ................................................................. 213.6 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.6 

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level ............................................. 250.5 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.7

At or below poverty level .................................... 184.3 1.0 1.0 0.3 1.4

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school .......................................... 199.5 1.8 1.8 0.6 2.1

High school graduate or equivalent .................... 274.7 0.9 0.9 0.3 1.5

Vocational/technical education after 

 high school or some college ......................... 330.2 0.8 0.8 0.3 1.1

College graduate .................................................. 255.3 1.0 1.0 0.4 1.2

Graduate or professional school .......................... 237.3 1.3 1.3 0.4 1.7

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ................. 251.3 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.6

One of two parents speaks English ..................... 81.6 3.4 3.2 1.2 3.8

No parent speaks English .................................... 143.5 1.4 1.4 0.3 1.6

 

Student’s grade level1 

K – 1st grade ........................................................ 74.2 1.0 1.0 0.4 1.4

2nd – 3rd grade .................................................... 61.1 1.3 1.2 0.4 1.3

4th – 5th grade ...................................................... 73.8 1.1 1.0 0.5 1.3

6th – 8th grade ...................................................... 87.9 0.9 1.0 0.3 1.1

9th – 10th grade .................................................... 70.1 1.0 0.9 0.3 1.4

11th – 12th grade ................................................. 74.3 0.9 0.9 0.3 1.3

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ............................................ 230.8 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.9

Black, non-Hispanic ............................................ 75.2 1.5 1.5 0.3 1.3

Hispanic ................................................................ 59.3 1.1 1.0 0.4 1.1

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ............. 104.8 3.7 3.6 0.4 3.9

Other, non-Hispanic ............................................. 117.5 3.2 3.0 0.6 3.1

Student’s sex 

Male ...................................................................... 285.7 0.6 0.6 0.2 0.8

Female .................................................................. 267.6 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.9

# Rounds to zero. 

1

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of 

the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
51

Table 15. Percentage of students with disabilities in grades K through 12 who received services from public and 

private sources, by source of services and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Source of services for student’s special health needs Individualized Education Programs (IEP) 

and special education1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Local 

school 

district

State or local 

health or 

social service 

agency

Doctor, 

clinic, or 

other health 

care provider

Other 

source

Services 

were 

provided 

through 

an IEP 

Family worked 

with school to 

develop or 

change IEP2

Student 

currently in 

special 

education 

classes 

 

Total .............................................................. 14,384 33 15 61 3 34 89 28

 

School type 

Public, assigned ................................................. 10,640 35 16 62 3 34 89 29

Public, chosen .................................................... 2,382 35 18 59 4 38 86 29

Private, church-related ...................................... 943 14 4 ! 56 7 13 95 7 !

Private, not church-related ................................ 420 26 13 ! 66 13 ! 40 94 32

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .......................................... 11,290 32 11 62 4 35 92 27

At or below poverty level ................................. 3,094 36 29 57 3 31 76 33

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ........................................ 1,177 39 27 55 2 ! 32 71 35

High school graduate or equivalent .................. 3,835 38 20 54 3 34 89 33

Vocational/technical education after high 

 school or some college ............................... 4,678 33 16 65 4 36 90 29

College graduate ................................................ 2,345 27 8 61 4 30 88 19

Graduate or professional school ....................... 2,349 29 8 66 3 33 96 22

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English ............... 13,147 34 14 61 4 35 90 29

One of two parents speaks English .................. 181 33 24 68 4 ! 29 89 30

No parent speaks English .................................. 1,056 27 26 54 0 15 48 16

 

Disability affects student’s ability to learn 

Yes ...................................................................... 5,252 55 21 60 6 58 91 53

No ....................................................................... 9,132 20 12 61 2 18 84 12

 

Student’s grade level3 

K – 1st grade ......................................................... 1,616 39 15 57 3 ! 36 91 23

2nd – 3rd grade ..................................................... 2,150 36 17 61 3 34 85 28

4th – 5th grade ...................................................... 2,416 36 14 65 3 34 93 30

6th – 8th grade ...................................................... 3,614 34 16 62 4 33 88 29

9th – 10th grade .................................................... 2,354 29 16 59 4 35 89 31

11th – 12th grade .................................................. 2,229 26 14 57 4 32 90 23

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic ......................................... 9,412 33 11 62 3 34 92 28

Black, non-Hispanic .......................................... 2,122 36 26 58 4 40 81 37

Hispanic ............................................................. 2,121 30 20 56 3 22 75 21

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic .......... 283 38 23 ! 69 0 41 93 23

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 445 39 19 66 6 ! 35 96 23

See notes at end of table. 
52

Table 15. Percentage of students with disabilities in grades K through 12 who received services from public and 

private sources, by source of services and selected characteristics: 2002–03—Continued 

Source of services for student’s special health needs Individualized Education Programs (IEP) 

and special education1

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands) 

Local 

school 

district

State or 

local health 

or social 

service 

agency

Doctor, 

clinic, or 

other health 

care provider

Other 

source

Services 

were 

provided 

through an 

IEP 

Family worked 

with school to 

develop or 

change IEP2

Student 

currently 

in special 

education 

classes 

 

Total .............................................................. 14,384 33 15 61 3 34 89 28

 

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................... 8,496 38 16 60 4 40 90 32

Female ................................................................ 5,888 26 14 63 3 24 87 22

! Interpret data with caution.

