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U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF EDUCATION

PERMIT NO. G-17
Prekindergarten in 

U.S. Public Schools: 

2000–2001

Publication Title

U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2003-019

Statistical Analysis Report

March 2003

Timothy Smith

Anne Kleiner

Basmat Parsad

Elizabeth Farris

Westat

Bernard Greene

Project Officer

National Center for 

Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education

Rod Paige

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Val Plisko

Associate Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, 

and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional 

mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in 

the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance 

of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and 

review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, 

complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high 

quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, 

practitioners, data users, and the general public.

We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a 

variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating 

information effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any other NCES product 

or report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to:

National Center for Education Statistics

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

1990 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

March 2003

The NCES World Wide Web Home Page is: http://nces.ed.gov

The NCES World Wide Web Electronic Catalog is: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch

Suggested Citation

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Prekindergarten in U.S. Public 

Schools: 2000–2001, NCES 2003-019, by Timothy Smith, Anne Kleiner, Basmat Parsad, and Elizabeth 

Farris. Project Officer: Bernard Greene. Washington, DC: 2003.

Contact:

Bernie Greene

(202) 502-7348

email: Bernard.Greene@ed.gov
iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

Research on the relationship between children’s 

early care and education and school readiness has 

shown the potential importance of enriching

learning experiences for young children and, in 

particular, the positive outcomes of early

intervention for educationally disadvantaged

children (Love, Schochet, and Meckstroth 1996; 

Barnett 1995; Haskins 1989). In fact, the National 

Research Council suggests that a finding that 

young children who are at risk of school failure 

have a greater likelihood of success if they attend 

high-quality early childhood programs seems to

emerge across studies of early care and education 

(Bowman, Donovan, and Burns 2001).

In recent years, renewed attention has focused on 

the role that public schools might play in

providing high-quality programs for prekindergarten children (Saluja, Early, and Clifford 2001; 

Hinkle 2000). Educators and policymakers have 

considered the possibility of public schools 

drawing upon existing resources to expand and

improve prekindergarten programs and thereby

help prepare young children for school (Dwyer,

Chait, and McKee 2000; Hinkle 2000). 

Unfortunately, data on the role public schools play 

in providing early childhood education are limited 

and are sometimes clouded by a lack of common 

terminology. Most of the available data do not 

differentiate public school programs from other

early childhood education programs; the data often 

include programs offered by private schools, 

public and private day care centers, and Head Start 

classes operating outside of the public school

system.

In response to the lack of current data on public 

elementary school prekindergarten programs, the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 

used its Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) to 

conduct the “Survey of Classes That Serve

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 

2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001. The survey gathered 

information on characteristics of the prekindergarten classes to answer questions such as the 

following:

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

nationwide had prekindergarten classes? 

What percentage offered general education

and special education prekindergarten classes?

• How many children were enrolled in

prekindergarten classes at public elementary

schools? What were the age, racial, and ethnic 

characteristics of these children?

• How many prekindergarten classes were

offered in public elementary schools, and how 

were they distributed between general

education and special education? What was 

the average size of these classes?

• How many teachers were responsible for

teaching prekindergarten classes, and what

was their education level? How did their pay 

compare with that of other teachers in the 

school district?

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

reported that prekindergarten children

received transportation, meals, and extended 

day care services, and what percentage of

prekindergarten children received those

services?

The results presented in this report are based on 

questionnaire data from 1,843 public elementary 

schools in the United States. The data provide 

national estimates representing all special

education and regular elementary and combined 

public schools in the nation.
iv

Key Findings

Public Schools With Prekindergarten Classes

During the 2000–2001 school year, there were

about 19,900 public elementary schools

with prekindergarten classes. This represents

35 percent of all regular and special education 

public elementary schools in the country. Results 

from the 2001 FRSS survey indicate the 

following:

• There was a positive relationship between

public elementary schools offering prekindergarten classes and school size,1

 ranging from 

28 percent of small schools to 42 percent of 

large schools (table 2).

• Schools in the Southeast were most likely

to offer prekindergarten classes. Forty-six 

percent of these elementary schools offered

prekindergarten compared with between 30

and 35 percent of public elementary schools in 

other regions (table 2).

• The likelihood that public schools offered

prekindergarten classes varied by poverty

concentration.2 About half (51 percent) of

elementary schools with the highest poverty 

concentration offered prekindergarten. Onequarter (25 percent) of elementary schools 

with the lowest poverty concentration offered 

prekindergarten. It is important to note that 

prekindergarten programs have tended to

target at-risk children, including children from 

low-income families (table 2).

• General education prekindergarten classes 

were offered by 28 percent of public

elementary schools; 15 percent offered special 

education prekindergarten classes (table 2).

 

1

 School size is defined as small (enrollments of less than 300 

students), midsized (300 to 599 students), and large (600 or more 

students).

2

 Poverty concentration is based on the number of students eligible to 

receive free or reduced-price lunch. The categories used in this 

report are less than 35 percent of students eligible, 35 to 49 percent 

eligible, 50 to 74 percent eligible, and 75 percent or more eligible.

Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools

Responses to the survey revealed that

approximately 822,000 children, categorized as

younger than 3 years, 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years 

or older, were enrolled in public elementary school 

prekindergarten classes (table 4). As of October 1, 

2000, 20 percent of the children were 3-year-olds 

and 68 percent were 4-year-olds (figure 2). Larger 

percentages of children enrolled in special

education prekindergarten classes were younger

than 3 years, 3 years, or 5 years or older,

compared with those in general education

prekindergarten classes.

The survey also asked about the racial and ethnic 

background of public school prekindergarten

children.3 About half (49 percent) of the children 

were White, 24 percent were Hispanic, 23 percent 

were Black, 3 percent were Asian, and 2 percent 

were American Indian/Alaska Native (table 6). 

Nationwide, 61 percent of all public school

students are White, 17 percent are Hispanic,

17 percent are Black, 4 percent are Asian, and 

1 percent are American Indian/Alaska Native.4

Other findings on the racial and ethnic background 

of public school prekindergarten children include 

the following:

• In city schools, 28 percent of the prekindergarten children were White, 35 percent were 

Hispanic, and 33 percent were Black (table 6). 

In contrast, in rural/small town schools,

74 percent of the prekindergarten children 

were White, 10 percent were Hispanic, and 

12 percent were Black. Among all public 

 

3

 Race and ethnicity were reported on the questionnaire using five 

categories: American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian; Black, nonHispanic; Hispanic; and White, non-Hispanic. To improve

readability, the following labels are used throughout the remainder 

of this report: American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian; Black;

Hispanic; and White.

4 National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 

2000–2001, Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey

(NCES 2002–362). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, 

DC: National Center for Education Statistics, unpublished

tabulations. Data are based on all public regular and special 

education, vocational education, and alternative education schools.
v

school students in city schools nationwide,

37 percent are White, 27 percent are Hispanic, 

and 30 percent are Black. Nationwide,

79 percent of all rural/small town public 

school students are White, 7 percent are

Hispanic, and 10 percent are Black.5

• Forty-seven percent of public school

prekindergarten children were Hispanic at

schools in the West, compared with 9 percent 

at schools in the Southeast (table 6). Thirtythree percent of all public school students in 

the West were Hispanic, as were 7 percent of 

students in the Southeast.6

• In schools with the lowest level of poverty, 

79 percent of the prekindergarten children

were White, 8 percent were Hispanic, and

7 percent were Black (table 6). In schools 

with the highest level of poverty, 22 percent of 

the prekindergarten children were White,

39 percent were Hispanic, and 36 percent were 

Black. Nationwide, 79 percent of all students 

in public schools with the lowest level of 

poverty were White and 8 percent were Black. 

In schools with the highest level of poverty, 

15 percent of students were White and

39 percent were Black.7

There are federal and state programs designed

to provide limited English proficient (LEP)

children,8 low-income children,9 and children with 

disabilities with early childhood education

experiences, such as Title I programs, Head Start, 

Even Start, and the Preschool Grants Program. 

Public school programs for children prior to

kindergarten also receive funds from state

initiatives for enhancing school readiness. 

 

5

 See footnote 4.

6

 See footnote 4.

7

 See footnote 4.

8

 For this study, these children were defined as those “whose native or 

dominant language is other than English, and whose skills in 

listening to, speaking, reading, or writing English are such that 

he/she derives little benefit from school instruction in English.”

9

 For this study, these children were defined as those eligible to 

receive free or reduced-price lunch.

For this survey, public school officials were asked 

to report the number of LEP prekindergarten

children, low-income prekindergarten children,

and prekindergarten children with Individua lized 

Education Programs (IEPs) in their schools. 

Findings from the FRSS survey show the 

following:

• Fifteen percent of public elementary school 

prekindergarten children were LEP (table 7). 

This percentage varied by school size, locale, 

and region. Nationwide, 9 percent of all

public school students received LEP

services.10

• Sixty-one percent of prekindergarten children 

were low income (table 7). This percentage 

varied by school size, locale, region, and

percent minority enrollment. Forty-five 

percent of all students attending elementary

schools that participate in the National School 

Lunch Program were eligible to receive free or 

reduced-price lunch during the 1998–99 

school year (Fox et al. 2001).

• Thirty percent of the children enrolled in

public elementary school prekindergarten

classes had IEPs (table 7). This varied by 

percent minority enrollment and poverty

concentration. Nationwide, about 13 percent 

of all public school students had IEPs.11

Prekindergarten Classes in Public Schools

During the 2000–2001 school year, about 58,500 

prekindergarten classes were offered in U.S.

public elementary schools (table 8). About twothirds (67 percent) of these classes were general 

education classes; 33 percent were special

education classes (table 9). Study results also 

indicate the following:

 

10National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 

2000–2001, Local Education Agency Survey: School Year 2000–

2001 (NCES 2002–360). U.S. Department of Education. 

Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics,

unpublished tabulations.

11See footnote 10.
vi

• The percentage of special education prekindergarten classes was higher in schools with

the lowest poverty concentration than in

schools with the highest poverty concentration 

(40 percent compared with 23 percent,

respectively) (table 9).

• Overall, public elementary schools that

offered prekindergarten averaged 2.9 prekindergarten classes per school (table 10). 

City schools averaged 3.4 classes per school, 

whereas rural/small town schools averaged 2.4 

classes per school. The average also varied by 

region, minority enrollment, and poverty

concentration.

• The average public elementary school

prekindergarten class had 14 children (table 

11). The average number of children per

general education prekindergarten class was

higher than the average for special education 

classes, with 17 children per class among

general education classes compared with 9

children per class among special education

classes.12

• Thirty-two percent of the classes followed

full-day schedules, and 68 percent followed

half-day schedules (table 12). This distribution 

varied by several school characteristics. For 

example, 77 percent of the classes in schools 

in the Southeast were on full-day schedules, 

compared with 13 percent of the classes in the 

Central region.

Prekindergarten Teachers in Public Schools

School officials were asked to report the number 

of teachers who taught prekindergarten during the 

2000–2001 school year. In addition, they were

asked to provide basic information on the

teachers’ educational backgrounds and the pay

scale used to determine their salaries. Results of 

the FRSS survey indicate the following:

 

12Among the sampled schools responding to this survey, the average 

number of children per prekindergarten class ranged from 2 to 48 

overall for general education classes. For special education classes, 

the average ranged from 2 to 35 children per prekindergarten class.

• Nearly 46,000 teachers taught prekindergarten 

classes in public schools during the 2000–

2001 school year (table 13).

• Eighty-six percent of the prekindergarten

teachers had a bachelor’s or higher degree 

(table 14). Prekindergarten teachers in city 

schools, and in schools in the Northeast and 

Central regions, were more likely than their 

counterparts in other locales and regions to 

have a bachelor’s or higher degree.

• The majority (82 percent) of public

elementary school prekindergarten teachers

were paid using the public elementary school 

teacher pay scale (table 14). This likelihood 

varied by school size, locale, region, and

poverty concentration. 

Support Services Offered to Prekindergarten 

Children in Public Schools

Public elementary school prekindergarten children 

and their families receive various support services. 

The survey asked about three of these services: 

transportation, meals,13 and extended day care. 

The survey asked schools to report the number of 

prekindergarten children who received the service 

during the 2000–2001 school year. The study

findings indicate the following:

• Prekindergarten children in 79 percent of

schools with prekindergarten classes received 

transportation services (table 15), and

52 percent of all prekindergarten children

received this service (table 16). These

percentages varied by several school

characteristics. 

• Seventy-four percent of schools with prekindergarten classes provided meals to 

prekindergarten children (table 15), and

64 percent of all prekindergarten children

received meals at school (table 16). These 

distributions also varied by school

characteristics. 

