According to Census

2000, more than onefourth of the U.S. population aged 3 and older

attended school in the

spring of 2000. The

76.6 million students

included 5.0 million

enrolled in nursery

school, 4.2 million in

kindergarten, 33.7 million in elementary

school, 16.4 million in

high school, 14.4 million

in college (undergraduate), and 3.1 million in

graduate school.1 This

report, part of a series

that presents population

and housing data collected by Census 2000,

provides a profile of the

student population in

the United States.2

Decennial censuses have

included a question on

school enrollment since 1840. Early versions of the enrollment question asked

only if each person in the household had

attended school (excluding Sunday

school) within the last year. By 1890, the

question requested the number of months

each person aged 5 to 17 attended school

in the previous year, with instructions to

enter zero if the person did not attend

school at all. By 1910, the enrollment

question dropped the request for the

number of months in school, inquiring

only if the person had been enrolled at

some time since September of the previous year. In the 1930 census, the term

“college” was added to the enrollment

question. In 1940, a question on highest

level or grade attended was added to

determine both the grade enrolled and

the highest grade completed. In addition,

the school enrollment item limited the

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S.Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued August 2003

C2KBR-26

School Enrollment: 2000 

Census 2000 Brief

By 

Jennifer Cheeseman Day 

with 

Amie Jamieson

a. At any time since February 1, 2000, has this

person attended regular school or college?

Include only nursery school or preschool,

kindergarten, elementary school, and schooling which

leads to a high school diploma or a college degree.

No, has not attended since February 1 Skip to 9

Yes, public school, public college

Yes, private school, private college

Figure 1.

Reproduction of the Question on 

School Enrollment From Census 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.

Nursery school, preschool

b. What grade or level was this person attending? 

Mark ONE box.

Kindergarten

Grade 1 to grade 4

Grade 5 to grade 8

Grade 9 to grade 12

College undergraduate years (freshman to senior)

Graduate or professional school (for example: medical,

dental, or law school)

x

8

1 The estimates in this report are based on

responses from a sample of the population. As with

all surveys, estimates may vary from the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors.

All statements made in this report have undergone

statistical testing and are significant at the 90-

percent confidence level unless otherwise noted. 2 The text of this report discusses data for the

United States, including the 50 states and the

District of Columbia. Data for the Commonwealth of

Puerto Rico are shown in Table 1 and Figure 6.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 1.

Population Aged 3 and Over by Enrollment Status and Level for the United States,

Regions, States, and for Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Area

1990 2000 Number enrolled in 2000 High

school

dropout

rate in

20001

Population,

aged 3

and over

Percent

enrolled

Population,

aged 3

and over

Percent

enrolled TotalNursery

school

KindergartenElementary schoolHigh

school

Undergraduate

school

Graduate

or professional

school

United States . . 237,785,294 27.3 270,076,176 28.4 76,632,927 4,957,582 4,157,491 33,653,641 16,380,951 14,375,764 3,107,498 9.8

Region

Northeast......... 48,709,859 26.0 51,605,299 27.7 14,316,466 970,505 742,836 6,157,210 3,027,085 2,705,141 713,689 7.7

Midwest .......... 57,057,335 27.7 61,814,821 28.4 17,571,732 1,172,268 946,575 7,710,719 3,780,935 3,269,366 691,869 8.4

South ........... 81,745,922 26.8 96,156,282 27.6 26,564,433 1,784,594 1,486,711 11,888,132 5,711,587 4,735,733 957,676 11.4

West . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,272,178 29.0 60,499,774 30.1 18,180,296 1,030,215 981,369 7,897,580 3,861,344 3,665,524 744,264 10.5

State

Alabama ......... 3,872,930 27.3 4,270,890 27.1 1,155,504 74,879 65,888 525,314 246,148 207,375 35,900 12.0

Alaska ........... 517,213 30.2 598,971 31.0 185,760 10,804 10,078 91,027 41,548 26,501 5,802 8.8

Arizona .......... 3,491,284 28.4 4,903,523 28.6 1,401,840 81,923 77,930 624,766 286,122 274,141 56,958 14.8

Arkansas ......... 2,253,198 25.8 2,565,563 26.3 675,109 43,353 37,746 311,515 154,432 112,106 15,957 9.5

California ......... 28,317,687 29.3 32,422,596 31.2 10,129,990 547,066 554,361 4,349,867 2,122,098 2,116,277 440,321 10.1