1 Estimates pertain only to the students whose parents reported that their children received services.

2 Estimates pertain only to the students whose parents reported that their children received services through an IEP.

3

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Estimates pertain to students whose parents indicated they had one or more of the following disabilities: a specific learning disability; 

mental retardation; speech or language delay; a serious emotional disturbance; deafness or another hearing impairment; blindness or another visual 

impairment; an orthopedic impairment; another health impairment lasting 6 months or more; autism; attention deficit disorder (ADD, ADHD); or 

pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 

2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003).
53

Table 15a. Standard errors of the percentage of students with disabilities in grades K through 12 who received 

services from public and private sources, by source of services and selected characteristics: 2002–03 

Source of services for student’s special health 

needs 

Individualized Education Programs (IEP) 

and special education1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands)

Local 

school 

district

State or local 

health or social 

service agency

Doctor, 

clinic, or 

other health 

care 

provider

Other 

source

Services 

were 

provided 

through 

 an IEP 

Family worked 

with school to 

develop or 

change IEP2 

Student 

currently in 

special 

education 

classes 

Total ...................................................................... 265.5 1.1 0.8 1.1 0.4 1.3 1.2 1.1

 

School type 

Public, assigned ......................................................... 268.8 1.4 0.9 1.3 0.4 1.6 1.4 1.4

Public, chosen ............................................................ 107.3 2.7 2.1 2.5 0.9 2.8 3.4 2.9

Private, church-related .............................................. 67.8 2.1 1.3 3.8 2.1 2.9 5.1 2.4

Private, not church-related ........................................ 59.4 5.9 4.3 7.5 5.0 7.8 3.9 6.5

 

Household poverty status 

Above poverty level .................................................. 249.2 1.2 0.8 1.3 0.4 1.5 1.1 1.2

At or below poverty level .......................................... 137.7 2.6 2.5 2.3 0.9 2.5 4.1 2.3

 

Parents’ highest education level 

Less than high school ............................................. 106.7 4.4 4.0 3.9 1.1 4.4 6.7 4.0

High school graduate or equivalent ....................... 181.7 2.2 1.7 2.1 0.8 2.6 3.0 2.2

Vocational/technical education after high 

 school or some college ..................................... 176.9 1.6 1.5 1.7 0.8 2.0 1.9 1.8

College graduate ..................................................... 139.1 2.5 1.1 2.3 0.9 2.6 3.1 2.3

Graduate or professional school ............................ 121.8 2.3 1.4 2.8 0.7 2.9 1.9 2.2

 

Parents’ language 

Both/only parent(s) speak(s) English .................... 258.5 1.2 0.9 1.2 0.4 1.4 1.4 1.2

One of two parents speaks English ........................ 26.7 7.4 5.8 7.8 3.0 7.6 9.1 8.8

No parent speaks English ....................................... 83.1 3.0 2.7 3.3 0.0 2.6 8.7 2.8

Disability affects student’s ability to learn 

Yes ...................................................................... 173.5 1.6 1.6 1.7 0.8 1.8 1.7 1.8

No ....................................................................... 228.2 1.1 0.8 1.4 0.4 1.3 2.2 1.1

 

Student’s grade level3 

K – 1st grade ................................................................... 78.2 3.1 2.2 2.9 0.9 3.5 2.5 2.7

2nd – 3rd grade ............................................................... 87.6 2.6 2.0 3.0 0.8 2.9 4.3 2.8

4th – 5th grade ................................................................ 104.1 2.3 1.7 2.3 0.7 2.4 2.1 2.7

6th – 8th grade ................................................................ 125.1 1.9 1.6 2.3 0.8 2.2 2.7 2.2

9th – 10th grade .............................................................. 107.6 2.1 1.9 2.1 1.1 3.0 2.9 2.7

11th – 12th grade ............................................................ 90.5 3.0 1.9 2.6 0.8 3.5 4.1 3.3

 

Student’s race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic .......................................... 233.9 1.4 0.8 1.4 0.5 1.6 1.5 1.5

Black, non-Hispanic .......................................... 121.5 3.1 2.7 2.8 1.1 3.4 4.0 3.6

Hispanic .............................................................. 74.7 2.1 1.7 2.6 0.7 2.2 4.6 2.4

Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic ........... 43.0 9.5 9.8 9.1 0.0 10.2 5.4 6.7

Other, non-Hispanic .......................................... 60.1 6.3 4.3 6.8 3.3 7.6 4.1 6.3

See notes at end of table. 
54

Table 15a. Standard errors of the percentage of students with disabilities in grades K through 12 who received 

services from public and private sources, by source of services and selected characteristics: 2002–03—

Continued 

Source of services for student’s special health needs Individualized Education Programs (IEP) 

and special education1 

Characteristic 

Number of 

students in 

grades K 

through 12 

(thousands)

Local 

school 

district

State or local 

health or social 

service agency

Doctor, 

clinic, or 

other health 

care provider

Other 

source

Services 

were 

provided 

through 

an IEP 

Family 

worked with 

school to 

develop or 

change IEP2 

Student 

currently 

in special 

education 

classes 

Total ............................................................... 265.5 1.1 0.8 1.1 0.4 1.3 1.2 1.1

Student’s sex 

Male .................................................................... 206.3 1.5 1.0 1.3 0.5 1.6 1.5 1.4

Female ................................................................ 177.3 1.4 1.2 2.0 0.6 1.7 2.2 1.7

1 Estimates pertain only to the students whose parents reported that their children received services.

2 Estimates pertain only to the students whose parents reported that their children received services through an IEP.

3

 Students whose parents reported that their classes were “ungraded” were excluded from the analyses of grade level. 

NOTE: Estimates pertain to students whose parents indicated they had one or more of the following disabilities: a specific learning disability; 

mental retardation; speech or language delay; a serious emotional disturbance; deafness or another hearing impairment; blindness or another visual 

impairment; an orthopedic impairment; another health impairment lasting 6 months or more; autism; attention deficit disorder (ADD, ADHD); or 

pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Students who were homeschooled were excluded from the table. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 

National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003).
55

References 

Brick, J.M. (1996). Undercoverage Bias in Estimates of Characteristics of Adults and 0- to 2-Year-Olds in the 1995 

National Household Education Survey (NHES:95) (NCES 96–29). U.S. Department of Education. 

Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. 

Brick, J.M., Burke, J., and West, J. (1992). Telephone Undercoverage Bias of 14- to 21-Year-Olds and 3- to 5-YearOlds (NCES 92–101). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education 

Statistics. 

Brick, J.M., Tubbs, E., Collins, M.A., Nolin, M.J., Cantor, D., Levin, K., and Carnes, Y. (1997). Telephone Coverage 

Bias and Recorded Interviews in the 1993 National Household Education Survey (NHES:93) (NCES 97–02). 

U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. 