 

13Schools were instructed to exclude snacks.
vii

• Extended day care was offered by 18 percent 

of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes (table 15), and 5 percent of all 

prekindergarten children received this service 

(table 16).

Prekindergarten Funding Sources in 

Public Schools

Public elementary schools use a varie ty of funding 

sources to support prekindergarten classes. The 

survey gathered information on the use of various 

sources: state or local education funds; federal or 

local programs for children with disabilities; Title 

I, Part A; Head Start; child care funds through a 

state or local agency; and Title I, Part B. Study 

findings indicate that 80 percent of public

elementary schools used state or local education 

funds and 51 percent used funds from federal or 

local programs for children with disabilities (table

17). The likelihood that schools used the latter

source was higher in rural/small town schools (56 

percent) than in city schools (42 percent). Receipt 

of Title I, Part A funds for prekindergarten classes 

was reported by 25 percent of public elementary

schools with prekindergarten classes, and

13 percent reported receipt of Head Start funds. 

Eleven percent of schools used child care funds 

through a state or local agency, and 4 percent used 

Title 1, Part B funds for prekindergarten classes.

In conclusion, the results from this survey offer an 

overview of public school prekindergarten classes 

in the United States. During the 2000–2001

school year, approximately 822,000 children were 

enrolled in 58,500 public elementary school

prekindergarten classes nationwide. These classes 

were offered in about 19,900 public elementary 

schools, roughly one-third of public elementary

schools in the country. Approximately 45,900

prekindergarten teachers instructed these classes. 

Many characteristics of the prekindergarten 

classes varied by school characteristics (including 

school size, locale, region, percent minority

enrollment, and poverty concentration). The

findings from this FRSS survey provide unique 

and important contextual information on public 

elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

and the children who were enrolled in those

classes.
viii
ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank the many individuals 

who contributed to the development of the survey 

and this report. The survey was requested by

Naomi Karp, Former Director, National Institute 

on Early Childhood Development and Education, 

Office of Educational Research and Improvement. 

James Griffin14 of the Early Childhood Institute, 

Diane Early and Gitanjali Saluja 15 at the

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and 

Jerry West in the Early Childhood, International, 

and Crosscutting Studies Division, NCES,

provided valuable input into the development of 

the survey. Dr. West also contributed greatly

during the preparation of the survey report.

At Westat, Debbie Alexander directed the data

collection efforts, assisted by Ratna Basavaraju. 

Alla Belenky was the programmer. Carol Litman 

 

14Dr. Griffin is currently with the Executive Office of the President, 

Office of Science and Technology Policy.

15Dr. Saluja is currently with the National Institute for Child Health 

and Human Development, Division of Epidemiology.

edited the report, which was formatted by Sylvie 

Warren. Additional word processing support was 

provided by Catherine Marshall.

Numerous NCES staff reviewed the report and

made constructive comments and suggestions,

including Stephen Broughman, Shelley Burns,

Elvira Germino-Hausken, Arnold Goldstein,

William Hussar, Val Plisko, John Ralph, Marilyn 

Seastrom, and Bruce Taylor. Reviewers from

outside of NCES were Margaret Burchinal,

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; W.

Steven Barnett, Rutgers University; Stephanie

Cronen and Lawrence Lanahan, American

Institutes for Research, Education Statistics

Services Institute; and Robert Pianta, University of 

Virginia.
x
xi

Table of Contents

Section Page

Executive Summary......................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgments........................................................................................................... ix

1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1

Definitional Issues........................................................................................................... 2

Participation in Public School Prekindergarten.................................................................. 2

About This Study............................................................................................................. 3

Organization of This Report............................................................................................. 5

2 Public Schools with Prekindergarten Classes..................................................................... 7

Overall Prevalence of Public Schools With Prekindergarten Classes................................... 7

Prevalence of Public Schools With General Education or Special Education

Prekindergarten Classes................................................................................................ 10

Prevalence of Public Schools With Only Full-Day, Only Half-Day, or Both Types of

Prekindergarten Classes................................................................................................ 12

3 Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools....................................................................... 15

Number of Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools...................................................... 15

Age of Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools............................................................ 18

Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds of Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools.......................... 19

Public School Prekindergarten Children Who Were Limited English Proficient ................... 21

Public School Prekindergarten Children Who Were Low Income........................................ 21

Public School Prekindergarten Children With Individualized Education Programs............... 23

4 Prekindergarten Classes in Public Schools......................................................................... 25

Number of Prekindergarten Classes.................................................................................. 25

Average Number of Children Per Prekindergarten Class in Public Schools.......................... 31

Prekindergarten Class Schedules in Public Schools............................................................ 33

5 Prekindergarten Teachers in Public Schools ...................................................................... 37

Number of Prekindergarten Teachers in Public Schools...................................................... 37

Public School Prekindergarten Teachers’ Educational Background ..................................... 37

Prekindergarten Teacher Salaries in Public Schools ........................................................... 40

6 Support Services Offered to Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools............................. 41

Public Schools Offering Support Services to Prekindergarten Children ............................... 41

Prekindergarten Children Receiving Support Services in Public Schools ............................. 43
xii

Table of Contents (continued)

Section Page

7 Public School Prekindergarten Funding Sources................................................................ 47

8 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 51

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

List of Appendices

Appendix

A Survey Methodology........................................................................................................ A-1

B Standard Error Tables...................................................................................................... B-1

C Survey Questionnaire....................................................................................................... C-1

List of Text Tables

Text Table Page

1 Number and percentage distribution of public elementary schools and elementary 

schools with prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001........... 8

2 Number of public elementary schools, number and percent of elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes, and percent of elementary schools with general education and 

special education prekindergarten classes: 2000–2001........................................................ 9

3 Percent of public elementary schools offering full-day only, half-day only, both types,

or no prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001....................... 12

4 Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten

children, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001...................................................... 16

5 Number of public elementary school prekindergarten children and of those, percent in

general education and special education classes, by selected school characteristics:

2000–2001 ...................................................................................................................... 17

6 Number and percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children of various

racial/ethnic backgrounds, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001............................ 20
xiii

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Text Tables (continued)

Text Table Page

7 Percent of all public elementary school prekindergarten children who were limited 

English proficient, percent who were low income, and percent with Individualized 

Education Programs, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001.................................... 22

8 Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten classes,

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001 ................................................................... 26

9 Number of public elementary school prekindergarten classes, and of those, percent that are 

general education and special education classes, by selected school characteristics:

2000–2001 ...................................................................................................................... 29

10 Average number of public elementary school prekindergarten classes per school, overall

and by type of class, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001 .................................... 30

11 Average number of public elementary school prekindergarten children per class, overall

and by type of class, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001 .................................... 32

12 Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten classes, by type of class schedule, 

by days per week, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001........................................ 34

13 Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten

classroom teachers, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001...................................... 38

14 Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten teachers with a bachelor’s or higher

degree and percent paid using lower, the same, or higher salary scales than those of other

public elementary school teachers, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001................ 39

15 Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes indicating that at least

one prekindergarten child received various services, by type of class schedule, by selected 

school characteristics: 2000–2001..................................................................................... 42

16 Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children who received various

services, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001...................................................... 44

17 Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes indicating receipt of

money for prekindergarten services from various sources, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001 ...................................................................................................................... 48
xiv

Table of Contents (continued)

List of Figures

Figure Page

1 Percent of public elementary schools with general education prekindergarten classes 

only, with special education prekindergarten classes only, with both types of classes, and 

with no prekindergarten classes: 2000–2001...................................................................... 11

2 Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children by age, overall and by type

of class: 2000–2001 ......................................................................................................... 18

3 Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by the number of

classes offered: 2000–2001 .............................................................................................. 27

4 Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by the number of

general education prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–2001 ........................................... 27

5 Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by the number of

special education prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–2001 ............................................ 28

6 Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes indicating receipt of

money, nonreceipt, or uncertainty of receipt for prekindergarten services from various

sources: 2000–2001 ......................................................................................................... 49
1

1. INTRODUCTION

Research on the relationship between children’s 

early care and education and school readiness1 has 

shown the potential importance of enriching

learning experiences for young children, and the 

positive outcomes of early intervention for

educationally disadvantaged children in particular2

(Bowman, Donovan, and Burns 2001; Barnett

1995; Haskins 1989). Although the literature is 

not without controversy (Gomby et al. 1995), and 

the influence of nonprogram factors (e.g., family 

background) on children’s school readiness cannot 

be ruled out, a finding seems to emerge across

studies: children in high-quality early childhood 

programs tend to develop better social and

academic skills than their counterparts in poorquality programs (Bowman, Donovan, and Burns 

2001; Love, Schochet, and Meckstroth 1996).

In addition, new research on kindergartners

underscores the importance of enriching early

learning experiences for children from 

disadvantaged backgrounds. In particular, while 

children from disadvantaged backgrounds catch up 

with peers from more advantaged backgrounds on 

basic early literacy skills such as letter knowledge 

during the kindergarten year, the gap between

these two groups widens on measures of more

sophisticated knowledge and skills in reading

(e.g., ending sounds) and math (solving simple 

addition and subtraction problems) (West, Denton, 

and Reaney 2000).

In recent years, attention has focused on how the 

public school system could increase its

involvement in making high-quality programs

available for prekindergarten children (Hinkle

 

1

 As used here, school readiness includes physical well-being and 

motor development, social and emotional development, cognitive 

general knowledge, approaches to learning, and language

development. Federal and state/school district initiatives (e.g., 

Head Start and prekindergarten classes) focus primarily on school 

readiness.

2

 These outcomes include enhanced school achievement, improved 

social skills, reduced likelihood of placement in special education 

classes or retention in grade during elementary and secondary 

grades, and general well-being (Schulman, Blank, and Ewen 1999).

2000). This attention on public schools is partially 

based on the assumption that in addition to a

vested interest in school readiness, public schools 

have tremendous potential for drawing on existing 

resources to expand and improve prekindergarten 

programs (Dwyer, Chait, and McKee 2000; Hinkle 

2000).

Public schools have access to several federally and 

state funded programs focused on the needs of atrisk children, including those whose families do 

not speak English at home, who come from lowincome households, or who have other special

needs that place them at serious disadvantage

when entering schools (Hinkle 2000). Under the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA), public schools have access to federal

preschool grants to make a range of education and 

related services available to children with

disabilities. Title I of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, designed to aid

educationally disadvantaged children, can also be 

used by education agencies and schools to

improve the teaching and learning of young

children in high-poverty schools and those who 

are at most risk of school failure. The largest 

federal program for young children from

disadvantaged backgrounds—Head Start—is 

designed to better prepare poor children for school 

by providing free education and support services 

to children whose families are below the federal 

poverty level. Although the vast majority of Head 

Start programs either operate independently of the 

school and school district or collaborate with other 

community-based agencies in private settings,

some may be located at school facilities and

offered through school districts or state agencies3

(Clifford, Early, and Hills 1999; U.S. General

Accounting Office 1999).

Public school programs for children prior to

kindergarten also receive funds from state

 

3

 Some Head Start Programs located at public school facilities may 

lease space from the school and operate as completely independent 

entities outside of the public school system.
2

initiatives for enhancing school readiness. State 

initiatives differ in the age groups that are served. 

In a 1999 review of state -level programs, 31 state 

initiatives were found to serve both 3- and 4-yearolds, 18 states limited their programs to 1 year 

prior to kindergarten, and 8 states had programs 

that served children from birth to age 5

(Schumacher, Greenberg, and Lombardi 2001). 

This 1999 review found that states also differ in 

how they involve public schools in their early

education initiatives. Although the majority of 

states opened up funds to a broad range of

providers (including Head Start, public schools, 

and child care centers), 14 states restricted their 

initiatives either wholly or primarily to public 

schools. In many states, public schools, Head

Start, and other early care and education providers 

partner to provide services to the children in the 

state (Schulman, Blank, and Ewen 1999;

Schumacher, Greenberg, and Lombardi 2001).

Despite the increased interest in the role of public 

schools in preparing children for kindergarten

entry (Saluja, Early, and Clifford 2001), there is 

little information that differentiates public school 

programs from other early childhood education

programs, including private schools, public and

private day care centers, and Head Start programs. 

This is partly because there is no centralized

repository of prekindergarten data for classes in 

public or nonpublic schools,4 and there is no

common terminology for the various types of early 

education programs. Consequently, the existing 

data about public school involvement in early

education programs are not uniform and often are 

clouded by varying definitions of programs and 

the age groups included in different data sources.

 

4

 Public elementary and secondary education is administered by state 

and local boards of education, and traditionally a great deal of basic 

information has been gathered and reported about these schools and 

students (e.g., the Common Core of Data, Schools and Staffing 

Survey). Programs for children prior to kindergarten, however, have 

been provided by diverse groups and organizations, including

public schools, private schools, churches, public and private day 

care centers, and Head Start programs. Although Kisker et al. 