Colorado ......... 3,146,738 28.5 4,123,063 28.3 1,166,004 79,064 61,749 503,119 239,240 225,316 57,516 12.1

Connecticut ....... 3,149,721 25.6 3,276,910 27.8 910,869 66,689 49,197 401,109 189,662 156,785 47,427 7.4

Delaware ......... 637,183 26.9 753,222 27.9 209,979 14,792 10,813 89,673 43,294 42,246 9,161 10.4

District of Columbia . 584,368 25.9 553,158 28.5 157,475 9,409 7,400 54,474 26,694 41,735 17,763 10.1

Florida ........... 12,434,507 23.5 15,426,358 25.5 3,933,279 271,313 212,744 1,716,991 845,406 741,013 145,812 11.9

Georgia .......... 6,179,765 26.6 7,829,770 28.2 2,211,688 176,842 126,641 1,003,495 468,155 358,520 78,035 13.6

Hawaii ........... 1,058,938 27.4 1,165,360 27.5 320,842 17,909 16,697 136,318 70,170 66,354 13,394 6.0

Idaho............ 959,948 30.8 1,235,455 29.8 368,579 20,764 19,149 165,698 85,576 66,488 10,904 8.2

Illinois ........... 10,922,341 27.8 11,901,237 29.0 3,450,604 253,102 189,795 1,490,164 707,505 646,798 163,240 9.9

Indiana .......... 5,306,832 27.1 5,828,402 27.5 1,603,554 108,711 88,979 714,684 338,493 300,194 52,493 9.8

Iowa ............ 2,662,084 27.7 2,814,447 28.1 792,057 52,114 40,105 336,676 175,856 159,548 27,758 5.8

Kansas .......... 2,367,424 28.2 2,575,611 29.4 756,960 51,305 39,071 325,595 164,536 145,247 31,206 8.0

Kentucky ......... 3,537,634 26.0 3,881,731 26.0 1,007,452 62,338 55,163 458,749 224,835 173,564 32,803 11.6

Louisiana ......... 4,023,028 29.5 4,279,105 29.7 1,271,299 89,597 69,264 571,548 282,890 217,028 40,972 11.7

Maine ........... 1,177,786 25.9 1,233,203 26.0 321,041 17,558 15,482 146,178 74,607 56,953 10,263 6.2

Maryland ......... 4,565,770 26.6 5,088,782 29.0 1,475,484 96,052 75,440 641,844 307,671 270,477 84,000 8.4

Massachusetts ..... 5,769,548 26.5 6,112,893 28.2 1,726,111 122,930 86,479 703,094 340,205 357,414 115,989 6.6

Michigan ......... 8,876,322 29.1 9,542,068 29.1 2,780,378 173,083 149,186 1,225,217 597,056 525,194 110,642 8.7

Minnesota ........ 4,177,452 28.1 4,725,959 28.8 1,362,507 90,516 71,974 595,721 308,038 243,465 52,793 5.9

Mississippi ........ 2,458,941 29.6 2,723,175 29.0 789,903 54,058 47,384 363,300 172,164 134,526 18,471 12.2

Missouri.......... 4,898,736 26.4 5,374,963 27.5 1,479,573 102,502 77,764 663,155 316,637 259,294 60,221 10.2

Montana ......... 764,862 28.2 870,041 27.8 241,754 13,694 12,033 108,571 56,201 44,302 6,953 8.0

Nebraska ......... 1,508,265 28.7 1,641,508 29.3 480,705 30,386 25,269 204,490 108,245 94,441 17,874 7.0

Nevada .......... 1,147,101 24.4 1,912,011 25.8 492,885 27,345 30,087 232,258 104,564 82,200 16,431 16.0

New Hampshire .... 1,058,812 26.1 1,191,571 27.9 332,888 20,868 15,899 151,310 69,979 61,021 13,811 7.3

New Jersey ....... 7,408,844 25.2 8,084,213 27.4 2,217,832 181,423 121,950 978,203 465,954 372,043 98,259 7.2

New Mexico....... 1,441,844 30.2 1,742,055 30.6 533,786 28,597 27,031 238,669 119,224 99,558 20,707 12.1

New York . . . . . . . . . 17,236,230 27.0 18,251,875 28.6 5,217,030 331,376 272,504 2,208,497 1,103,278 1,025,280 276,095 8.8