Hagedorn, M.C., Montaquila, J., Vaden-Kiernan, N., Kim, K., and Chapman, C. (2004a). National Household 

Education Surveys of 2003: Data File User’s Manual, Volume I (NCES 2004–101). U.S. Department of 

Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. 

Hagedorn, M.C., Montaquila, J., Vaden-Kiernan, N., Kim, K., and Chapman, C. (2004b). National Household 

Education Surveys of 2003: Data File User’s Manual, Volume II, Parent and Family Involvement in Education 

Survey (NCES 2004–102). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education 

Statistics. 

Montaquila, J.M., Brick, J.M., and Brock, S.P. (forthcoming). Potential Nonresponse Bias in Estimates from the 

National Household Education Surveys Program of 2003. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: 

National Center for Education Statistics. 

Montaquila, J.M., Brick, J.M., and Brock, S.P. (1997). Undercoverage Bias in Estimates of Characteristics of 

Households and Adults in the 1996 National Household Education Survey (NCES 97–39). U.S. Department of 

Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. 

Rao, J.N.K., and Shao, J. (1992). Jackknife Variance Estimation with Survey Data under Hot Deck Imputation. 

Biometrika, 79, 811–822. 

U.S. Census Bureau. (2002). 2000 Census of Population and Housing Survey, File 3: Technical Documentation. 

Washington, DC: U.S Department of Commerce. 

Westat. (2000). WesVar 4.0 User's Guide. Rockville, MD: Author. 
56

Appendix A: Technical Notes 

Survey Methodology and Data Reliability 

The National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES) is a set series of telephone surveys sponsored by 

the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NHES surveys focused 

on parent and family involvement in education in 1996 and 2003. This report presents data from the Parent and 

Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 NHES (NHES:2003). NHES:2003 data collection was 

conducted by Westat and took place from January through April of 2003. This section provides a brief 

description of the survey methodology; further details appear in Hagedorn et al. (2004a). 

The NHES:2003 sample was selected using random digit dial (RDD) methods, and the data were collected 

using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) technology. A random sample of telephone numbers 

was selected in the first stage, and within each household with eligible children, at least one eligible child was 

selected in the second stage.1

 The sample for the 2003 survey is nationally representative of all children in 

kindergarten through grade 12 enrolled in regular school or homeschooled in the 50 states and the District of 

Columbia. Different probabilities of selection were used to sample children, depending on the characteristics 

of the telephone number and the number of eligible children in the household, and in some households more 

than one child was selected; these unequal selection probabilities and the clustering effect of sampling more 

than one child in some households were accounted for in estimation. 

In the Parent and Family Involvement in Education interview, information was collected about demographic 

characteristics, homeschooling, school choice, types and frequency of family involvement in children’s schools, 

school information practices to involve and support families, learning activities with children outside of school, 

and the involvement of nonresidential parents. The person chosen as the respondent for the interview was the 

parent or guardian in the household who knew the most about the child’s education. Although the interview 

respondent was an adult, the sampling unit and unit of analysis is the child. Multiple attempts were made to 

complete interviews with persons not available at the time of selection. Interviews were conducted in both 

English and Spanish. Nine percent of the interviews were conducted in Spanish. The parent interview was 

completed by the parents of 12,426 of the 14,942 sampled children in kindergarten through grade 12. 

Data Reliability 

Estimates produced using data from the survey are subject to two types of error, sampling and nonsampling 

errors. Nonsampling errors are errors made in the collection and processing of data. Sampling errors occur 

because the data are collected from a sample rather than the whole population. 

Nonsampling Errors 

Nonsampling error is the term used to describe variations in the estimates that may be caused by population 

coverage limitations and data collection, processing, and reporting procedures. The sources of nonsampling 

errors are typically problems like unit2

 and item nonresponse, the differences in respondents' interpretations of 

the meaning of the questions, response differences related to the particular time the survey was conducted, and 

mistakes in data preparation. In the 2003 survey, efforts were made to minimize nonsampling error through 

cognitive testing in the survey design stage, a two-stage field test of the survey, online data edits and 

postinterview edits, and a comparison of the survey estimates with similar estimates from previous surveys. 

An important source of nonsampling error for a telephone survey is the failure to include persons who do not 

live in households with telephones. This is particularly problematic in random digit dial (RDD) surveys 

1

 In some households, eligible adults were sampled for the Adult Education for Work-Related Reasons Survey of the 2003 NHES. 

2

 In the 2003 survey, the unit nonresponse rate for children is defined as the percentage of eligible sampled children whose parents do not complete the 

survey. 
57

because so little is known about the sampled telephone numbers with which contact has not been made. The 

October 2001 Current Population Survey (CPS) shows that 95.8 percent of all adults ages 16 and older live in 

households with telephones and 95.2 percent of persons age 4 to 20 live in households with telephones (based 

on independent tabulations of the October 2001 CPS). Estimation procedures were used to help reduce the bias 

in the estimates associated with excluding the 4 percent of children who do not live in households with 

telephones. An issue that has arisen in recent years is households that have cell phones rather than landlines. 

Specific statistics on "cell phone only households" will be available from the February 2004 CPS. 

Several studies have examined telephone coverage bias for subsamples of the population in NHES. For 

example, Brick, Burke, and West (1992) looked at undercoverage bias for 3- to 5-year-olds and 14- to 21-yearolds. Brick (1996) examined undercoverage bias for 0- to 2-year-olds and adults. Undercoverage bias for 3- 

to 7-year-olds was examined by Brick et al. (1997), and undercoverage bias for estimates of characteristics of 

households and for adults was investigated by Montaquila, Brick, and Brock (1997). These studies found that 

with very few exceptions, the adjusted weights yielded estimates with absolute telephone coverage bias of 2 

percent or less. The only important exceptions are estimates of educational attainment for certain subgroups of 

adults (in particular, Blacks, Hispanics, and renters). 