(1991) examined early education settings in 1990, there has been no 

means for ongoing collection of data across the various providers.

Definitional Issues

Public school prekindergarten is part of a

fragmented array of early care and education

programs that vary widely in focus, quality,

content, organization, source of funding,

relationship to the public school system, and

government regulation (Bowman, Donovan, and 

Burns 2001). Many terms have been used

interchangeably and/or inconsistently across

studies to describe these various programs. Most 

researchers in the field use the term “center-based”

programs to refer to all types of public and private 

programs that provide children with care and

education in nonresidential settings during the

years prior to kindergarten—including prekindergarten, Head Start, preschool, nursery school, day 

care centers, and other early childhood care

(Hofferth et al. 1998). However, terms such as 

prekindergarten, preschool, and preprimary are

sometimes used in a generic fashion to cover all or 

some center-based programs that serve children 

ages 3 to 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten.

For the purpose of reviewing existing data on the 

role of public school involvement in early

childhood education in this report, the term

“public school prekindergarten” will refer to

programs housed in public schools and/or classes 

at public schools that primarily serve children ages 

3 to 4 who have yet to enter kindergarten. This 

definition is partially based on prekindergarten’s 

primary focus on school readiness and the

initiatives taken by many states to extend their 

programs to serve 3- and 4-year-olds (and, in some 

cases, 5-year-olds) who have not yet entered

kindergarten. Based on their diverse needs, these 

children may be enrolled in either a program of 

general education or special education, or in some 

states, in a prekindergarten program that collaborates with Head Start.

Participation in Public School 

Prekindergarten

Most of the existing data on public school

prekindergarten consist of estimates that do not 

differentiate prekindergarten from other early

education programs and are based on surveys that 
3

collect information from parents. Federal surveys 

that collect periodic data on early education

programs include the Current Population Survey

(CPS), the Survey of Income and Program

Participation (SIPP), and the National Household 

Education Survey (NHES). Because the focus of 

these national surveys on early childhood

education has been broad and a common

terminology is lacking, it is difficult to get a clear 

picture of public school prekindergarten.

Information from the providers of public school 

prekindergarten classes—schools or school

districts—has been made available through other 

U.S. Department of Education surveys. The

NCES annual Common Core of Data (CCD)

surveys, for instance, routinely collect gradespecific information on enrollment in public

schools. Based on state-level CCD data, Young 

(2002) reported that about 796,000 prekindergarten children were enrolled in public schools in

the fall of 2000. These estimates were not

comparable to earlier data on prekindergarten

enrollment because of changes in reporting

practices. For example, public schools in some 

states do not report the children enrolled in classes 

prior to kindergarten. In most of these cases, the 

classes are not usually referred to as prekindergarten; they may be funded and/or offered

independently of the school; 5 or they may be

funded by a combination of sources.

The existing information on early childhood

education is inadequate for describing public

school prekindergarten classes. Most of the data 

depend on reports from parents of children rather 

than agencies—schools, school districts, and state 

education agencies—that are in the best position to 

provide program information. In addition,

information on public school prekindergarten is 

often combined with data from other early

education programs, such as Head Start, that may 

operate outside of the public school system, and 

 

5

 This was very noticeable during the preliminary work for this study 

(e.g., feasibility calls, pretests, and pilot study). The Public

Universe file of the CCD defines prekindergarten as a group or 

class that is part of a public school program, and is taught during the 

year or years preceding kindergarten (Bairu 2001). Based on this 

definition, some schools may not report classes or students prior to 

kindergarten because those classes may operate independently of 

the school.

from other center-based programs. Moreover, 

even the existing data that focus specifically on 

prekindergarten enrollment in public schools (e.g., 

CCD) are limited in that they do not provide key 

information about class or student characteristics. 

The limitations in these data sources underscore 

the need for information that quantifies the role of 

public schools in educating children prior to

kindergarten (see methodology in appendix A for 

additional detail).

About This Study

In response to the lack of current data about

prekindergarten classes in public schools and the 

children who are enrolled in such classes, the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

conducted the Survey of Classes That Serve

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools 

for the Early Childhood Institute. This study, the 

first national data collection focused exclusively 

on prekindergarten classes offered by U.S. public 

elementary schools,6 provides basic information 

on prekindergarten enrollment and more detailed 

information on student and class characteristics. 

These data may help to inform policy about public 

school involvement in the education of the

nation’s youngest citizens. The study addressed 

several key questions:

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

nationwide had prekindergarten classes?

What percentage offered general education

and special education prekindergarten classes?

• How many children were enrolled in

prekindergarten classes at public elementary

schools? What were the age, racial, and ethnic 

characteristics of these children?

• How many prekindergarten classes were

offered in public elementary schools, and how 

were they distributed between general

 

6

 Public special education and regular elementary and combined

schools were included in the study sample. These schools are 

referred to as public elementary schools throughout this report. See 

methodology in appendix A for a detailed description of school 

types.
4

education and special education? What was 

the average size of these classes?

• How many teachers were responsible for

teaching prekindergarten classes, and what

was their education level? How did their pay 

compare with that of other teachers in the 

school district?

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

provided transportation, meals, and extended 

day care to prekindergarten children, and

what percentage of prekindergarten children 

received those services?

This study defines prekindergarten as public

school classes that serve children prior to

kindergarten entry, regardless of whether those 

classes were referred to as prekindergarten, 

preschool, or some other name. The classes

included special education and general education 

classes.7 To capture the broad range of classes 

that serve children prior to kindergarten in public 

schools, some of the information (e.g., student 

enrollment by age) was collected according to two 

broad and mutually exclusive types of classes: 

• General education classes for children prior 

to kindergarten, including combined/inclusive 

classes,8 Title I classes, Head Start classes that 

were part of a district-administered program, 

and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-

year-olds prior to kindergarten.

• Special education classes for children prior to 

kindergarten, including classes with 5-yearolds that had not yet entered kindergarten; for 

this study, special education classes were

defined as classes that serve only children with 

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

 

7

 To improve readability, the term “general education classes” will be 

used throughout the report to refer to all classes that serve children 

prior to kindergarten, except special education classes (i.e., classes 

that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs 

(IEPs)).

8

 Combined or inclusive classes have both general and special

education students. In addition, some general education classes 

may include students who are at risk of developing a disability but 

do not yet have IEPs.

Classes that were primarily for children who were 

younger than 3 years and Head Start classes that 

were not administered by the school district were 

excluded (see methodology in appendix A for

rationale).

The separation of selected survey questions by

class type was based on the assumption that 

special education prekindergarten classes and

children would differ from general education

prekindergarten classes and children. For

example, it was assumed that special education 

classes would be smaller and the children would 

tend to be slightly older. This assumption was 

based, in part, on pretest findings. Some pretest 

respondents, using a preliminary study definition 

of prekindergarten classes (i.e., classes primarily 

for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten),

excluded some special education classes prior to 

kindergarten because the classes enrolled children 

who were primarily 5 years or older.

The study was conducted through the NCES Fast 

Response Survey System (FRSS) during spring 

2001. Approximately 2,000 public elementary

schools 9 were included in the study sample. 

Questionnaires were mailed to the principal of 

each sampled school, with a letter requesting that 

the questionnaire be completed by the school staff 

member who was most knowledgeable about the 

classes offered for children prior to kindergarten. 

A total of 1,843 schools responded to the survey, 

for a weighted response rate of 94 percent.

The questionnaire responses were weighted to

produce national estimates that represent all

special education and regular elementary and

combined public schools in the United States. All 

comparative statements in this report have been 

tested for statistical significance using trend tests 

or t-tests adjusted for multiple comparisons,10 and 

are significant at the 0.05 level. However, not all 

 

9

 The sample of schools was drawn from the 1998–99 NCES CCD 

School Universe file. Therefore, only classes conducted in public 

school buildings—not those operated by public school systems but 

conducted outside of school buildings (e.g., those conducted in 

leased space at community centers or at private schools)—were 

included in the sampling frame.

10The Bonferroni adjustment was used to adjust for multiple

comparisons.
5

the significant differences are reported, because

some are not of substantive interest or importance. 

In this report, some differences that appear large 

may not be statistically significant, due in part to 

the relatively large standard errors surrounding the 

estimates because of the small sample size. 

Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the 

sample and survey methodology.

Most survey estimates presented in this report are 

shown at the national level and by selected school 

characteristics—school enrollment size, locale

(i.e., city, urban fringe/large town, rural/small

town), region (i.e., Northeast, Southeast, Central, 

West), percent minority enrollment, and poverty 

concentration (as defined by the percentage of

students eligible to receive free or reduced-price 

lunch). These characteristics are fully described in 

appendix A. It should be noted that percent

minority enrollment and poverty concentration are 

based on school-level data, not on data from the 

prekindergarten classes that are the focus of this 

report.

Also, it is important to note that many of the

school characteristics used for independent 

analyses may be related to each other. For

example, school size and locale are related, with 

city schools typically being larger than rural

schools. Similarly, poverty concentration and

minority enrollment are related, with schools with 

a high minority enrollment also more likely to

have a high concentration of poverty. Other

relationships between analysis variables may exist. 

Because of the relatively small sample size used 

in this study, it is difficult to separate the

independent effects of these variables. Their

existence, however, should be considered in the 

interpretation of the data presented in this report.

Organization of This Report

This report presents information about general and 

special education prekindergarten classes in public 

elementary schools in 2000–2001. The discussion 

is divided into chapters that reflect the major

topics addressed in the questionnaire. Chapter 2 

highlights the characteristics of public schools that 

offered prekindergarten classes, and chapter 3

describes the children who were enrolled in those 

public school classes. Characteristics of the public 

school prekindergarten classes are presented in

chapter 4, including information on the number of 

classes offered, the class schedule (e.g., full day 

versus half day), and the number of children

enrolled in each type of class. Chapter 5 reports 

on the number of public school prekindergarten

teachers and their credentials and salaries. 

Chapter 6 describes the student support services 

that public school prekindergarten children receive 

(e.g., school meals, transportation). Funding

sources for public school prekindergarten classes 

are described in chapter 7. The concluding

chapter summarizes the findings of the study. A 

detailed survey methodology (appendix A) and

tables of standard errors for all data presented in 

this report (appendix B) are included as technical 

appendices. The questionnaire is presented in

appendix C.
6
7

2. PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH 

PREKINDERGARTEN CLASSES

This survey is the first to characterize public 

elementary school11 prekindergarten classes

nationwide. The data provide an overview of the 

schools with prekindergarten classes and describe 

several features of the classes. For example,

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

nationwide has prekindergarten classes? Does 

the percentage of schools vary by school

characteristics?

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

offers only general education prekindergarten 

classes? What percentage of schools offers 

only special education prekindergarten 

classes? What percentage of schools offers 

both types of classes?

• What percentage of public elementary schools 

offers only full-day prekindergarten classes? 

What percentage of schools offers only halfday prekindergarten classes? What percentage

of schools offers both types of classes?

Overall Prevalence of Public Schools 

With Prekindergarten Classes

During the 2000–2001 school year, there were

about 56,400 public elementary schools, 19,900 

(35 percent) of which had prekindergarten classes 

(tables 1 and 2). Table 1 shows the distribution of 

public elementary schools (column 2) and the

distribution of public elementary schools with

prekindergarten classes (column 4).12 As can be 

 

11For this study, “public elementary school” refers to public special 

education and regular elementary and combined schools. A school 

was defined as an elementary school if the lowest grade was less 

than or equal to grade 3 and the highest grade was less than or equal 

to grade 8. Combined schools contain both elementary and

secondary grades (e.g., K to 12 or 1 to 9). See appendix A for a 

detailed description of school types.

12For similar percentage distributions, see the following, tables: 

Table 4. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

seen, 31 percent of all public elementary schools 

were small (enrollments of less than 300 students), 

44 percent were midsized (300 to 599 students), 

and 25 percent were large (600 or more students); 

25 percent of the schools with prekindergarten

classes were small, 46 percent were midsized, and 

30 percent were large. In addition, 22 percent of 

the public schools with prekindergarten classes

had minority enrollments of less than 6 percent, 

17 percent of the schools had minority enrollments 

of 6 to 20 percent, 22 percent of the schools had 

minority enrollments of 21 to 49 percent, and 

37 percent of the schools had minority enrollments 

of 50 percent or more.

Among the 19,900 public schools with

prekindergarten classes during the 2000–2001 

school year, the likelihood of elementary schools 

offering prekindergarten classes increased with

school size: 28 percent of small elementary

schools had a prekindergarten program, whereas 

36 percent of midsized and 42 percent of large 

elementary schools had prekindergarten classes

(table 2). City schools were more likely than 

urban fringe/large town schools or rural/small

town schools to have prekindergarten classes. The 

classes were offered in 45 percent of city

elementary schools, compared with 30 percent of 

urban fringe/large town schools and 34 percent of 

rural/small town schools.