North Carolina ..... 6,352,751 25.6 7,724,645 26.5 2,043,225 135,315 114,713 913,173 417,749 393,144 69,131 12.6

North Dakota ...... 610,866 29.1 618,991 29.0 179,667 8,725 8,650 73,725 41,564 42,108 4,895 4.8

Ohio ............ 10,382,354 27.0 10,907,180 27.6 3,014,460 204,086 163,537 1,349,361 645,083 539,392 113,001 8.3

Oklahoma ........ 3,013,780 27.8 3,308,545 28.1 930,865 60,100 50,220 412,966 204,317 173,229 30,033 10.0

Oregon .......... 2,723,023 26.6 3,288,270 26.7 876,492 50,273 44,744 385,091 191,573 171,998 32,813 10.4

Pennsylvania ...... 11,407,896 24.8 11,854,850 26.5 3,135,934 203,934 159,146 1,379,671 690,020 572,080 131,083 7.1

Rhode Island ...... 962,701 26.5 1,010,853 28.7 290,605 16,207 14,443 118,468 57,478 70,397 13,612 8.2

South Carolina ..... 3,333,315 27.4 3,853,604 27.3 1,053,152 68,727 62,867 474,360 230,359 184,470 32,369 11.2

South Dakota...... 664,054 27.9 724,374 28.7 208,229 12,693 11,173 92,769 48,700 36,766 6,128 7.9

Tennessee ........ 4,678,744 25.0 5,464,929 25.9 1,415,105 90,016 78,278 650,037 309,224 242,268 45,282 9.8

Texas ........... 16,168,216 29.7 19,883,225 29.9 5,948,260 390,094 348,203 2,707,281 1,299,792 1,008,881 194,009 12.5

Utah ............ 1,621,243 37.7 2,103,037 35.3 741,524 46,057 38,261 305,486 164,977 165,035 21,708 8.7

Vermont.......... 538,321 27.1 588,931 27.9 164,156 9,520 7,736 70,680 35,902 33,168 7,150 5.9

Virginia .......... 5,920,304 26.1 6,801,149 27.5 1,868,101 125,701 101,127 806,445 384,028 356,787 94,013 7.7

Washington ....... 4,649,248 26.9 5,659,789 28.0 1,584,701 98,839 82,637 697,192 347,619 302,070 56,344 8.7

West Virginia ...... 1,731,488 25.2 1,748,431 23.9 418,553 22,008 22,820 186,967 94,429 78,364 13,965 9.0

Wisconsin ........ 4,680,605 27.8 5,160,081 28.4 1,463,038 85,045 81,072 639,162 329,222 276,919 51,618 6.4

Wyoming ......... 433,049 31.1 475,603 28.6 136,139 7,880 6,612 59,518 32,432 25,284 4,413 7.5

Puerto Rico ...... 3,340,960 30.7 3,634,867 31.1 1,130,314 57,113 59,663 516,458 260,346 210,346 26,388 14.1

1

Population aged 16 to 19 not enrolled in school and not a high school graduate.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.
time frame to “enrollment since

February 1” of the census year, a

concept still in use today. The

1960 census introduced a follow-up

question on type of school — public

or private/parochial. In 1990, the

question on “level of attendance”

was changed to ask for the “highest

degree or level completed.” This

modification improved the data collected on educational attainment,

but limited the detail on level of

enrollment.

Census 2000 collected information

on the school enrollment of people

aged 3 and over, using the two-part

question shown in Figure 1. These

questions provided information on

the number of people enrolled in

school, their level of schooling, and

whether the school was public or

private. Data on school enrollment

are used by a number of federal

agencies for funding allocations,

program planning, and program

implementation. 

Who are America’s students?

Among the 76.6 million students,

56 percent were enrolled in preschool, kindergarten, or elementary

school; 21 percent were in high

school; and 23 percent attended

colleges across the nation.3

Although the percentage of people

aged 3 and over who were enrolled

increased only modestly between

1990 and 2000, from 27 percent

to 28 percent (Table 1), this statistic conceals the sizable numerical

increase in the student population

and the consequent stresses on

school systems, such as overcrowding and teacher shortages.

Over the decade, the number of

students grew by 12 million or 

18 percent.