Another potential source of nonsampling error is respondent bias. Respondent bias occurs when respondents 

systematically misreport (intentionally or unintentionally) information in a study. There are many different 

forms of respondent bias. One of the best known is social desirability bias, which occurs when respondents 

give what they believe is the socially desirable response. For example, surveys that ask about whether 

respondents voted in the most recent election typically obtain a higher estimate of the number of people who 

voted than do voting records. Although respondent bias may affect the accuracy of the results, it does not 

necessarily invalidate other results from a survey. If there are no systematic differences among specific groups 

under study in their tendency to give socially desirable responses, then comparisons of the different groups 

will accurately reflect differences among the groups. In this report, there may be a tendency for respondents to 

say that they participated in a school activity when they did not, went on outings when they did not, expect to 

pay for their children’s education after high school when they do not, etc. There is no a priori reason, 

however, to believe that some parents are more likely than others to give a socially desirable response. Thus, it 

is likely that contrasts in this E.D. TAB reflect true differences by school, family, and student characteristics. 

Another form of respondent bias occurs when respondents give unduly positive assessments about those close 

to them. For example, parents may give rosier assessments about their children’s school experiences than 

might be obtained from school records or from the children themselves. It is possible that parents who are 

highly involved in their children’s schools are more likely than those who are not so involved to say that their 

children are doing well in school. However, it is also possible that parents who are highly involved in their 

children’s schools have more information than those who are less involved on which to base their reports. This 

information could be positive or negative. Thus, it is equally conceivable that parents who are highly involved 

in their children’s schools are less likely than other parents to give rosy assessments of their children’s school 

experiences. Readers should be aware that respondent bias may be present in this survey as in any survey. It is 

not possible to state precisely how such bias may affect the results.

Response Rates 

In the 2003 survey, Screener interviews were completed with 32,049 households, with a weighted Screener 

unit response rate of 65 percent. A Screener was used to collect information on household composition and 

interview eligibility. In households with one eligible child, the child was selected for PFI with certainty. In 

households with two eligible children, both were selected for PFI with certainty. If there were more than two 

eligible children/youth, then two were sampled with equal probability. The parent interview was completed by 

the parents of 12,426 of the 14,942 sampled children in kindergarten through the 12th grade; these yielded a 

weighted unit response rate of 83 percent using base weights. Thus, the overall unit response rate for the 

Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey in 2003 was 54 percent (the product of the Screener unit 

response rate and the parent interview unit response rate). 
58

A unit nonresponse bias analysis was undertaken for NHES:2003. (See Montaquila et al. forthcoming.) This 

study involved an examination of unit response rates as a whole and for various subgroups, an analysis to 

determine characteristics that are associated with Screener unit nonresponse, and a comparison of estimates 

based on adjusted and unadjusted weights. The analysis of unit nonresponse bias showed no evidence of bias 

in estimates computed with nonresponse adjusted weights from the PFI-NHES:2003 survey. The statistical 

adjustments used in weighting may have corrected at least partially for biases that might have existed due to 

differential unit nonresponse. Unit nonresponse bias may still be present in other variables that were not 

studied. 

Item nonresponse (i.e., the failure to complete some items in an otherwise completed interview) was very low 

for most items in the 2003 survey. The item nonresponse rates for most variables included in this report are 3 

percent or lower. All variables in the report had nonresponse rates of 6 percent or lower. Variables in this 

report that had nonresponse rates that were higher than 3 percent are the following: whether the family worked 

with the school to develop or change an IEP; the parent’s feelings about the amount of standardized testing 

done at the child’s school; and parent reports about how well the school provided information about 

community services, how to help their child plan for college, and how to help their child plan for work. Items 

with missing data were imputed using a hot-deck procedure (Rao and Shao 1992) in which cells are formed 

that contain cases with similar characteristics and a donor value is used to impute the missing value. The 

estimates included in this report are based on the imputed data. 

Sampling Errors 

The sample of telephone households selected for the 2003 survey is just one of many possible samples that 

could have been selected. Therefore, estimates produced from this sample may differ from estimates that 

would have been produced from other samples. This type of variability is called sampling error because it 

arises from using a sample of households with telephones, rather than having surveyed all households with 

telephones. 

The standard error is a measure of the variability due to sampling when estimating a statistic; standard errors 

for estimates presented in this report were computed using a jackknife replication method. Standard errors can 

be used as a measure of the precision expected from a particular sample. The probability that a sample 

estimate would differ from the population parameter obtained from a complete census count by less than 1 

standard error is about 68 percent. The chance that the difference would be less than 1.65 standard errors is 

about 90 percent; and that the difference would be less than 1.96 standard errors, about 95 percent. 

Standard errors for all of the estimates are presented in the tables. These standard errors can be used to 

produce confidence intervals. For example, an estimated 61 percent of parents reported in 2003 that the school 

did very well at letting them know between report cards how their child was doing in school. This figure has 

an estimated standard error of 0.6. Therefore, the estimated 95 percent confidence interval for this statistic is 

approximately 60 to 62 percent (61 ± 1.96 (0.6)). That is, if the processes of selecting a sample, collecting the 

data, and constructing the confidence interval were repeated, it would be expected that in 95 out of 100 

samples from the same population, the confidence interval would contain the true participation rate. 

Weighting 

All of the estimates in this report are based on weighting the observations using the probabilities of 

selection of the respondents and other adjustments to partially account for nonresponse and coverage bias. 

Weights were developed to produce unbiased and consistent estimates of the national totals. The weight used 

in this E.D. TAB is FPWT, the weight variable used to estimate the characteristics of children and youth. In 

addition to properly weighting the responses, special procedures for estimating the statistical significance of 

the estimates were employed because the NHES:2003 data were collected using a complex sample design. 

Complex sample designs result in data that violate some of the assumptions that are normally used to assess 
59

the statistical significance of results from a simple random sample. For example, frequently the standard errors 

of the estimates from these surveys are larger than would be expected if the sample was a simple random 

sample and the observations were independent and identically distributed random variables. Eighty replicate 

weights, FPWT1 to FPWT80, were used to produce estimates of the sampling errors of the estimates. The 

estimates and standard errors presented in this report were produced using Wesvar Complex Samples software 

and a jackknife replication procedure (Westat 2000). 

Statistical Tests 

The tests of significance used in this E.D. TAB are based on Student’s t statistics for the comparison of 

individual estimates and for bivariate relationships. The test used assumes the two subgroups are independent. 