The percentage of public elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes varied by region, with the 

Southeast being most likely to offer prekindergarten. Almost half (46 percent) of elementary 

schools in the Southeast offered prekindergarten; 

the likelihood of these classes in the Northeast, 

Central, and West was 30 percent, 32 percent, and 

35 percent, respectively.

 

school prekindergarten children, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001; Table 8. Number and percentage distribution of public 

elementary school prekindergarten classes, by selected school

characteristics: 2000–2001; and Table 13. Number and percentage 

distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten classroom 

teachers, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001.
8

Table 1. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary schools and elementary 

schools with prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Elementary schools

Elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

Number

Percentage 

distribution Number

Percentage 

distribution

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 56,400 100 19,900 100

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 17,400 31 4,900 25

300 to 599..................................................................................... 24,900 44 9,100 46

600 or more................................................................ 14,100 25 5,900 30

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 13,800 24 6,300 31

Urban fringe/large town................................................................21,200 38 6,400 32

Rural/small town................................................................ 21,300 38 7,200 36

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 10,900 19 3,300 16

Southeast....................................................................................... 11,800 21 5,500 27

Central.......................................................................................... 16,700 30 5,300 27

West ............................................................................................. 16,900 30 5,900 29

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................ 15,800 28 4,400 22

6 to 20 percent................................................................ 12,400 22 3,400 17

21 to 49 percent ................................................................ 11,800 21 4,400 22

50 percent or more................................................................ 15,800 28 7,400 37

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................................................ 22,600 40 5,600 28

35 to 49 percent ................................................................ 8,400 15 2,900 14

50 to 74 percent ................................................................ 12,600 22 5,000 25

75 percent or more................................................................ 12,200 22 6,200 31

NOTE: For the number of public elementary schools, percent minority enrollment was missing for 24 cases and percent of students eligible for 

free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 17 cases in the sample. For the number of schools with prekindergarten classes, percent minority 

enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the sample. Those 

cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or missing 

data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
9

Table 2. Number of public elementary schools, number and percent of elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes, and percent of elementary schools with general education and 

special education prekindergarten classes: 2000–2001

Elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes

Percent of elementary schools 

with

School characteristic

Number of 

elementary 

schools

Number Percent

General 

education 

prekindergarten 

classes

Special 

education 

prekindergarten 

classes

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 56,400 19,900 35 28 15

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 17,400 4,900 28 22 12

300 to 599..................................................................................... 24,900 9,100 36 29 16

600 or more................................................................ 14,100 5,900 42 32 20

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 13,800 6,300 45 37 18

Urban fringe/large town................................................................ 21,200 6,400 30 23 15

Rural/small town................................................................ 21,300 7,200 34 26 14

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 10,900 3,300 30 24 9

Southeast....................................................................................... 11,800 5,500 46 37 23

Central.......................................................................................... 16,700 5,300 32 24 15

West ............................................................................................. 16,900 5,900 35 28 14

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................15,800 4,400 28 21 12

6 to 20 percent................................................................ 12,400 3,400 27 18 14

21 to 49 percent ................................................................ 11,800 4,400 37 29 18

50 percent or more................................................................15,800 7,400 47 41 18

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................................................ 22,600 5,600 25 16 13

35 to 49 percent ................................................................ 8,400 2,900 34 27 14

50 to 74 percent ................................................................ 12,600 5,000 40 33 18

75 percent or more................................................................12,200 6,200 51 44 18

NOTE: Percentages presented in this table are based on the estimated number of public elementary schools—56,400. For the number of schools 

with prekindergarten classes, percent minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price 

lunch was missing for 7 cases in the sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Special 

education prekindergarten classes are classes prior to kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General 

prekindergarten classes are all other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I 

prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a program administered by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-yearolds prior to kindergarten. For the number of elementary schools and the number of elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
10

The likelihood of public schools offering

prekindergarten classes also was positively related 

to minority enrollment and poverty concentration. 

Overall, as percent minority enrollment increased, 

the likelihood of offering prekindergarten

increased—from 27 percent in schools with 6 to 

20 percent minority enrollment to 47 percent in 

schools where minority enrollment was 50 percent 

or more. Twenty-five percent of elementary 

schools with the lowest poverty concentration (less 

than 35 percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch) offered prekindergarten. 

Despite the fact that early childhood education 

programs have often targeted the needs of children 

from low-income families, 51 percent of the

schools with the highest poverty concentration 

(75 percent or more of students eligible) offered 

such classes.

Prevalence of Public Schools With 

General Education or Special 

Education Prekindergarten Classes

Among public elementary schools nationwide,

28 percent offered general education prekindergarten classes (table 2). There was a positive 

relationship between school size and the likelihood 

that a school would offer general education

prekinder-garten classes, ranging from 22 percent 

of small schools to 32 percent of large schools. 

City schools were more likely to offer this type of 

class than were schools in urban fringe/large

towns or rural/small towns (37 percent versus

23 and 26 percent, respectively). The likelihood 

also varied by region: schools in the Southeast

(37 percent) were more likely to offer these classes 

than schools in any other region (28 percent in the 

West and 24 percent in both the Northeast and 

Central regions). The likelihood that schools

offered general education classes also tended to 

increase with percent minority enrollment (ranging 

from 18 to 41 percent) and poverty concentration 

(ranging from 16 to 44 percent).

Fifteen percent of public elementary schools

offered special education prekindergarten classes 

(table 2). Variation by school characteristic s was 

similar to the variation found in the percentage of 

schools that offered general education prekindergarten classes. For example, the likelihood of 

schools offering special education prekindergarten 

classes was positively related to school size, with 

12 percent of small schools, 16 percent of

midsized schools, and 20 percent of large schools 

offering this type of class. There were no

differences in the likelihood that schools offered 

this type of class based on locale. However,

schools in the Southeast were again more likely 

to offer these classes than schools in any

other region: 23 percent in the Southeast compared 

with 9 percent in the Northeast, 14 percent in

the West, and 15 percent in the Central region. 

The likelihood that schools offered special

education classes also tended to increase with

percent minority enrollment (ranging from 12 to 

18 percent).
11

Public elementary schools also differed in whether 

they offered general education prekindergarten

classes only, special education prekindergarten 

classes only, or both general education and special 

education classes during the 2000–2001 school 

year. Among all public elementary schools, 20 

percent offered only general education

prekindergarten classes, 8 percent offered only

special education classes, and 8 percent offered

both types of classes (figure 1).

Figure 1. Percent of public elementary schools with general education prekindergarten classes 

only, with special education prekindergarten classes only, with both types of classes, and 

with no prekindergarten classes: 2000–2001

8%

8%

20%

65%

General education classes only

Special education classes only

Both types of classes

No prekindergarten classes

Public elementary schools

NOTE: Data presented in this figure are based on the estimated number of public elementary schools—56,400. Special education classes are 

classes prior to kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General education classes are all other classes 

primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a 

program administered by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten. Detail may not sum to 

totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
12

Prevalence of Public Schools 

With Only Full-Day, Only Half-Day, 

or Both Types of Prekindergarten 

Classes

Of the approximately 56,400 public elementary

schools nationwide, 13 percent offered only fullday prekindergarten classes, 19 percent offered

only half-day classes, and 3 percent offered both 

types of classes (table 3). The likelihood that 

schools would offer only full-day or only half-day 

classes differed by each of the selected school 

characteristics.

Table 3. Percent of public elementary schools offering full-day only, half-day only, both types, or 

no prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

School characteristic Full day only Half day only Both None

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 13 19 3 65

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 9 17 2 72

300 to 599..................................................................................... 13 20 4 64

600 or more................................................................................... 16 22 4 58

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 16 24 5 55

Urban fringe/large town................................................................ 10 17 3 70

Rural/small town................................................................ 13 18 3 66

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 7 19 3 70

Southeast....................................................................................... 36 7 4 54

Central.......................................................................................... 4 24 3 68

West ............................................................................................. 8 23 3 66

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................ 7 19 2 72

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 8 18 1! 73

21 to 49 percent ................................................................ 15 18 5 63

50 percent or more................................................................ 21 21 5 53

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................................................ 6 17 2 75

35 to 49 percent ................................................................ 9 24 2 66

50 to 74 percent ................................................................ 17 19 3 60

75 percent or more................................................................ 23 21 6 49

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated total number of public elementary schools—56,400. Percent minority enrollment 

was missing for 24 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 17 cases in the sample. These cases are 

included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. For the purpose of the calculations in this table, 3 cases in the sample were 

dropped because, in addition to full-day and/or half-day classes, “other” types of classes were reported at the schools. Detail may not sum to 

totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
13

There was a positive relationship between public 

school size and the likelihood of offering only fullday prekindergarten classes, ranging from

9 percent of small schools to 16 percent of large 

schools. No significant differences by school size 

were detected in the likelihood of offering only 

half-day classes.

City schools were more likely than urban

fringe/large town schools to offer only full-day 

and to offer only half-day prekindergarten classes. 

Sixteen percent of city schools offered only fullday classes and 24 percent offered only half-day 

classes; 10 percent of urban fringe/large town

schools offered only full-day classes and 

17 percent offered only half-day classes. City

schools also were more likely than rural/small

town schools to offer only half-day 

prekindergarten classes (24 versus 18 percent,

respectively).

Thirty-six percent of public elementary schools in 

the Southeast offered only full-day prekindergarten classes, compared with 7 percent of 

schools in the Northeast, 4 percent in the Central 

region, and 8 percent in the West. The schools in 

the Southeast were least likely to offer only halfday classes (7 percent, versus 19 to 24 percent).

As percent minority enrollment increased, so did 

the likelihood that public schools offered only fullday prekindergarten classes. The likelihood

ranged from 7 percent of schools with the lowest 

minority enrollment offering only full-day classes 

to 21 percent of schools with the highest minority 

enrollment.

There also was a positive relationship between

poverty concentration and the likelihood of

offering only full-day prekindergarten classes,

ranging from 6 percent of schools with the lowest 

poverty concentration offering only full-day 

classes to 23 percent of schools with the highest 

poverty concentration offering only such classes.
14
15

3. PREKINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Results from the survey provide information on 

the children who were enrolled in prekindergarten 

classes offered by regular and special education 

public elementary schools during the 2000–2001

school year. The data address questions such as:

• What was the age distribution of

prekindergarten children, and was there a

difference in the distribution between children 

enrolled in general education and those

enrolled in special education prekindergarten 

classes?

• What was the racial and ethnic make-up of 

prekindergarten enrollment?

• How many prekindergarten children were

LEP?

• How many were low income?

• How many had IEPs?

Number of Prekindergarten 

Children in Public Schools

During the 2000–2001 school year,

approximately 822,000 children were enrolled in 

public elementary school prekindergarten classes 

(table 4).13 As a group, they comprised about 

 

13For similar percentage distributions, see the following tables: Table 

1. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary

schools and elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by 

selected school characteristics: 2000–2001; Table 8. Number and 

percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001; and Table 

13. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

school prekindergarten classroom teachers, by selected school

characteristics: 2000–2001.

9 percent of 3- and 4-year-old children

nationwide: 4 percent of 3-year-olds and

14 percent of 4-year-olds.14, 15 To put these

numbers in context, data from the U.S.

Department of Education indicated that in 1999, 

about 54 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds nationwide 

were enrolled in some form of preprimary

educational program in public elementary schools 

or in some other setting (Snyder 2001).16

Table 4 shows the distribution of prekindergarten 

children by selected characteristics of the public 

schools offering their classes. One-third 

(33 percent) of the prekindergarten children

attended large elementary schools, 44 percent

attended midsized schools, and 24 percent

attended small schools. Almost half (45 percent) 

of prekindergarten children attended public

schools with minority enrollment of 50 percent or 

more.

Among the 822,000 children enrolled in public 

school prekindergarten classes,17 79 percent were 

enrolled in general education classes and

21 percent were enrolled in special education

 

14These percentages are based on counts of 3- and 4-year-olds 

published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census (2001).

15The questionnaire collected data on the number of prekindergarten 

children by age, including the number who were 5 years or older. 

Since this category is unbounded (i.e., 6-year-olds could be

included), no meaningful contextual data could be presented. 

Therefore, this discussion focuses on 3- and 4-year-olds (88 percent 

of all public elementary school prekindergarten children).

16This percentage is based on data from the U.S. Department of 

Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Preprimary 

Enrollment, various years; and U.S. Department of Commerce, 

Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, reported in Table 

45 of the Digest of Education Statistics 2000, unpublished

tabulations.