Substantial growth in the number

of school-aged children (those

aged 5 to 17) accounts for most of

this increased enrollment. In fact,

during the decade, elementary and

high schools added 8 million students to their classrooms, reaching

a record peak of 50 million students by April 2000.4

School attendance is compulsory for

children 7 to 15 years old. In 2000,

98.7 percent of children in this age

group were enrolled in school

(Figure 2).5 The corresponding proportions were 49 percent for children 3 and 4 years old and 91 percent for children 5 and 6 years old.

More than one-third (36 percent) of

young adults (aged 20 to 24) and

12 percent of people 25 to 34 years

old were enrolled in college.

Boys outnumber girls in

elementary and high schools.

As shown in Figure 3, 51 percent

of the students in elementary and

high school were male compared

with 49 percent female, reflecting

a greater number of boys than

girls born each year.6 Yet, at the

college level in 2000, female students outnumbered the male students, accounting for 55 percent of

undergraduate and 54 percent of

graduate college students.

Historically, the reverse was true:

until 1979, more men than women

were attending college.

U.S. Census Bureau 3

3 For the purposes of this report, elementary school includes grade 1 through grade

8, and high school includes grade 9 through

grade 12.

Figure 2.

School Enrollment by Age: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.

(Percent enrolled. Data based on sample. For more information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

55 and over

35 to 54

25 to 34

20 to 24

18 to 19

16 to 17

7 to 15

5 to 6

3 to 4

1.2

49.3

91.4

98.7

93.3

66.6

35.5

11.5

4.9

4 Because of changes to the questions

about the level of enrollment between the

1990 and 2000 censuses, data below the

elementary level and above the high school

level are not comparable over the decade. 5 The minimum and maximum ages of

compulsory school attendance vary by state

law. Some children may not attend school

due to severe disability, illness, or religious

reasons. Home-schooled children are considered enrolled in school. 6 As of April 2000, males outnumber

females at each age under age 36. For further information about ratios of males to

females by age, see Denise Smith and Renee

Spaggins, Gender: 2000, Census 2000 Brief,

C2KBR/01, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001.
At all educational levels, the

student body reflects the

diverse national population. 

Census 2000 allowed respondents

to choose more than one race.7

With the exception of the Two or

more races group, all race groups

discussed in this report refer to

people who indicated only one

racial identity among the six major

categories: White, Black or African

American, American Indian and

Alaska Native, Asian, Native

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander,

and Some other race.8 The use of

the single-race population in this

report does not imply that it is the

preferred method of presenting or

analyzing data. The Census Bureau

uses a variety of approaches.9

4 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 3.

School Enrollment of the Population Aged 3 

and Over by Sex and Level: 2000 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.

(Percent of students. Data based on sample. For more information 

on confidentiality protection, sampling error, 

nonsampling error, and definitions, see 

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Male students

Female students

College

(graduate)

College

(undergraduate)

High school

Elementary

school

Nursery school/

Kindergarten

54.3

51.6

48.4

51.4

48.6

51.3

48.7

45.2

54.8

7 In this report, the “alone” category 45.7

refers to people who indicated one racial

identity among the six primary categories:

White, Black or African American, American

Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some

other race. The “alone” category is used for

all of the racial groups in this brief except

for the Two or more races category. The use

of the alone population in this section does

not imply that it is the preferred method of

presenting or analyzing data. In general,

either the alone population or the alone or in

combination population can be used,

depending on the purpose of the analysis.

The Census Bureau uses both approaches.

Hereafter, this report uses the term Black

to refer to people who are Black or African

American, the term Pacific Islander to refer

to people who are Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander, and the term Hispanic

to refer to people who are Hispanic or

Latino. The term non-Hispanic White is used

to refer to people who are White alone, not

Hispanic or Latino. 8 For further information on each of the

six major race groups and the Two or more

races population, see reports from the

Census 2000 Brief series (C2KBR/01), available on the Census 2000 Web site at

www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000

/briefs.html. 9 This report draws heavily on Summary

File 3, a Census 2000 data product that can

be accessed through American FactFinder,

available from the Census Bureau’s Web site,

www.census.gov. Information on school

enrollment for people who reported more

than one race, such as “White and American

Indian and Alaska Native” or “Asian and

Black or African American,” is forthcoming in

Summary File 4, which will also be available

through American FactFinder in 2003.

About 2.6 percent of people reported more

than one race.

Figure 4.

Race and Hispanic Origin of Students: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.