Due to the sampling of two children in some households with eligible children, the two subgroups are not truly 

independent if the two children are in the different subgroups in the comparison. However, for most items, any 

covariance between children in the same household is expected to be positive. Therefore, the t-tests that do not 

reflect this covariance will generally be conservative. To test for differences between subgroups, standard 

errors were computed using jackknife replication methods. To test for a difference between two subgroups in 

the population proportion having a particular characteristic, say P1 versus P2 , the test statistic is computed as: 

[ ] ( ) [ ] ( ) 2

2

2

1

2 1

s.e. p s.e. p

p p T

+

− = , 

where pi is the estimated proportion of subgroup i (i = 1, 2) having the particular characteristic and ( ) pi s.e.

is the standard error of that estimate. Thus, if p1 is for the 35 percent of students in households that were 

above the poverty level whose parents “strongly agreed” that the student’s school makes it easy for the family 

to be involved there, with a standard error of 1.6, and p2 is for the 45 percent of students in households that 

were at or below the poverty level whose parents “strongly agreed” that the student’s school makes it easy to 

be involved there, with a standard error of .6, T = 5.89. 

For the aforementioned comparison, the decision rule is to reject the null hypothesis (i.e., that there is no 

difference between the two groups in the population in terms of the proportion having the characteristic) if 

df

T t ;

2

> α , where 

df

t ;

2

α is the value such that the probability that a Student’s t random variable with df degrees 

of freedom exceeds that value is α 2 . 
60

Appendix B: Glossary

Each variable used in analyses for this E.D. TAB is described below. First, demographic variables used in the 

tables are described. These are alphabetized within topic. Second, other variables are described in the order 

that they appear in the tables. 

When the variable is in the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 National 

Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003) data file, the variable name appears in parentheses 

after the bold entry name. If a variable is not on the data file, but constructed for the purpose of this report, 

information is provided about how the variable was derived. For more information on variable construction, 

please see Hagedorn et al. (2004b). 

SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS

SCHOOL SCHEDULE (SSCHEDUL): This variable is used to classify whether the student went to 

a school with a traditional schedule or a year-round schedule. The data for SSCHEDUL were taken directly 

from the PFI parent questionnaire (PC14) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

 SCHOOL TYPE (SCHLTYPE): The variable SCHLTYPE classifies the school currently attended as 

either public or private using the variable SPUBLIC (PC1). Schools that are public are further classified using 

the variable SCHOICE (PC2) according to whether the school was chosen or assigned. Schools that are 

private are also classified using the variable SRELGON (PC9) as being church-related or not church-related. 

Otherwise, the data are imputed. The values for SCHLTYPE are: 1) = Public, assigned; 2) Public, chosen; 3) 

Private, church-related; 4) Private, not church-related; and -1) Home school. 

HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS

 HOUSEHOLD POVERTY STATUS (POVERTY): NHES provides an approximate measure of 

poverty. Households were asked to report the total income of all persons in the household over the past year 

using income ranges rather than exact dollars. The income variable used to construct POVERTY was 

HINCOME (PY16OV) that listed possible income ranges (e.g., $10,001 to 15,000, $15,001 to $20,000, etc., up 

to over $100,000). If data for HINCOME were missing, they were imputed. Using the income ranges and 

household size, poverty thresholds were used to establish poverty status. Thresholds to define poverty were 

based on weighted averages from 2002 census poverty thresholds. A household was considered in poverty if a 

household of a particular size matched the income categories shown in table A-1 below. 

 Table B-1. Poverty definition for Parent and Family Involvement in Education (PFI) analysis

Household size Income categories in variable HINCOME (PY16OV) 

1 Less than or equal to $10,000 

2 Less than or equal to $15,000 

3 Less than or equal to $15,000 

4 Less than or equal to $20,000 

5 Less than or equal to $25,000 

6 Less than or equal to $25,000 

7 Less than or equal to $30,000 

8 Less than or equal to $35,000 

9+ Less than or equal to $40,000 

 SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Parent and Family 

 Involvement in Education Survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES:2003). 
61

 PARENTS’ HIGHEST EDUCATION LEVEL (PARGRADE): The variable PARGRADE 

indicates the highest level of education for the subject child's parents or nonparent guardians who reside in the 

household. It is constructed from questions in the PFI parent questionnaire about the mother’s education and 

whether she received a high school diploma or equivalent (MOMGRADE, PU7; MOMDIPL, PU8 ) and the 

father’s education and whether he received a high school diploma or equivalent (DADGRADE, PV7; 

DADDIPL, PV8). If these data were missing for a household member, they were imputed. The values for 

PARGRADE are: 1) Less than high school diploma; 2) High school graduate or equivalent; 3) 

Vocational/technical education after high school or some college; 4) College graduate; and 5) Graduate or 

professional school. 

PARENTS’ LANGUAGE (LANGUAGE): The variable LANGUAGE indicates whether or not 

parent(s)/guardian(s) in the household know English. LANGUAGE was created using variables from the PFI 

parent questionnaire about the mother and father’s language (MOMLANG (PU2), MOMSPEAK (PU3), 

DADLANG (PV2) and DADSPEAK (PV3)). If these data were missing for a household member, they were 

imputed. A parent is categorized as knowing English if English was one of his/her first languages or one of 

the primary languages he/she spoke in the household at the time of the survey. The values for LANGUAGE 

are: 1) 1= Both/only parent(s) learned English as a child or currently speak(s) English in the home; 2) One of 

two parents learned English as a child or currently speaks English in the home; and 3) No parent learned 

English as a child and both/only parent(s) currently speak(s) a non-English language in the home. 

STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS

 STUDENT’S GRADE LEVEL (ALLGRADE): This variable was constructed from parent reports 

of student grade level in GRADE (PB6) or grade level equivalent in GRADEEQ (PB7) when available. 