17In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

(IDEA), special education placement options for prekindergarten 

children with IEPs are also located in settings other than public 

elementary schools. Additional information about children with 

disabilities can be found at www.ideadata.org
16

Table 4. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten children

School characteristic

Number Percentage distribution

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 822,000 100

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 193,000 24

300 to 599..................................................................................... 359,000 44

600 or more................................................................................... 269,000 33

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 310,000 38

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 279,000 34

Rural/small town............................................................................ 233,000 28

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 137,000 17

Southeast....................................................................................... 191,000 23

Central.......................................................................................... 230,000 28

West ............................................................................................. 264,000 32

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 141,000 17

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 129,000 16

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 169,000 21

50 percent or more......................................................................... 373,000 45

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 192,000 23

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 98,000 12

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 207,000 25

75 percent or more......................................................................... 318,000 39

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding 

or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
17

classes (table 5). In the Northeast, 86 percent of 

the prekindergarten children were enrolled in

general education classes and 14 percent were

enrolled in special education classes, whereas in 

the Southeast, 76 percent of the children were

enrolled in general education classes and

24 percent were enrolled in special education

classes. In schools with the highest poverty

concentration, 87 percent of the prekindergarten

children were enrolled in general education classes 

and 13 percent were enrolled in special education

classes, compared with 73 percent in general

education classes and 27 percent in special

education classes in schools with the lowest

poverty concentration.

Table 5. Number of public elementary school prekindergarten children and of those, percent in 

general education and special education classes, by selected school characteristics:

2000–2001

Prekindergarten children

School characteristic

Number

Percent in general 

education classes

Percent in special 

education classes

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 822,000 79 21

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 193,000 79 21

300 to 599..................................................................................... 359,000 82 18

600 or more................................................................................... 269,000 77 23

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 310,000 81 19

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 279,000 78 22

Rural/small town............................................................................ 233,000 80 20

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 137,000 86 14

Southeast....................................................................................... 191,000 76 24

Central.......................................................................................... 230,000 78 22

West ............................................................................................. 264,000 80 20

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 141,000 79 21

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 129,000 74 26

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 169,000 79 21

50 percent or more......................................................................... 373,000 82 18

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 192,000 73 27

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 98,000 78 22

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 207,000 77 23

75 percent or more......................................................................... 318,000 87 13

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Special education classes are classes prior to 

kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General education classes are all other classes primarily for 3- or 

4-year olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a program administered 

by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
18

Age of Prekindergarten Children in

Public Schools

The survey asked public schools to report the age 

of prekindergarten children as of October 1, 2000. 

As of that date, 20 percent of the children were 

3 years, 68 percent were 4 years, and 9 percent 

were 5 years or older. The remaining 3 percent 

were younger than 3 years (figure 2).

The age distribution of prekindergarten children 

enrolled in public schools differed by type of

prekindergarten class. Although most children

enrolled in either general education or special

education prekindergarten classes in public

schools were 3 or 4 years, larger percentages of 

children who were younger than 3 years, 3 years, 

or 5 years or older were enrolled in special

education than in general education prekindergarten classes.

Figure 2. Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children by age, overall and by 

type of class: 2000–2001

3

20

68

9

1

17

75

7 7

35

43

16

0

20

40

60

80

100

Younger than 3 years 3 years 4 years 5 years or older

Overall

General education classes

Special education classes

Percent

Age

NOTE: Overall data presented in this figure are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. 

General education data are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one general education prekindergarten class—15,700. Special 

education data are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one special education prekindergarten class—8,600. Special education 

classes are classes prior to kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General education classes are all other 

classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part 

of a program administered by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten. Age categorization is 

based on the child’s age as of October 1, 2000. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
19

Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds of 

Prekindergarten Children in 

Public Schools

The survey also asked about the racial and ethnic 

background of prekindergarten children enrolled 

in public elementary schools. In the 2000–2001

school year, 49 percent of the prekindergarten

children were White, 24 percent were Hispanic, 

and 23 percent were Black; Asian and American 

Indian/Alaska Native children represented 3 and 

2 percent of the prekindergarten population,

respectively (table 6). Data on all public school 

students of all ages from the 2000–2001 school 

year indicated that about 61 percent were White, 

17 percent were Hispanic, 17 percent were Black, 

4 percent Asian, and 1 percent were American

Indian/Alaska Natives.18

The proportion of public school prekindergarten 

children from different racial and ethnic groups 

varied by all the school characteristics. As school 

size increased, the percentage of White

prekindergarten children decreased and the

percentage of Hispanic prekindergarten children 

increased (table 6). In small schools, 61 percent of 

prekindergarten children were White and

16 percent were Hispanic. In large schools,

36 percent of the children were White and

36 percent were Hispanic. In small public schools 

nationwide, 72 percent of all students were White 

and 10 percent were Hispanic; in large public 

schools, 56 percent of all students were White and 

20 percent were Hispanic.19

The percentages of prekindergarten children

enrolled in public schools who were from various 

racial and ethnic groups also differed by locale. In 

city schools, 28 percent of the prekindergarten

children were White, 35 percent were Hispanic, 

and 33 percent were Black. In contrast, in

rural/small town schools, 74 percent of the

 

18National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 

2000–2001, Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey

(NCES 2002–362). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, 

DC: National Center for Education Statistics, unpublished

tabulations. Data are based on all public regular and special 

education, vocational education, and alternative education schools.

19See footnote 18.

prekindergarten children were White, 10 percent 

were Hispanic, and 12 percent were Black. 

Among all city public school students nationwide, 

37 percent were White, 27 percent were Hispanic, 

and 30 percent were Black. Among rural/small 

town public school students, these percentages

were 79, 7, and 10, respectively.20

The racial and ethnic distribution of prekindergarten children in public schools differed by

region as well. For example, 9 percent of the 

prekindergarten children enrolled in schools in

the Southeast were Hispanic, compared with

47 percent of the prekindergarten children in

schools in the West. Black prekindergarten

children represented 38 percent of the prekindergarten children in schools in the Southeast,

compared with 13 percent in the West. Among all 

public school students in the Southeast, 7 percent 

were Hispanic and 31 percent were Black. Among 

all public school students in the West, 33 percent 

were Hispanic and 9 percent were Black.21

There was a negative relationship between the 

percentage of White children enrolled in

prekindergarten in public schools and poverty

concentration. In schools with the lowest poverty 

concentration, 79 percent of the prekindergarten

children were White, compared with 22 percent in 

schools with the highest poverty concentration. 

The converse was true for Hispanic and Black

children. In schools with the lowest poverty

concentration, these groups represented 8 and

7 percent of the prekindergarten children,

respectively; in schools with the highest poverty 

concentration, they represented 39 and 36 percent, 

respectively. Nationwide, in the public schools 

with the lowest poverty concentration, 79 percent 

of all students were White, 8 percent were

Hispanic, and 8 percent were Black. In public 

schools with the highest poverty concentration, 

15 percent of all students were White, 40 percent 

were Hispanic, and 39 percent were Black.22

 

20See footnote 18.

21See footnote 18.

22See footnote 18.
20

Table 6. Number and percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children of various 

racial/ethnic backgrounds, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Racial/ethnic background

School characteristic White, 

nonHispanic Hispanic

Black, 

nonHispanic Asian

American 

Indian/

Alaska 

Native

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

(number)................................................................................. 394,000 195,000 183,000 22,000 15,200

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 49 24 23 3 2

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 61 16 18 3 3

300 to 599..................................................................................... 51 19 25 3 1

600 or more................................................................................... 36 36 23 3 2

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 28 35 33 4 1

Urban fringe/large town................................................................ 51 24 20 3 1

Rural/small town............................................................................ 74 10 12 1 4

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 53 19 22 5 1!

Southeast....................................................................................... 49 9 38 2 2

Central.......................................................................................... 63 13 21 2 1

West ............................................................................................. 33 47 13 3 3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 94 2 1 1 2

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 81 7 8 3 1

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 59 17 18 4 2

50 percent or more......................................................................... 15 42 38 3 2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 79 8 7 4 1

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 65 15 14 3 2

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 54 20 20 3 3

75 percent or more......................................................................... 22 39 36 2 2

! The coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent; interpret data with caution.

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Race/ethnicity 

data were not reported for 10 cases in the sample, so the estimated total is 810,000. Percent minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and 

percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in 

analyses by other school characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
21

Public School Prekindergarten 

Children Who Were Limited 

English Proficient

The survey also asked about the number of public 

school prekindergarten children who were limited 

English proficient. For this survey, a child who 

was LEP (or “English language learners”) was 

defined as one “whose native or dominant

language is other than English, and whose skills in 

listening to, speaking, reading, or writing English 

are such that he/she derives little benefit from 

school instruction in English.” Under this

definition, 15 percent of prekindergarten children 

were LEP (table 7). Data on the percentage of 

public elementary school students overall indicate 

that about 9 percent of all students received LEP 

services.23

The percentage of public school prekindergarten 

children who were LEP varied by school

characteristics. There was a positive relationship 

between the percentage of prekindergarten

children who were LEP and school size, ranging 

from 10 percent in small schools to 22 percent in 

large schools. In city schools, 22 percent of

prekindergarten children were LEP; in rural/small 

town schools, 6 percent were LEP. In schools in 

the West, 30 percent of prekindergarten children 

were LEP, whereas the percentage ranged from 7 

to 9 percent in other regions.

There also were positive relationships between the 

percentage of public school prekindergarten

children who were LEP and percent minority

enrollment and poverty concentration. The

percentage of children who were LEP ranged from 

less than 0.5 percent in schools with the lowest 

percent minority enrollment to 26 percent in

schools with the highest percent minority 

enrollment. It ranged from 5 percent in schools 

with the lowest poverty concentration to

25 percent in schools with the highest poverty 

concentration.

 

23National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data 

2000–2001, Local Education Agency Survey: School Year 2000–

2001 (NCES 2002–360). U.S. Department of Education. 

Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics,

unpublished t abulations.

Public School Prekindergarten 

Children Who Were Low Income

Public schools that participate in the National 

School Lunch Program (NSLP) provide meals free 

of charge or at a reduced price to students from 

low-income families (Fox et al. 2001). 

Throughout this chapter, eligibility for free or

reduced-price meal benefits is used as a proxy to 

describe students from low-income families. Data 

from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment

Study II (SNDA-II) indicated that on an average 

day in the study target week during the 1998–1999 

school year, 45 percent of students attending

public elementary schools that participate in the 

NSLP were low income (Fox et al. 2001).

The FRSS survey asked public schools to report 

the number of prekindergarten children and the 

percentage of students in all grades who were

eligible for free and reduced-price lunch benefits 

during the 2000-01 school year.24 It is important 

to remember that prekindergarten programs have 

tended to target at-risk children, including lowincome children. Table 7 shows that 61 percent of 

prekindergarten children were low income. This 

percentage was higher than the percentage of all 

public elementary school children who were low 

income (47 percent) (not shown in table).25

There was a positive relationship between the

percentage of public school prekindergarten

children who were low income and the size of the 

school, ranging from 54 percent in small schools 

to 68 percent in large schools. The percentage of 

prekindergarten children who were low income

also varied by locale and region. In city schools 

with prekindergarten classes, a higher percentage 

of prekindergarten children were low income than 

in urban fringe/large town schools or rural/

small town schools with prekindergarten classes

 

24The item nonresponse rat e for the number of prekindergarten

children who were low income was 5.6 percent. As a result, the 

survey estimate may be somewhat different from the actual

percentage of students eligible to receive the benefits.

25Since the number of students eligible for free and reduced-price 

lunch was missing for 17 schools and enrollment was missing for 8 

schools (both data elements were missing for one school), this

percentage was based on 99 percent of public elementary schools.
22

Table 7. Percent of all public elementary school prekindergarten children who were limited 

English proficient, pe rcent who were low income, and percent with Individualized 

Education Programs, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Percent of prekindergarten children

School characteristic

Limited 

English proficient1 Low income2

With Individualized 

Education

Programs

3

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 15 61 30

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 10 54 33

300 to 599..................................................................................... 12 59 28

600 or more................................................................................... 22 68 30

Locale

City............................................................................................... 22 72 26

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 16 55 32

Rural/small town............................................................................ 6 53 32

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 9 47 28

Southeast ....................................................................................... 7 71 34

Central.......................................................................................... 8 51 31

West ............................................................................................. 30 70 27

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... # 33 36

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 4 44 38

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 12 54 31

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 26 79 23

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 5 21 40

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 10 40 38

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 11 63 30

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 25 87 20

# Rounds to zero.

1Or “English language learners.”

2Eligible for free and reduced-price lunch benefits.

3

Includes children in special education and general education classes.