(Percent of all students. Data based on sample. For more information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

White alone, not

Hispanic or Latino

Hispanic or Latino

(of any race)

Two or more races

Some other race alone

Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone

American Indian and

Alaska Native alone

Black or African

American alone

White alone

62.5

69.3

14.9

1.1

4.3

0.2

6.7

3.6

14.9
U.S. Census Bureau 5

As shown in Figure 4, most students were non-Hispanic White

alone (63 percent). Black alone

students and Hispanic students

(who may be of any race) each

composed 15 percent of the student body. Asian alone students

made up 4 percent, as did students

of Two or more races.10 At the

nursery school/kindergarten, elementary, and high school levels,

the racial/ethnic make-up of the

student body reflected the overall

composition of the population

under age 18, with less than 1 percent difference in the percent distribution of the two populations.

At the college level, however, the

composition shifted to a slightly

higher proportion of non-Hispanic

White and Asian students, and a

slightly smaller proportion of

Hispanic students.11

The percentage of high school

dropouts decreased during

the 1990s.

Unfortunately, not all students complete high school. Among people

aged 16 to 19 in 2000, 9.8 percent

were high school dropouts (i.e., not

high school graduates and not currently enrolled in school). This percentage was lower than in 1990

(11.2 percent), reflecting an

improvement for most races and

Hispanic origin groups. Only the

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islander race group did not show a

significant improvement. As shown

in Figure 5, Asians (4.0 percent) and

non-Hispanic Whites (6.9 percent)

had the lowest percentages of high

school dropouts in 2000; Hispanics

(21.1 percent) had the highest.12

While the dropout rate decreased

between 1990 and 2000, the number of high school dropouts aged

16 to 19 also decreased slightly

from 1.61 million to 1.57 million.

For some groups, the number of

high school dropouts increased

dramatically due to their rapid

population growth and only modest improvement in high school

completion rates. While the total

number of 16- to 19-year-old

dropouts decreased by 2 percent,

the number of dropouts in the

Hispanic population increased by

52 percent.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

OF SCHOOL ENROLLMENT13

In all four regions, enrollment

rates increased only slightly

between 1990 and 2000. 

The West, with its younger population, had the largest percentage of

people aged 3 and over enrolled in

2000 (30 percent), slightly higher

than the 28 percent in the three

other regions of the country 

(Table 1).14

As expected, the number of students in each region reflected the

region’s population size. More students lived in the most populous

region, the South (27 million), followed by the West and the

Midwest (18 million each), and the

Northeast (14 million).

Over the decade, the number of

students did not increase uniformly among the four regions, but

grew by 25 percent in the West, 

21 percent in the South, 13 percent in the Northeast, and 11 percent in the Midwest. Most of this

increase can be attributed to population growth, but not all. For

example, the growth rate of the

number of students in the

Northeast exceeded population

growth for that area by 7 percentage points.

The proportion of the

population enrolled varies 

by states.

Some states had more students as

a proportion of their populations

aged 3 and over than others. Utah

(35 percent), with its young population, led the Nation. California,

Alaska, and New Mexico (each with

31 percent) followed. At the low

end, West Virginia had just 24 percent enrolled.

States with the most students

tended to be states with the most

population. California led with

10.1 million students, followed by

Texas (5.9 million), New York 

(5.2 million), and Florida (3.9 million). Wyoming had the fewest,

136,000.

Between 1990 and 2000, the number of students increased in most

states. However, in West Virginia

the student population declined 4

percent and in Wyoming and North

Dakota the changes in student population were not significantly different from zero. In contrast, students

10 Because Hispanics may be of any race,

data in this report for Hispanics overlap with

data for racial groups. Based on Census

2000 sample data, the proportion Hispanic

was 8.0 percent for Whites, 1.9 percent for

Blacks, 14.6 percent for American Indians

and Alaska Natives, 1.0 percent for Asians,

9.5 percent for Pacific Islanders, 97.1 percent for those reporting Some other race,

and 31.1 percent for those reporting Two or

more races. 11 See Census 2000 Summary File 3,

Tables 147A through 147I for more information about enrollment by race and Hispanic

origin.

12 Most people (97 percent) in the Some

other race group were also Hispanic. 13 The Northeast region includes the

states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The Midwest region includes the states of

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The South region includes the states of

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,

Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South

Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West

Virginia, and the District of Columbia, a state

equivalent. The West region includes the

states of Alaska, Arizona, California,

Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,

New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and

Wyoming. 14 In 2000, the median age in the West

was 33.8, compared with 35.3 for the South,

35.6 for the Midwest, and 36.8 for the

Northeast. For further discussion on the age

of the population, see Julie Meyer, Age:

2000, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-12, U.S.