Otherwise, it was imputed. Parent reports that the student was in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or 

prefirst grade were all counted as kindergarten for ALLGRADE. If the variable GRADE indicated that a child 

was in grades 1 through 12, the variable GRADE was used to set ALLGRADE. If the variable GRADE 

indicated that a child was in an ungraded class, in special education, or was homeschooled, and the variable for 

grade equivalent, GRADEEQ, was equal to U for “ungraded” or was missing, then ALLGRADE was set to U 

for ungraded. Otherwise, if the variable GRADE indicated that a child was in an ungraded class, in special 

education, or was homeschooled, and the variable for grade equivalent was not missing, then ALLGRADE 

was equal to the grade equivalent given in GRADEEQ. The values for ALLGRADE are: 1) K: Transitional 

kindergarten, kindergarten, and prefirst grade; 2) 1: First grade or equivalent; 3) 2: Second grade or 

equivalent; 4) 3: Third grade or equivalent; 5) 4: Fourth grade or equivalent; 6) 5: Fifth grade or equivalent; 7) 

6: Sixth grade or equivalent; 8) 7: Seventh grade or equivalent; 9) 8: Eighth grade or equivalent; 10) 9: Ninth 

grade or equivalent/freshman; 11) 10: Tenth grade or equivalent/sophomore; 12) 11: Eleventh grade or 

equivalent/junior; 13) 12: Twelfth grade or equivalent/senior; and 14) U: Ungraded/no equivalent. 

STUDENT’S RACE/ETHNICITY (RACEETH2): The variable RACEETH2 indicates the race and 

ethnicity of the child and is based on the variables for race (CRACE, PI2) and Hispanic origin (CHISPAN, 

PI3) in the PFI parent questionnaire. If these data were missing, they were imputed. If the respondent 

designates the child's ethnicity as Hispanic, RACEETHN is Hispanic regardless of whether RACE was 

classified as White, Black, Asian or Pacific Islander, or another race. The values of RACEETH2 are: 1) 

White, non-Hispanic; 2) Black, non-Hispanic; 3) Hispanic; 4) Asian or Pacific Islander; and 5) All other races, 

non-Hispanic. 

STUDENT’S SEX (SEX): The data for the variable SEX are taken directly from the PFI parent 

questionnaire (PA3) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 
62

MEANS BY WHICH SCHOOL COMMUNICATED WITH PARENTS

NOTES OR E-MAIL (FSNOTES): The data for FSNOTES are taken directly from the PFI parent 

questionnaire (PE4a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

NEWSLETTERS, MEMOS, OR NOTICES (FSMEMOS): The data for FSMEMOS are taken 

directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE4b) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

TELEPHONE (FSPHONE): The data for FSPHONE are taken directly from the PFI parent 

questionnaire (PE4c) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

TOPICS ABOUT WHICH SCHOOL PROVIDED INFORMATION

STUDENT’S PERFORMANCE: In table 2, the data for whether the school provided information 

on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPPERF (PE5a) in the PFI parent questionnaire. 

Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not very well” 

(FSSPPERF = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at all” 

(FSSPPERF = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

WHAT CHILDREN OF THE STUDENT’S AGE ARE LIKE: In table 2, the data for whether the 

school provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPCDEV (PE5b) in the PFI 

parent questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” 

or “not very well” (FSSPCDEV = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do 

it at all” (FSSPCDEV = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER: In table 2, the data for whether the school provided 

information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPVOLN (PE5c) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not 

very well” (FSSPVOLN = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at all” 

(FSSPVOLN = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

HOW TO HELP STUDENT LEARN AT HOME: In table 2, the data for whether the school 

provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPHOME (PE5d) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not 

very well” (FSSPHOME = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at all” 

(FSSPHOME = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

COMMUNITY SERVICES: In table 2, the data for whether the school provided information on this 

topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPSERV (PE5e) in the PFI parent questionnaire. Responses 

indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not very well” (FSSPSERV = 

1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at all” (FSSPSERV = 4) were 

excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

HOW TO HELP WITH HOMEWORK: In table 2, the data for whether the school provided 

information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPHW (PE5f) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not 

very well” (FSSPHW = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at all” 

(FSSPHW = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

WHY STUDENT IS PLACED IN PARTICULAR GROUPS OR CLASSES: In table 2, the data 

for whether the school provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPCOUR 

(PE5g) in the PFI parent questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very 
63

well,” “just okay,” or “not very well” (FSSPCOUR = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the 

school “doesn’t do it at all” (FSSPCOUR = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

HOW TO HELP STUDENT PLAN FOR COLLEGE: In table 2, the data for whether the school 

provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPCOLL (PE5h) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not 

very well” (FSSPCOLL = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at all” 

(FSSPCOLL = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

HOW TO HELP STUDENT PLAN FOR WORK: In table 2, the data for whether the school 

provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPWORK (PE5i) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well,” “just okay,” or “not 

very well” (FSSPWORK = 1, 2, or 3) were included. Responses indicating that the school “doesn’t do it at 

all” (FSSPWORK = 4) were excluded. Otherwise, values were imputed. 

STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN SCHOOL

 STUDENT PARTICIPATED IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (FOSCHACT): The data for 

FOSCHACT are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG10) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 

 TEACHER OR SCHOOL CONTACTED PARENT ABOUT BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS 

(SEBEHAVR): The data for FSMEETNG are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD4) when 

available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

 TEACHER OR SCHOOL CONTACTED PARENT ABOUT SCHOOLWORK PROBLEMS 

(SESCHLWR): The data for FSMEETNG are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD5) when 

available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

STUDENT GRADES OR MARKS: Parents were asked whether overall, across all subjects, the student got 

mostly A’s, mostly B’s, mostly C’s, mostly D’s or lower, or whether the student’s school did not give those 

grades (SEGRADES, PD2). If the student’s school did not give letter grades (e.g., A, B, C), they were asked 

whether the parent would describe the student’s work at school as excellent, above average, average, below 

average, or failing (SEGRADEQ, PD3). The two questions about grades or marks were combined for the 

variable about student grades or marks. If data were missing, they were imputed. The values for this variable 

are: 1) Mostly A’s or excellent; 2) Mostly B’s or above average; 3) Mostly C’s or average; and 4) Mostly D’s 

or lower, or below average or failing. 

PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES BY PARENT OR OTHER HOUSEHOLD MEMBER

ATTENDED A GENERAL SCHOOL MEETING (FSMEETNG): The data for FSMEETNG are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE1a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ATTENDED REGULARLY-SCHEDULED PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE 

(FSATCNFN): The data for FSATCNFN are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE1b) when 

available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ATTENDED A SCHOOL OR CLASS EVENT (FSSPORT): The data for FSSPORT are taken 

directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE1c) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ACTED AS VOLUNTEER OR SERVED ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE (FSVOLNTR): The data 

for FSVOLNTR are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE1d) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 
64

PARTICIPATED IN SCHOOL FUNDRAISING (FSFUNDRS): The data for FSFUNDRS are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE1f) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

FREQUENCY STUDENT DOES HOMEWORK: This variable was constructed from a question in the PFI 

parent questionnaire (FHHOME, PF1) that asked about how frequently the student did homework. Students 

who never did homework and students to whom no homework was given were excluded. If data were missing, 

they were imputed. Values for the variable indicate whether the student was reported by parents to do 

homework: 1) less than once a week; 2) 1 to 2 days a week; 3) 3 to 4 days a week; or 4) 5 or more days a 

week. 

NUMBER HOURS STUDENT DOES HOMEWORK: This variable was constructed from a question in 

the PFI parent questionnaire (FHWKHRS, PF2) that asked parents how many hours their children spent on 

homework outside of school during an “average” week. If data were missing, they were imputed. Hours were 

categorized into the following: 1) less than an hour but not zero; 2) 1 to 2 hours per week; 3) 3 to 4 hours per 

week; 4) 5 to 6 hours per week; and 5) 7 or more hours per week. 

PLACE IN HOME SET ASIDE FOR HOMEWORK (FHPLACE): The data for this variable were taken 

directly from FHPLACE (PF4) in the PFI parent questionnaire when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ADULT IN HOUSEHOLD CHECKS THAT HOMEWORK IS DONE (FHCHECK): The data for this 

variable were taken directly from FHCHECK (PF5) in the PFI parent questionnaire when available. 

Otherwise, they were imputed. 

NUMBER OF DAYS PER WEEK PERSONS INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HOUSEHOLD HELPED WITH 

HOMEWORK: The data for this variable were constructed from FHHELP (PF7) indicating how often 

someone in the household helped with homework, FHHOME (PF1) indicating how frequently the student had 

homework, and FHMOMH (PF6a), FHDADH (PF6b), FHSIBH (PF6c), FHHHADLH (PF6d), and 

FHNHADLH (PF6e) that asked if various persons helped the student with homework either at home or 

somewhere else during this school year. If FHHOME indicated that the student never did homework or that no 

homework was given to the student, the case was excluded. If the student had homework (FHHOME) “less 

than once a week,” “1 to 2 days a week,” “3 to 4 days a week,” or “5 or more days a week,” but no help was 

given by the mother, father, sibling, or other person inside or outside the household (the items in PF6a–e, 

FHMOMH, FHDADH, FHSIBH, FHHHADLH, and FHNHADLH = 2 (no help)), the value for the recoded 

variable was set to indicate that no help was given. Otherwise, the value was set to the value for FHHELP, 

which indicated how often during this school year the respondent, or any of the people indicated in 

PF6a-e (the mother, father, etc), helped the child with (his/her) homework. If questionnaire data were 

not available, the data were imputed. 

PARENT OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBER READ TO STUDENT IN PAST WEEK (FOREADTO): 

The data for FOREADTO are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG1) when available. 

Otherwise, they were imputed. 

HOME ACTIVITIES WITH STUDENT IN THE PAST WEEK

TOLD STUDENT STORY (FOSTORY): The data for FOSTORY are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG2a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

DID ARTS AND CRAFTS (FOCRAFTS): The data for FOCRAFTS are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG2b) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 
65

PLAYED SPORTS, ACTIVE GAMES, OR EXCERCISED (FOSPORTS): The data for 

FOSPORTS are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG2c for students in grades K through 5; 

PG3b for students in grades 6 through 12) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

INVOLVED STUDENT IN HOUSHOLD CHORES (FOCHORE): The data for FOCHORE are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG2d) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

WORKED ON PROJECT (FOBUILD): The data for FOBUILD are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG2e for students in grades K through 5; PG3a for students in grades 6 through 12) when 

available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

TALKED ABOUT FAMILY OR ETHNIC HERITAGE (FOHIST): The data for FOHIST are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG2f) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

PLAYED BOARD GAMES OR DID PUZZLES (FOGAMES): The data for FOGAMES are taken 

directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG2g) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

DISCUSSED TIME MANAGEMENT (FORESPON): The data for FORESPON are taken directly 

from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG3c) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

OUTINGS WITH STUDENT IN THE PAST MONTH

VISITED A LIBRARY (FOLIBRAY): The data for FOLIBRAY are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG4a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

GONE TO A PLAY, CONCERT, OR OTHER LIVE SHOW (FOCONCRT): The data for 

FOCONCRT are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG4b) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 

VISITED AN ART GALLERY, MUSEUM, OR HISTORICAL SITE (FOMUSEUM): The data 

for FOMUSEUM are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG4c) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 

VISITED A ZOO OR AQUARIUM (FOZOO): The data for FOZOO are taken directly from the 

PFI parent questionnaire (PG4d) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ATTENDED EVENT SPONSORED BY RELIGIOUS GROUP (FORELIG): The data for 

FORELIG are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG4e) when available. Otherwise, they were 

imputed. 