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Data on the 

number of prekindergarten children with limited English proficiency were not reported for 8 cases in the sample. Data on the number of 

prekindergarten children eligible for free or reduced-price lunch were not reported for 44 cases in the sample. Data on the number of 

prekindergarten children with Individualized Education Programs were not reported for 1 case in the sample. Percent minority enrollment was 

missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the sample. Those cases were 

included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
23

(72 percent versus 55 and 53 percent,

respectively). The percentages of prekindergarten 

children who were low income were higher in the 

Southeast and West than in the Northeast and

Central regions (71 and 70 percent versus 47 and 

51 percent, respectively). In addition, in public 

elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, 

there was a positive relationship between the

percentage of prekindergarten children who were 

low income and percent minority enrollment,

ranging from 33 percent in schools with the lowest 

percent minority enrollment to 79 percent in

schools with the highest percent minority

enrollment.

Public School Prekindergarten 

Children With Individualized 

Education Programs

Nationwide, about 13 percent of all public school 

students had IEPs during the 2000–2001 school 

year.

26 Overall, 30 percent of children enrolled 

in public elementary school prekindergarten

classes during the 2000–2001 school year had

IEPs (table 7).27, 28 Sixty-nine percent of prekindergarten children with IEPs were enrolled in special 

education prekindergarten classes, and 31 percent 

were enrolled in general education prekindergarten 

classes (not shown in table). By definition, for 

this study all children enrolled in special education 

classes had to have IEPs.

 

26See footnote 23.

27This may be indicative of the traditional focus of prekindergarten 

programs on at-risk children, including those with disabilities.

28See footnote 17.

No significant differences were detected in the 

percentages of public school prekindergarten

children with IEPs by school size, locale, or

region. However, the percentage of prekindergarten children with IEPs generally tended to be 

higher in schools with lower percent minority

enrollment. In schools with the lowest percent 

minority enrollment, 36 percent of the prekindergarten children had IEPs, and in schools with 6 to 

20 percent minority enrollment, 38 percent of the 

prekindergarten children had IEPs. In schools 

with 50 percent or more minority enrollment, the 

percentage of prekindergarten children with IEPs 

was 23 percent.

The percentage of public school prekindergarten 

children with IEPs decreased as poverty

concentration increased. In schools with the

lowest poverty concentration, 40 percent of

prekindergarten children had IEPs, whereas in

schools with the highest poverty concentration, 

20 percent had IEPs. This may be due to the 

relationship between early childhood education

programs and income. Since prekindergarten

programs have tended to target at-risk children, 

including children from low-income families,

prekindergarten classes in schools with low 

poverty concentrations may attract children at risk 

for other reasons (e.g., having an IEP) (Hinkle 

2000; U.S. General Accounting Office 1999).
24
25

4. PREKINDERGARTEN CLASSES

IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The survey examined characteristics of

prekindergarten classes in regular and special

education public elementary schools. Results

from the survey addressed questions such as the 

following:

• How many prekindergarten classes were

offered in public elementary schools, and how 

were they distributed between general

education and special education?

• What was the average number of prekindergarten classes offered by public elementary

schools?

• What was the average size of these classes? 

How did this differ by type of class?

• How many prekindergarten classes were on a 

full-day schedule and how many were on a 

half-day schedule? What percentage of the 

classes was offered 5 days per week?

Number of Prekindergarten Classes

During the 2000–2001 school year, approximately 

58,500 prekindergarten classes were offered in

regular and special education public elementary

schools. Thirty-one percent of the classes were 

offered in schools in the West, 29 percent in the 

Central region, 22 percent in the Southeast, and 

18 percent in the Northeast (table 8).29

The majority of public schools with

prekindergarten classes offered at least two

 

29For similar percentage distributions, see the following tables: Table 

1. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

schools and elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by 

selected school characteristics: 2000–2001; Table 4. Number and 

percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001; and Table 

13. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

school prekindergarten classroom teachers, by selected school

characteristics: 2000–2001.

classes; 38 percent offered two classes, and

37 percent offered three or more classes (figure 3). 

During the 2000–2001 school year, among

elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, 

23 percent offered one general education

prekindergarten class, 34 percent offered two

classes, and 22 percent offered three or more

classes (figure 4). Eighteen percent offered one 

special education prekindergarten class, 16 percent 

offered two classes, and 9 percent offered three or 

more classes (figure 5).

Sixty-seven percent of the prekindergarten classes 

offered during the 2000–2001 school year were 

general education classes, and 33 percent were

special education classes (table 9). This distribution varied by poverty concentration. Among

public schools with the lowest poverty concentration, 60 percent of the prekindergarten classes 

were general education classes and 40 percent

were special education classes; among schools 

with the highest poverty concentration, 77 percent 

were general education classes and 23 percent

were special education classes.

Overall, public elementary schools that offered

prekindergarten classes averaged 2.9 prekindergarten classes per school during the 2000–2001 

school year (table 10). Nationwide, public

elementary schools averaged two general

education prekindergarten classes and one special 

education prekindergarten class.

The overall average differed by locale and region. 

Among the public elementary schools that offered 

prekindergarten classes, city schools averaged 3.4 

prekindergarten classes and urban fringe/large

town schools averaged 3.1 classes per school; 

rural/small town schools averaged 2.4 classes per 

school. Public elementary schools in the
26

Table 8. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

Number Percentage distribution

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 58,500 100

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 15,000 26

300 to 599..................................................................................... 25,000 43

600 or more................................................................................... 18,400 32

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 21,200 36

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 19,900 34

Rural/small town............................................................................ 17,400 30

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 10,400 18

Southeast....................................................................................... 12,900 22

Central.......................................................................................... 17,000 29

West ............................................................................................. 18,200 31

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 11,000 19

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 10,400 18

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 12,200 21

50 percent or more......................................................................... 24,200 41

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 15,700 27

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 7,300 13

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 14,500 25

75 percent or more......................................................................... 20,400 35

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding 

or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
27

Figure 3. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by the number of 

classes offered: 2000–2001

37%

38%

24% 1 class

2 classes

3 or more classes

Public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

NOTE: Data presented in this figure are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Detail may

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.

Figure 4. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by the number of 

general education prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–2001

23%

34%

22%

21%

1 class

2 classes

3 or more classes

No general education classes

Public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

(1 or more special 

education classes)

NOTE: Data presented in this figure are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. General 

education prekindergarten classes are all classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds—general and combined/inclusive to kindergarten, Title I 

prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a program administered by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-yearolds prior to kindergarten. Classes that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs are not included in the counts of number of 

general education classes.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
28

Figure 5. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by the number of 

special education prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–2001

Public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

57%

9%

16%

18%

1 class

2 classes

3 or more classes

No special education classes

(1 or more general 

education classes)

NOTE: Data presented in this figure are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Special 

education prekindergarten classes are classes prior to kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statist ics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
29

Table 9. Number of public elementary school prekindergarten classes, and of those, percent that 

are general education and special education classes, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001

Prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

Number

Percent of general 

education classes

Percent of special 

education classes

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 58,500 67 33

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 15,000 67 33

300 to 599..................................................................................... 25,000 71 29

600 or more................................................................................... 18,400 63 37

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 21,200 69 31

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 19,900 65 35

Rural/small town............................................................................ 17,400 68 32

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 10,400 76 24

Southeast....................................................................................... 12,900 63 37

Central.......................................................................................... 17,000 67 33

West ............................................................................................. 18,200 66 34

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 11,000 70 30

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 10,400 62 38

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 12,200 64 36

50 percent or more......................................................................... 24,200 71 29

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 15,700 60 40 

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 7,300 65 35

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 14,500 66 34

75 percent or more......................................................................... 20,400 77 23

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Special education classes are classes prior to 

kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General education classes are all other classes primarily for 3- or 

4-year-olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a program administered 

by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
30

Table 10. Average number of public elementary school prekindergarten classes per school, 

overall and by type of class, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

All classes

General education 

classes

Special education 

classes

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 2.9 2.0 1.0

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 3.0 2.0 1.0

300 to 599..................................................................................... 2.8 1.9 0.8

600 or more................................................................................... 3.1 2.0 1.2

Locale

City............................................................................................... 3.4 2.3 1.0

Urban fringe/large town .................................................................. 3.1 2.0 1.1

Rural/small town............................................................................ 2.4 1.6 0.8

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 3.2 2.4 0.8

Southeast ....................................................................................... 2.4 1.5 0.9

Central.......................................................................................... 3.2 2.1 1.1

West ............................................................................................. 3.1 2.1 1.1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 2.5 1.7 0.7

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 3.1 1.9 1.2

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 2.8 1.8 1.0

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 3.3 2.3 0.9

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 2.8 1.7 1.1

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 2.5 1.6 0.9

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 2.9 1.9 1.0

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 3.3 2.5 0.8

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Special education classes are classes prior to 

kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General education classes are all other classes primarily for 3- or 

4-year-olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a program administered 

by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
31

Southeast that offered prekindergarten classes

offered fewer of them on average than did schools 

in the Northeast or Central regions:30 2.4 classes 

per school in the Southeast compared with 3.2

classes per school in both the Northeast and

Central regions.

The average number of classes offered also

differed by percent minority enrollment and

poverty concentration. Public schools with the 

lowest percent minority enrollment averaged 2.5

classes per school, whereas schools with the

highest percent minority enrollment averaged 3.3 

classes per school. Schools with 35 to 49 percent 

of students eligible to receive free or reduced-price 

lunch averaged 2.5 classes per school, whereas

schools with 75 percent or more students eligible 

to receive free or reduced-price lunch averaged 3.3 

classes per school.

There were similar differences in the average

number of general education prekindergarten

classes offered by public schools. City schools 

offered a higher average number of general

education prekindergarten classes than rural/small 

town schools: 2.3 classes per school versus 1.6

classes per school. Elementary schools in the

Southeast offered an average of 1.5 classes

compared with 2.1 to 2.4 classes per school in 

other regions. Schools with the lowest minority 

enrollment averaged 1.7 general education

prekindergarten classes per school; schools with 

the highest minority enrollment averaged 2.3

classes per school. Finally, there were differences 

in the average number of general education classes 

by poverty concentration. Public schools with the 

highest poverty concentration averaged 2.5 classes 

per school, compared with 1.7 to 1.9 classes in

schools with lower levels of poverty.

 

30However, schools in the Southeast were most likely to have

prekindergarten classes. Almost half (46 percent) of elementary 

schools in the Southeast offered prekindergarten; the percentages in 

the Northeast, Central, and West were 30 percent, 32 percent, and 

35 percent, respectively.

Average Number of Children 

Per Prekindergarten Class in 

Public Schools

The survey collected data necessary to calculate 

the average number of children enrolled in public 

elementary school prekindergarten classes overall, 

as well as in general prekindergarten classes and 

special education prekindergarten classes. On

average, there were 14 children in each public 

elementary school prekindergarten class during the 

2000–2001 school year (table 11). The average 

number of children per general education

prekindergarten class was higher than the average 

for special education classes—17 children in

general education classes compared with 9

children in special education classes. Results from 

the 1999–2000 Schools and Staffing Survey

indicated that in public elementary schools

nationwide, the average class size in selfcontained classes was 21 students per class

(Gruber et al. 2002). 

The overall average number of children per

prekindergarten class in small schools was lower 

than the average in other schools. Small schools 

averaged 13 children per class, compared with 14 

and 15 children per class in midsized and large 

schools, respectively. The average also was lower 

in rural/small town public schools than in city

schools (13 versus 15 children per class,

respectively). In addition, class sizes were lower 

in public schools in the Northeast (13 children per 

class) than in schools in the Southeast (15 children

per class).

Average prekindergarten class sizes were lower in 

public schools with lower percent minority

enrollment and lower poverty concentrations than 

in schools with the highest percent minority

enrollment and higher poverty concentrations. In 

schools with 50 percent or more minority

enrollment, the average prekindergarten class size 

was 15 children, compared with 13 children in

schools with less than 6 percent minority

enrollment and 12 children in schools with 6 to 

20 percent minority enrollment. There was an

average of 12 children per prekindergarten class in 

schools with less than 35 percent of students
32

Table 11. Average number of public elementary school prekindergarten children per class, 

overall and by type of class, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten children per class

School characteristic

All classes

General education 

classes

Special education 

classes

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes............... 14 17 9

School size

Less than 300................................................................................... 13 15 8

300 to 599....................................................................................... 14 17 9

600 or more..................................................................................... 15 18 9

Locale

City ................................................................................................ 15 17 9

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................... 14 17 9

Rural/small town.............................................................................. 13 16 9

Region

Northeast......................................................................................... 13 15 8

Southeast......................................................................................... 15 18 9

Central............................................................................................ 14 16 9

West ............................................................................................... 14 17 9

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent........................................................................... 13 15 9

6 to 20 percent................................................................................. 12 15 8

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................... 14 17 8

50 percent or more........................................................................... 15 18 9

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent......................................................................... 12 15 8

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................... 13 16 9

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................... 14 17 10

75 percent or more........................................................................... 16 18 9

NOTE: Data presented in the first column are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Data 

presented in the second column are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one general education prekindergarten class—15,700. 