Census Bureau, 2001.
in Nevada, the state with the largest

percentage population gain,

increased 76 percent. Other states

adding at least 30 percent to their

student enrollment included:

Arizona, 41 percent; Georgia, 

35 percent; and Florida, 34 percent.

Some states gained students at a

higher rate than population aged 3

and over. In Florida, Maryland, the

District of Columbia, New Jersey,

Rhode Island, Nevada, and

Connecticut the increase of students was about 10 percentage

points greater than the increase in

population. Other states, such as

Wyoming, Utah, West Virginia,

Idaho, and Mississippi, experienced greater increases in

population than in the number 

of students.

High school dropout rates

differ among states.

As shown in Figure 6, dropout

rates were highest in the South

and the West. In 2000, Nevada 

(16 percent) and Arizona (15 percent) had the highest dropout

6 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 5.

High School Dropouts by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1990 and 2000 

na = not available 

Note: In 1990 respondents were not allowed to choose more than one race. As a result, data for 1990 and 2000 are not totally comparable. 

However, the "alone or in combination" categories also show lower percentages of dropouts for each race in 2000 than in 1990, except 

for the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander race group which are not statistically different. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000. 

(Percent of population aged 16 to 19 not enrolled and not a high school graduate. 

Data based on sample. For more information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling 

error, and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

Two or more races

Some other race alone

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone 

American Indian and Alaska Native alone

Black or African American alone

White alone

Total

1990

Number of dropouts 2000

1990 2000

1,605,494 1,566,039

1,076,953 912,519

292,182 267,602

25,995 28,771

26,214 23,554

2,903 3,247

184,150 272,338

na 58,008

347,061 529,192

923,584 695,082

6.9

11.2

9.8

10.0

8.2

13.7

11.7

18.1

16.1

5.1

4.0

11.0

11.0

24.2

22.9

11.1

21.8

21.1

9.2
U.S. Census Bureau

7

High School Dropouts: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 SummaryFile 3. American Factfinder at factfinder.census.govprovides census data and mapping tools.

U.S. p

U.S. p

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, seewww.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.) 

Figure 6.

0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 

0 100 Miles
rates, followed closely by Georgia

(14 percent).15 States with high

school dropouts at or below 6 percent included North Dakota, Iowa,

Vermont, Minnesota, and Hawaii.

As shown in Figure 6, counties

with higher dropout rates were

concentrated primarily in the South

and southwestern areas, with

pockets scattered through other

parts of the country. All but nine

states contained at least one county that exceeded the national average high-school-dropout rate.16

All places of 100,000 or more population in the United States contain

college students.17 Table 2 lists the

ten places of 100,000 or more

population in 2000 with the highest percentages of people aged 3

and over who were college students. All of these places are

home to large universities.

Topping the list, with 38 percent

college students, is Provo, Utah

(Brigham Young University); followed by Ann Arbor, Michigan

(University of Michigan);

Tallahassee, Florida (Florida State

University); Athens-Clarke County,

Georgia (University of Georgia),

Cambridge, Massachusetts

(Harvard, MIT, Radcliffe,); and

Berkeley, California (UC at

Berkeley).

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

How many students attend

private schools?

In April 2000, 5.2 million firstthrough-twelfth graders attended

private schools, or 10.4 percent of

students in those grades.

Although the proportion of students in private school increased

only modestly from the 1990 level

(9.8 percent), the number of students in these schools soared,

from 4.2 million to 5.2 million, a

24 percent increase. Most of the

numerical increase reflects the

growth in the overall number of

students, since the proportional

share of the student population

rose only slightly.

Differences in private school attendance rates among groups reflect

several factors, including economic

ability to afford the cost of private

school tuition, religious affiliation,

and quality of the local public

schools. As shown in Figure 7, the

difference in the proportions of

boys and girls enrolled in private

school was minimal, whereas differences were more noticeable by

race and Hispanic origin. NonHispanic White children (13 percent), Asian children (10 percent),

and children of Two or more races

(9 percent) were most likely to

attend private schools in 2000. 