ATTENDED EVENT SPONSORED BY COMMUNITY OR ETHINIC GROUP 

(FOCOMMUN): The data for FOCOMMUN are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG4f) 

when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ATTENDED ATHLETIC OR SPORTING EVENT (FOSPRTEV): The data for FOSPRTEV are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG4g) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN SCHOOL

STUDENT FINDS HIS/HER SCHOOLWORK CHALLENGING (SECHALNG): The data for 

SECHALNG are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD1a) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 
66

STUDENT ENJOYS SCHOOL (SEENJOY): The data for SEENJOY are taken directly from the 

PFI parent questionnaire (PD1b) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

MOST STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN STUDENT’S SCHOOL RESPECT EACH OTHER 

(SERESPCT): The data for SERESPCT are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD1c) when 

available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

STUDENT’S SCHOOL MAKES IT EASY FOR FAMILY TO BE INVOLVED THERE 

(SEEASY): The data for SEEASY are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD1d) when 

available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

PARENT EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENT (SEFUTURE): The data for SEFUTURE are taken directly 

from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD10) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

FAMILY TO HELP PAY FOR STUDENT EDUCATION AFTER SCHOOL (SEFAMPAY): The data 

for SEFUTURE are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PD11) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 

STUDENT PARTICIPATES IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (FOSCHACT): The data for SEFUTURE are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PG10) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

OUT-OF-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

MUSIC LESSONS (FOMUSCLES): The data for FOMUSCLES are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG11a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

RELIGIOUS GROUP (FOCHURCH): The data for SEFUTURE are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG11b) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

ORGANIZED SPORTS (FOORGSPR): The data for FOMUSCLES are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG11c) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

SCOUTING (FOSCOUTS): The data for FOMUSCLES are taken directly from the PFI parent 

questionnaire (PG11d) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS (FOEDUC): The data for FOMUSCLES are taken directly from 

the PFI parent questionnaire (PG11e) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

COLLEGE PREP (FOCOLEXM): The data for FOMUSCLES are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PG11f) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

OTHER (FOOOSACT): The data for FOMUSCLES are taken directly from the PFI parent 

questionnaire (PG11g) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

PERCENTAGE OF PARENTS REPORTING THAT SCHOOL DID ‘’VERY WELL’’ AT 

PROVIDING INFORMATION

STUDENT’S PERFORMANCE: In table 12, the data for whether the school provided information 

on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPPERF (PE5a) in the PFI parent questionnaire. 

Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well” 

(FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 
67

WHAT CHILDREN OF THE STUDENT’S AGE ARE LIKE: In table 12, the data for whether 

the school provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPCDEV (PE5b) in the 

PFI parent questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this 

information “very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

OPPORTUNITIES TO VOLUNTEER: In table 12, the data for whether the school provided 

information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPVOLN (PE5c) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information 

“very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

HOW TO HELP STUDENT LEARN AT HOME: In table 12, the data for whether the school 

provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPHOME (PE5d) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information 

“very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

COMMUNITY SERVICES: In table 12, the data for whether the school provided information on 

this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPSERV (PE5e) in the PFI parent questionnaire. Otherwise, 

values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information “very well” (FSSPPERF 

= 1) were included in the recode. 

HOW TO HELP WITH HOMEWORK: In table 12, the data for whether the school provided 

information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPHW (PE5f) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information 

“very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

WHY STUDENT IS PLACED IN PARTICULAR GROUPS OR CLASSES: In table 12, the data 

for whether the school provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPCOUR 

(PE5g) in the PFI parent questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school 

provided this information “very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

 

HOW TO HELP STUDENT PLAN FOR COLLEGE: In table 12, the data for whether the school 

provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPCOLL (PE5h) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information 

“very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

HOW TO HELP STUDENT PLAN FOR WORK: In table 12, the data for whether the school 

provided information on this topic are based on a recode of the variable FSSPWORK (PE5i) in the PFI parent 

questionnaire. Otherwise, values were imputed. Responses indicating that the school provided this information 

“very well” (FSSPPERF = 1) were included in the recode. 

PARENT REPORTS OF BEING ‘’VERY SATISFIED’’

WITH THE SCHOOL (FCSCHOOL): The data for FCSCHOOL are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PE11a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

 

WITH TEACHERS STUDENT HAD THIS YEAR (FCTEACHR): The data for FCTEACHR are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE11b) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

WITH ACADEMIC STANDARDS OF THE SCHOOL (FCSTDS): The data for FCSTDS are 

taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE11c) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

WITH ORDER AND DISCIPLINE AT THE SCHOOL (FCORDER): The data for FCORDER 

are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE11d) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 
68

AMOUNT OF HOMEWORK ASSIGNED IS “ABOUT RIGHT” (FHAMOUNT): The data for 

FHAMOUNT are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PF3) then available. Otherwise, they were 

imputed. 

AMOUNT OF STANDARDIZED TESTING IS “ABOUT RIGHT” (FESTDTST): The data for 

FESTDTST are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PE12) when available. Otherwise, they were 

imputed. 

ENROLLMENT BY SCHOOL CHOICE (SCHOICE): The data for SCHOICE are taken directly from the 

PFI parent questionnaire (PC2) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

FAMILY MOVED TO NEIGHBORHOOD SO STUDENT ELIGIBLE FOR SCHOOL (SNEIGHBR): 

The data for SNEIGHBR are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PC8) when available. 

Otherwise, they were imputed. 

DISABILITY AFFECTS STUDENT’S ABILITY TO LEARN (HDAFFECT). The data for HDAFFECT 

are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PH9) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

SOURCE OF SERVICES FOR STUDENT’S CONDITION

LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT (HDSCHL): The data for HDSCHL are taken directly from the PFI 

parent questionnaire (PH4a) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

STATE OR LOCAL HEALTH OR SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCY (HDGOVT): The data for 

HDGOVT are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PH4b) when available. Otherwise, they were 

imputed. 

DOCTOR, CLINIC, OR OTHER HEALTH CARE PROVIDER (HDDOCTOR): The data for 

HDDOCTOR are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PH4c) when available. Otherwise, they 

were imputed. 

OTHER SOURCE (HDSOURCE): The data for HDSOURCE are taken directly from the PFI parent 

questionnaire (PH4d) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS (IEP) AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

SERVICES WERE PROVIDED THROUGH AN IEP (HNIFSP): The data for HNIFSP are taken 

directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PH5) when available. Otherwise, they were imputed. 

FAMILY WORKED WITH SCHOOL TO DEVELOP OR CHANGE IEP (HDDEVIEP): The 

data for HDDEVIEP are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PH6) when available. Otherwise, 

they were imputed. 

STUDENT CURRENTLY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASS (HDSPCLED): The data for 

HDSPCLED are taken directly from the PFI parent questionnaire (PH7) when available. Otherwise, they were 

imputed.