Data presented in the third column are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one special education prekindergarten class—

8,600. Percent minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 

cases in the sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Special education classes are classes 

prior to kindergarten that serve only children with Individualized Education Programs. General education classes are all other classes primarily 

for 3- or 4-year-olds—general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I prekindergarten, Head Start classes that are part of a program 

administered by the school district, and any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
33

eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunch,

compared with 14 children in schools with 50 to 

74 percent of eligible students and 16 children in 

schools with 75 percent or more eligible students.

Prekindergarten Class Schedules in 

Public Schools

The survey also gathered information on the

schedule of public school prekindergarten classes 

in terms of the length of the school day and the 

number of days per week that the classes met. 

During the 2000–2001 school year, 32 percent of 

the prekindergarten classes were full-day classes 

and 68 percent were half-day classes (table 12). 

Most full-day classes (84 percent) met 5 days per 

week. Among the half-day classes, 51 percent met 

5 days per week.

The likelihood that prekindergarten classes would 

be full day varied by each of the public school 

characteristics. Twenty-six percent of

prekindergarten classes offered in small schools 

were full-day classes, compared with 36 percent of 

the classes offered in midsized schools. 

Prekindergarten classes in rural/small town

schools were more likely to be full-day classes 

than those in urban fringe/large town schools:

38 percent of the classes offered in rural/small 

town schools were full-day classes, compared with 

28 percent of classes offered in urban fringe/large 

town schools. In addition, there were differences 

in the percentages of full-day prekindergarten 

classes among schools in different regions of the 

country. About three-fourths (77 percent) of the 

classes offered in schools in the Southeast were 

full-day classes, compared with 23 percent of the 

classes in schools in the Northeast and the West, 

and 13 percent of the classes in schools in the 

Central region.

The type of schedule followed by prekindergarten 

classes in public schools also varied by percent 

minority enrollment and poverty concentration in 

the school. Twenty-four percent of the 

prekindergarten classes in schools with less than 

6 percent minority enrollment were full-day 

classes, as were 19 percent of classes in schools 

with 6 to 20 percent minority enrollment. 

However, 38 percent of classes in schools with 21 

to 49 percent minority enrollment and 40 percent 

of classes in schools with 50 percent or more

minority enrollment were full-day classes. The 

likelihood that full-day prekindergarten classes

were offered increased as poverty concentration 

increased, ranging from 17 percent of the classes 

at schools with the lowest poverty concentration to 

42 percent of classes at schools with the highest 

poverty concentration.

Among the prekindergarten classes that were fullday classes (32 percent), the likelihood that they 

were held 5 days each week increased with public 

school size, ranging from 74 percent in small

schools to 91 percent in large schools. Full-day 

classes in city schools were nearly always held 5 

days each week (97 percent), as were classes in 

urban fringe/large town schools (89 percent). 

However, 66 percent of the full-day classes in

rural/small town schools were held that often. 

Full-day classes offered at schools in the Central 

region were less likely to take place 5 days per 

week than full-day classes in other regions—

56 percent in the Central region compared with 84 

to 93 percent in other regions. In addition, there 

was a positive relationship between the likelihood 

that full-day prekindergarten classes would meet 5 

days per week and percent minority enrollment. 

In schools with the lowest percent minority

enrollment, 45 percent of the full-day classes met 

5 days per week, whereas the percentages in

schools with higher percent minority enrollment 

ranged from 75 to 93 percent.

Most of the same distribution patterns were found 

among the 68 percent of prekindergarten classes 

that were half-day classes. However, no

significant relationship was detected between

school size and the likelihood that half-day classes

met 5 days per week. Half-day classes offered at
34

Table 12. Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten classes, by type of class schedule, 

by days per week, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Full-day classes Half-day classes

School characteristic

Total

5 days 

per week

Less than

5 days 

per week Total

5 days 

per week

Less than 

5 days 

per week

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten 

classes................................................................ 32 84 16 68 51 49

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 26 74 26 73 41 59

300 to 599................................................................ 36 83 17 64 53 47

600 or more................................................................ 32 91 9 67 56 44

Locale

City............................................................................................... 31 97 3 69 65 35

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 28 89 11 72 47 53

Rural/small town................................................................ 38 66 34 61 36 64

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 23 92 8 77 67 33

Southeast ....................................................................................... 77 84 16 23 44 56

Central.......................................................................................... 13 56 44 87 38 62

West ............................................................................................. 23 93 7 76 56 44

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................24 45 55 76 27 73

6 to 20 percent ................................................................ 19 75 25 80 39 61

21 to 49 percent................................................................ 38 90 10 62 66 34

50 percent or more................................................................ 40 93 7 60 65 35

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ................................................................ 17 82 18 83 40 60

35 to 49 percent................................................................ 23 70 30 77 48 52

50 to 74 percent................................................................ 41 82 18 59 54 46

75 percent or more................................................................ 42 88 12 58 64 36

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. 

Prekindergarten classes that are other than full-day or half-day classes are not shown in this table because they represent less than 0.5 percent of 

all the prekindergarten classes. Detail of full-day classes plus half-day classes may not sum to totals because of rounding, missing data, or 

“other” responses. Percent minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was 

missing for 7 cases in the sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
35

schools in the Central region were less likely to 

take place 5 days per week than half-day classes in 

the Northeast (38 versus 67 percent, respectively), 

but unlike full-day classes, no other differences by 

region were detected. 

There also were differences by poverty concentration. As poverty concentration increased, the

likelihood that half-day classes met 5 days per

week increased; the likelihood ranged from

40 percent of the half-day classes in schools with 

the lowest poverty concentration to 64 percent in 

public schools with the highest poverty

concentration.
36
37

5. PREKINDERGARTEN TEACHERS

IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The survey asked schools to report the number of 

public elementary school teachers who taught

prekindergarten classes during the 2000–2001

school year. In addition, schools were asked to 

report on the credentials of the prekindergarten

teachers and to compare their salaries with those 

of teachers who taught other elementary school 

grades (e.g., K–5, 1–6, K–8). The resulting data 

provide information on questions such as the

following:

• How many teachers are responsible for

teaching prekindergarten classes, and what are 

the characteristics of the schools in which they 

work?

• What percentage of prekindergarten teachers 

have bachelor’s degrees or more advanced

degrees?

• Are prekindergarten teachers paid using the 

same pay scale as elementary school teachers?

Number of Prekindergarten 

Teachers in Public Schools

During the 2000–2001 school year, nearly 46,000 

public school teachers taught prekindergarten

classes (table 13).31 Twenty-five percent of those 

prekindergarten teachers taught in small schools, 

44 percent taught in midsized schools, and

31 percent taught in large schools. Seventeen

percent of prekindergarten teachers taught in

schools with the lowest percent minority

 

31For similar percentage distributions, see the following t ables: Table 

1. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary

schools and elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by 

selected school characteristics: 2000–2001; Table 4. Number and 

percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001; and Table 

8. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school 

prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–

2001.

enrollment, 16 percent taught in schools with 6 to 

20 percent minority enrollment, 22 percent taught 

in schools with 21 to 49 percent minority

enrollment, and 44 percent taught in schools with 

the highest percent minority enrollment.

Public School Prekindergarten 

Teachers’ Educational Background

Nationwide, nearly all full-time and part-time 

public school teachers in regular elementary,

middle, and high schools had a bachelor’s degree, 

and 45 percent held a master’s degree (Parsad,

Lewis, and Farris 2001). The NCES Early

Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class 

of 1998–99 base year study found that

approximately 100 percent of kindergarten

teachers had at least a bachelor’s degree (West 

2002). The results of this FRSS survey indicate 

that 86 percent of prekindergarten teachers had a 

bachelor’s or higher degree (table 14).

The likelihood that a prekindergarten teacher had 

at least a bachelor’s degree varied by school

characteristics.

• Prekindergarten teachers in city schools were 

more likely to have at least a bachelor’s

degree than were prekindergarten teachers in 

urban fringe/large town schools or rural/

small town schools (91 percent versus 84 and 

83 percent, respectively).

• Higher percentages of prekindergarten

teachers in the Northeast and Central regions 

had at least a bachelor’s degree than

prekindergarten teachers in the West and in 

the Southeast (95 and 92 percent versus 84

and 79 percent, respectively).
38

Table 13. Number and percentage distribution of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classroom teachers, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

School characteristic Number Percentage distribution

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 45,900 100

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 11,600 25

300 to 599..................................................................................... 20,300 44

600 or more................................................................................... 14,000 31

Locale

City............................................................................................... 16,300 35

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 15,700 34

Rural/small town............................................................................ 14,000 30

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 7,400 16

Southeast ....................................................................................... 12,900 28

Central.......................................................................................... 11,200 24

West ............................................................................................. 14,400 31

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 7,900 17

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 7,300 16

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 10,200 22

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 20,000 44

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 10,900 24

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 5,800 13

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 11,700 26

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 17,000 37

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19, 900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding 

or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statist ics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
39

Table 14. Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten teachers with a bachelor’s or 

higher degree and percent paid using lower, the same, or higher salary scales than those 

of other public elementary school teachers, by selected school characteristics: 2000–

2001

Percent of teachers paid using:

School characteristic

Percent of 

teachers with a 

bachelor’s or 

higher degree

A lower 

pay scale

The same

pay scale

A higher

pay scale

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 86 16 82 2

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 84 20 76 4

300 to 599..................................................................................... 85 17 82 1

600 or more................................................................................... 89 11 88 #!

Locale

City............................................................................................... 91 12 87 1!

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 84 19 80 1!

Rural/small town............................................................................ 83 18 79 3

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 95 8 92 0

Southeast ....................................................................................... 79 17 81 1!

Central.......................................................................................... 92 17 80 3

West ............................................................................................. 84 19 80 2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 88 18 80 2

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 85 22 76 1!

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 84 17 82 1

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 87 13 85 2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 91 15 84 1!

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 86 15 81 3

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 89 12 88 0 

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 81 20 78 2

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
40

• Prekindergarten teachers in schools with the 

highest poverty concentration were less likely 

to hold at least a bachelor’s degree than were 

prekindergarten teachers in schools with the 

lowest poverty concentration (81 percent

versus 91 percent).

Prekindergarten Teacher Salaries in 

Public Schools

Another topic addressed in the survey was the pay 

scale used for public elementary school

prekindergarten teachers. The majority

(82 percent) of public elementary school

prekindergarten teachers were paid using the

elementary school teacher pay scale for their

districts (table 14). Sixteen percent were paid less 

than they would have been and 2 percent were

paid more than they would have been had the 

same scale been used.

The likelihood that the same pay scale was used 

varied by school size, locale, region, and poverty 

concentration. Seventy-six percent of prekindergarten teachers in small schools were paid using 

the elementary school teacher pay scale, compared 

with 88 percent of prekindergarten teachers in

large schools. In addition, 20 percent of prekindergarten teachers in small schools were paid 

less than they would have been had the same pay 

scale been used, as was the case for 11 percent of 

prekindergarten teachers in large schools. Eightyseven percent of prekindergarten teachers in city 

schools were paid using the same pay scale,

compared with 79 percent of prekindergarten

teachers in rural/small town schools. Although 

92 percent of prekindergarten teachers in schools 

in the Northeast were paid using the same pay 

scale, 80 to 81 percent of prekindergarten teachers 

in schools from other regions were paid using the 

same pay scale. Eighty-eight percent of prekindergarten teachers in schools with 50 to 74 percent of 

students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch 

were paid using the same pay scale, although

78 percent of the prekindergarten teachers in

schools with higher poverty concentrations were 

paid using the same pay scale.
41

6. SUPPORT SERVICES OFFERED TO 

PREKINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The survey gathered information on the provision 

of three student support services—transportation, 

meals, and extended day care—to prekindergarten 

children at regular and special education public 

elementary schools. The resulting data address

questions such as the following:

• What percentage of public elementary schools

with prekindergarten classes offered these

services to prekindergarten children during the 

2000–2001 school year?

• What percentage of prekindergarten children 

received the services? 

Public Schools Offering Support 

Services to Prekindergarten Children

Preliminary analysis of the survey data indicated 

that the likelihood of public schools providing

these support services to prekindergarten children 

was related to several school characteristics (e.g., 

school size, locale, region, and percent minority 

enrollment) and also to prekindergarten class

schedule. Regression analysis was conducted to 

determine the nature of these relationships.