At least 15 percent of students in

Louisiana, Delaware, Hawaii, the

District of Columbia, and

Pennsylvania attended private

school, compared with less than 

6 percent in Utah, Wyoming,

Nevada, and West Virginia.

Who goes to college?

The financial burden and time

required prevent some people from

pursuing a college degree. Unlike

elementary and high school, college is not mandatory and, for the

most part, does not have age limitations. College students’ ages

range widely, and in 2000 only

about one-half were 18 to 24, the

traditional college ages (Table 3).

8 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2.

Ten Places of 100,000 or More Population With the

Highest Percentage of College Students: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, sampling error,

and definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Place

Number

Percent of

population

aged 3

and over

90-percent

confidence

interval on

percent

Provo, UT ............................... 37,799 38.3 37.0 - 39.6

Ann Arbor, MI ............................ 36,892 33.4 32.1 - 34.7

Tallahassee, FL .......................... 45,144 31.0 29.8 - 32.2

Athens-Clarke County, GA1 ................ 29,695 30.3 28.8 - 31.8

Cambridge, MA .......................... 26,613 27.0 25.6 - 28.4

Berkeley, CA............................. 27,016 26.9 25.4 - 28.4

Fort Collins, CO . ......................... 24,882 21.8 20.5 - 23.2

Madison, WI ............................. 43,299 21.5 20.5 - 22.5

Tempe, AZ............................... 30,240 18.5 18.5 - 21.1

Irvine, CA................................ 25,750 18.6 17.3 - 19.9

1

Athens city is consolidated with Clarke County.

Note: Because of sampling error, the estimates in this table may not be significantly different from one another or from rates for other geographic areas not listed in this table.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.

15 Dropout rates for Nevada and Arizona

were not statistically different. 16 The following states did not have a

county that exceeded the national highschool-dropout rate: Connecticut, Maine,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode

Island, Vermont, Minnesota, Hawaii, and

Wyoming. 17 Census 2000 counted 245 places in the

United States with 100,000 or more population. They include 238 incorporated places

(including 4 city-county consolidations) and

7 census designated places that are not

legally incorporated. For a list of these

places by state, see www.census.gov

/population/www/cen2000/phc-t6.html.
In 2000, 34 percent of the youngadult population (aged 18 to 24)

attended college, including 37 percent of young-adult women and 

31 percent of young-adult men.

Even though the number of men

was slightly higher than that of

women in this age group, the college student body was dominated

by women (54 percent compared

with 46 percent).

College attendance among young

adults differs greatly by race and

ethnicity. In 2000, the college

enrollment rate was highest for

Asians (56 percent). The rate was

also above the national average for

non-Hispanic Whites (38 percent),

and below the national average for

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islanders (30 percent), Blacks 

(27 percent), American Indians and

Alaska Natives (21 percent), and

Hispanics (14 percent).

U.S. Census Bureau 9

Figure 7.

Elementary and High School Private 

School Enrollment: 2000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.

(Percent of students. Data based on sample. For more information on 

confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and 

definitions, see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

White alone, not

Hispanic or Latino

Hispanic or Latino

(of any race)

Two or more races

Some other race alone

Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander alone

Asian alone

American Indian and

Alaska Native alone

Black or African

American alone

White alone

Girls

Boys

Total

12.8

10.4

10.2

10.5

12.2

5.9

5.5

10.4

6.8

4.7

9.3

5.9

Table 3.

College Students by Age, Sex, Race, and Ethnicity: 2000

(Data based on sample. For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf)

Race and ethnicity

Population

College students

Number Percent of population

18 to 24 25 and over 18 to 24 25 and over 18 to 24 25 and over

Total. . . .............................. 27,143,454 181,984,640 9,203,090 8,205,574 33.9 4.5

Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,873,829 87,120,538 4,241,329 3,645,354 30.6 4.2

Women .................................. 13,269,625 94,864,102 4,961,751 4,560,220 37.4 4.8

White alone............................... 18,761,162 143,101,175 6,756,030 5,699,882 36.0 4.0

Black or African American alone ............ 3,804,437 19,968,057 1,024,774 1,187,829 26.9 5.9

American Indian and Alaska Native alone . . . . 287,785 1,347,859 59,498 78,356 20.7 5.8

Asian alone............................... 1,133,431 6,644,568 633,193 613,036 55.9 9.2

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander alone. . . 54,508 217,148 16,415 13,255 30.1 6.1

Some other race alone..................... 2,303,589 7,535,033 429,163 367,337 18.6 4.9

Two or more races ........................ 798,542 3,170,800 284,017 245,879 35.6 7.8

Hispanic or Latino (of any race) ............. 6,764,761 31,978,368 944,701 912,316 14.0 2.9

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.......... 16,708,378 133,817,309 6,323,871 5,239,382 37.8 3.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000.
ABOUT CENSUS 2000

Why Census 2000 asked about

school enrollment.

Information on school enrollment

is required by law in order to profile the economic and social conditions of school-age children, to

allocate funds to states and counties under Title I of the U.S. Code,

and to improve the education of

economically disadvantaged children.

All levels of government need

information on school enrollment

to implement and evaluate programs or enforce laws, such as

The Migratory Children Program,

Provisions for Higher Education to

Serve Adult Learners, the National

Science Foundation Act, Provisions

for Strengthening Historically Black

Colleges, and Education of

Individuals With Disabilities.

ACCURACY OF THE

ESTIMATES

The data contained in this report

are based on the sample of households who responded to the

Census 2000 long form.

Nationally, approximately 1 out of

every 6 housing units was included

in this sample. As a result, the

sample estimates may differ somewhat from the 100-percent figures

that would have been obtained if

all housing units, people within

those housing units, and people

living in group quarters had been

enumerated using the same questionnaires, instructions, enumerators, and so forth. The sample

estimates also differ from the values that would have been obtained

from different samples of housing

units, people within those housing

units, and people living in group

quarters. The deviation of a sample estimate from the average of

all possible samples is called the

sampling error. 

In addition to the variability that

arises from the sampling procedures, both sample data and 100-

percent data are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error

may be introduced during any of

the various complex operations

used to collect and process data.

Such errors may include: not enumerating every household or every

person in the population, failing to

obtain all required information

from the respondents, obtaining

incorrect or inconsistent information, and recording information

incorrectly. In addition, errors can

occur during the field review of the

enumerators’ work, during clerical

handling of the census questionnaires, or during the electronic

processing of the questionnaires.

Nonsampling error may affect the

data in two ways: (1) errors that

are introduced randomly will

increase the variability of the data

and, therefore, should be reflected

in the standard errors; and (2)

errors that tend to be consistent in

one direction will bias both sample

and 100-percent data in that direction. For example, if respondents

consistently tend to underreport

their incomes, then the resulting

estimates of households or families by income category will tend

to be understated for the higher

income categories and overstated

for the lower income categories.

Such biases are not reflected in the

standard errors.

While it is impossible to completely

eliminate error from an operation

as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau

attempts to control the sources of

such error during the data collection and processing operations.

The primary sources of error and

the programs instituted to control

error in Census 2000 are described

in detail in Summary File 3

Technical Documentation under

Chapter 8, “Accuracy of the Data,”

located at www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.

All statements in this Census 2000

Brief have undergone statistical

testing and all comparisons are

significant at the 90-percent confidence level, unless otherwise

noted. The estimates in tables,

maps, and other figures may vary

from actual values due to sampling

and nonsampling errors. As a

result, estimates in one category

may not be significantly different

from estimates assigned to a different category. Further information on the accuracy of the data is

located at www.census.gov/prod

/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf. For further

information on the computation

and use of standard errors, contact

the Decennial Statistical Studies

Division at 301-763-4242. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Census 2000 Summary File 3

data are available from the

American Factfinder on the Internet

(factfinder.census.gov). They were

released on a state-by-state basis

during 2002. For information on

confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, sampling error, and

definitions, also see

www.census.gov/prod/cen2000

/doc/sf3.pdf or contact the

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on population and

housing topics is presented in the

Census 2000 Brief series, located

on the Census Bureau’s Web site at

www.census.gov/population/www

/cen2000/briefs.html. This series,

which will be completed in 2003,

presents information on race,

Hispanic origin, age, sex, household type, housing tenure, and

social, economic, and housing

characteristics, such as ancestry,

income, and housing costs.

10 U.S. Census Bureau
For additional information on

school enrollment, including

reports and survey data, visit the

Census Bureau’s Internet site at

www.census.gov/population/www

/socdemo/school.html. To find

information about the availability

of data products, including reports,

CD-ROMs, and DVDs, call the

Customer Services Center at 

301-763-INFO (4636), or e-mail 

webmaster@census.gov. 

U.S. Census Bureau 11