Of the 19,900 public elementary schools with

prekindergarten classes during the 2000–2001

school year, 79 percent reported that

prekindergarten children received transportation

services32 (table 15). Overall, prekindergarten

children in 84 percent of small schools and

82 percent of midsized schools received

transportation services, compared with children in 

72 percent of large schools. This overall

 

32Schools were asked to report the number of children receiving each 

service. A school is considered to have prekindergarten children 

receiving the service if at least one child received the service during 

the 2000–2001 school year.

relationship, however, varied by class schedule. 

Among schools with full-day prekindergarten 

classes only, no significant differences by school 

size were observed (85 percent of small schools, 

78 percent of midsized schools, and 81 percent of 

large schools). However, among schools with 

half-day prekindergarten classes only, the

likelihood that prekindergarten children in the

school received transportation declined as school 

size increased (ranging from 86 percent among

small schools to 62 percent among large

schools).33

The percentage of public schools with

prekindergarten children receiving transportation 

services also varied by locale: 91 percent of

rural/small town schools and 84 percent of urban 

fringe/large town schools reported that

prekindergarten children received transportation

services, compared with 60 percent of city

schools.

Public schools in the Southeast (89 percent) and 

Central region (83 percent) were more likely to 

report prekindergarten children receiving

transportation services than public schools in the 

Northeast and the West (71 percent for both). 

Moreover, among the schools that offered full-day 

prekindergarten classes only, those in the

Northeast were least likely to report that

prekindergarten children received transportation

services (48 percent compared with 78 percent in 

the West, 81 percent in the Central region, and 

87 percent in the Southeast). Among schools with 

half-day prekindergarten classes only, schools in 

the West were less likely than those in the Central 

 

33It is important to note that school size and locale are related, with 

city schools typically being larger than rural schools. Because of 

the relatively small sample size used in this study, it is difficult to 

separate the independent effects of these variables. Their existence, 

however, should be considered in the interpretation of these data.
42

Table 15. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes indicating that at 

least one prekindergarten child received various services, by type of class schedule, 

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Percent of public elementary schools indicating that children received

Transportation Meals, excluding snacks Extended day care

School characteristic

Overall

Schools

with

full-day

classes

only

Schools

with

half-day

classes

only Overall

Schools

with

full-day

classes

only

Schools

with

half-day

classes

only Overall

Schools

with

full-day

classes

only

Schools

with

half-day

classes

only

All public elementary schools

with prekindergarten 

classes................................ 79 80 77 74 97 57 18 26 12

School size

Less than 300 ................................ 84 85 86 72 99 56 17 17 17

300 to 599................................ 82 78 81 70 96 49 16 29 8

600 or more................................ 72 81 62 81 95 69 20 29 12

Locale

City................................................................ 60 53 58 85 97 75 21 30 12

Urban fringe/large town................................ 84 88 82 64 96 45 20 33 14

Rural/small town ................................91 95 88 72 96 52 13 19 9

Region

Northeast ................................ 71 48 78 58 89 46 14 23 9

Southeast ................................ 89 87 95 96 99 74 28 31 16

Central................................................................ 83 81 83 57 92 47 11 15! 9

West................................................................ 71 78 66 76 95 69 16 21 15

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent ................................ 87 92 86 55 95 41 11 10! 11

6 to 20 percent................................ 90 93 88 63 96 47 12 23 7!

21 to 49 percent................................ 86 92 81 77 100 56 21 30 11

50 percent or more................................ 65 66 58 88 96 79 23 31 16

Percent of students eligible for free 

or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................ 85 83 86 47 93 29 12 22 7

35 to 49 percent................................ 94 95 92 73 100 63 22 31 19

50 to 74 percent................................ 83 90 77 82 98 66 19 25 14

75 percent or more................................ 64 68 51 92 98 84 19 27 11

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: Data presented in the “overall” columns are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. 

Data presented in the “school with full-day classes only” columns are based on the estimated number of schools with full-day prekindergarten 

classes only—7,000. Data presented in the “school with half-day classes only ” columns are based on the estimated number of schools with halfday prekindergarten classes only—10,900. Percent minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the sample. These cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school 

characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Stat istics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That 

Serve Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000-2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
43

region or Southeast to report that prekindergarten 

children received transportation (66 percent

compared with 83 and 95 percent, respectively).

Differences in the likelihood that public schools 

reported prekindergarten children receiving

transportation services also occurred by percent

minority enrollment and poverty concentration. 

Sixty-five percent of schools with the highest

percent minority enrollment reported that

prekindergarten children received transportation

services, compared with 86 to 90 percent

of schools with lower percent minority

enrollments. Similarly, schools with 75 percent 

or more of students eligible to receive free

or reduced-price lunch were less likely to report 

that prekindergarten children received transporttation services than schools with lower poverty

concentrations (64 percent versus 83 to

94 percent).

About three-quarters (74 percent) of public

elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

indicated that they provided meals to their

prekindergarten children. 34 Class schedule

influenced the overall likelihood: 97 percent of the 

schools that offered full-day prekindergarten

classes only, compared with 57 percent of the

schools that offered half-day classes only,

provided meals to their prekindergarten children. 

Schools in the Southeast were more likely than 

schools in the other regions to provide meals; 

96 percent of the schools in the Southeast,

compared with 76 percent of schools in the West, 

58 percent of schools in the Northeast, and

57 percent of schools in the Central region,

provided meals to prekindergarten children.

Provision of meals also varied by percent minority 

enrollment, with proportionally more schools with 

the highest percent minority enrollment than other 

schools (88 percent versus 55 to 77 percent)

providing the service. Minority enrollment and 

class schedule interacted to affect this relationship. 

No significant difference was detected in the

likelihood of providing meals among the schools 

with full-day prekindergarten classes only. 

 

34Schools were instructed to exclude snacks.

However, among the schools with half-day 

prekindergarten classes only, there was a positive 

relationship between percent minority enrollment 

and the likelihood that schools provided the

service, ranging from 41 percent of schools with 

the lowest minority enrollment to 79 percent of 

schools with the highest minority enrollment.35

Overall, as poverty concentration increased, the

likelihood that public schools provided meals to 

prekindergarten children increased—from 

47 percent for schools with the lowest poverty

concentration to 92 percent for schools with the 

highest poverty concentration. This pattern was 

not observed among schools with full-day 

prekindergarten classes only, where no difference 

was detected by poverty concentration. However, 

the pattern seen among elementary schools overall 

was present among schools with half-day 

prekindergarten classes only: the likelihood ranged 

from 29 percent of schools with the lowest poverty 

concentration to 84 percent of schools with the 

highest poverty concentration. 36

Eighteen percent of all public elementary schools 

with prekindergarten classes provided extended

day care to prekindergarten children. A higher 

percentage of schools with full-day prekindergarten classes only than schools with half-day 

classes only offered this service (26 percent versus 

12 percent, respectively).

Prekindergarten Children Receiving 

Support Services in Public Schools

This survey asked public schools to report the 

number of prekindergarten children receiving

transportation, meals, and extended day services 

during the 2000–2001 school year. During the 

1997–98 school year, about 57 percent of all

public school children were transported “at public 

expense,” and approximately 4 percent of all

 

35Percent minority enrollment is associated with poverty

concentration. Since poverty concentration is based on eligibility 

for free and reduced-price meals, an association bet ween percent 

minority enrollment and the provision of meals might be expected.

36Since poverty concentration is based on eligibility for free and

reduced-price meals, an association between it and the provision of 

meals might be expected.
44

elementary school students participated in

extended day programs (Snyder 2001). The

findings from this FRSS survey indicate that

52 percent of all public school prekindergarten 

children received transportation services during

the 2000–2001 school year (table 16). The

likelihood that children received this service was 

negatively related to school size, with children in 

small schools being most likely to receive

transportation (64 percent), followed by children 

in midsized schools (52 percent), and then by

children in large schools (43 percent). In addition, 

the likelihood that the children received

transportation services varied by locale and region. 

Prekindergarten children in city schools were least 

likely to receive the service (37 percent);

55 percent of children in urban fringe/large town 

schools and 68 percent of children in rural/small 

town schools received transportation services. 

Sixty-three percent of children in schools in the 

Southeast and 61 percent in schools in the Central 

region received the service, compared with

39 percent of children in schools in the Northeast 

and 43 percent of children in schools in the West.

Table 16. Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children who received various 

services, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Percent of children who received

School characteristic

Transportation

Meals, 

excluding snacks

Extended

day care

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 52 64 5

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 64 64 5

300 to 599..................................................................................... 52 62 6

600 or more................................................................................... 43 67 4

Locale

City............................................................................................... 37 73 6

Urban fringe/large town .................................................................. 55 56 5

Rural/small town............................................................................ 68 61 4

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 39 50 5

Southeast ....................................................................................... 63 93 9

Central.......................................................................................... 61 50 4

West ............................................................................................. 43 63 4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 58 41 3

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 64 48 2

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 61 67 7

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 41 77 7

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 50 25 3

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 62 59 4

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 59 67 7

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 44 87 6

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
45

Percent minority enrollment and poverty

concentration also were related to the likelihood 

that prekindergarten children received transportation services. Forty-one percent of the

prekindergarten children in schools with the

highest percent minority enrollment received

transportation services; the percentage of children 

in other schools receiving this service ranged from 

58 percent to 64 percent. Forty-four percent of the 

prekindergarten children in schools with the

highest poverty concentration received transportation services, whereas 62 percent of children 

in schools with 35 to 49 percent of students

eligible for free or reduced-price lunch received 

transportation services.

A program fact sheet published by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture indicates that during 

fiscal year 2000, the National School Lunch

Program provided lunch to about 27.4 million

public and private school students nationwide

including full-price, reduced-price, and free

lunches (U.S. Department of Agriculture 2001). 

NCES reported that 46.9 million students attended 

public schools (Bairu 2001) and 5.2 million

attended private schools (Broughman and

Colaciello 2001) during the 1999–2000 school

year. Therefore, roughly 53 percent of all public 

and private school students received lunch through 

the National School Lunch Program.

This FRSS survey found that 64 percent of public 

school prekindergarten children received meals at 

school, and the likelihood that children received 

meals varied by all the school characteristics

except school size. Seventy-three percent of

children in city schools compared with 56 percent 

of children in urban fringe/large town schools

received meals. Children in schools in the

Southeast were more likely than children in any 

other region to receive meals at school (93 percent 

compared with 50 to 63 percent). The greater the 

percent minority enrollment at the school, the 

more likely prekindergarten children were to

receive meals, ranging from 41 percent in schools 

with the lowest percent minority enrollment to 

77 percent in schools with the highest percent 

minority enrollment. There was a similar

relationship between poverty concentration and

receipt of meals; the likelihood of prekindergarten 

children receiving meals at school ranged from 

25 percent in schools with the lowest poverty

concentration to 87 percent in schools with the 

highest poverty concentration.

Overall, 5 percent of prekindergarten children in 

public schools received extended day care at

school. Prekindergarten children from schools 

with percent minority enrollment between 6 and 

20 percent were less likely to receive extended day 

care than were children from schools with 21 to 

49 percent minority enrollment and schools with 

50 percent or more minority enrollment (2 percent 

versus 7 percent).
46
47

7. PUBLIC SCHOOL PREKINDERGARTEN

FUNDING SOURCES

Public schools were asked to indicate whether or 

not they received funding from various sources for 

their prekindergarten classes37 during the 2000–

2001 school year. Sources listed in the

questionnaire included state or local education

funds; Head Start; Title I, Part A;38 Title I, Part B 

(Even Start);39 federal or local programs for

children with disabilities; child care funds through 

a state or local agency; and other sources. The 

survey data describe the percentage of public

elementary schools that received funds from each 

source to support their prekindergarten classes.

As shown in table 17, public schools received

funding for their prekindergarten classes from a 

variety of sources. State or local education funds 

were the most frequently identified source of

prekindergarten funding (80 percent of schools), 

followed by funding from federal or local

programs for children with disabilities (51 percent) 

 

37The questionnaire asked about funding for prekindergarten services 

(i.e., prekindergarten classes) as opposed to funding for support 

services such as transportation, meals, and extended day care. 

38Title I is designed to support state and local school reform efforts 

tied to challenging state academic standards in order to reinforce 

and amplify efforts to improve teaching and learning for students 

farthest from meeting state standards. Individual schools with 50 

percent or more of the students eligible to receive free or reducedprice lunch may use Title I funds, along with other federal, state, 

and local funds, to operate a “school-wide program” to upgrade the 

instructional program for the whole school. Schools with poverty 

rates below 50 percent, or those choosing not to operate a schoolwide program, offer a “targeted assistance program” in which the 

school identifies students who are failing, or most at risk of failing, 

to meet the state’s challenging performance standards, then designs, 

in consultation with parents, staff, and district staff, an instructional 

program to meet the needs of those students.

39Currently Title I, Part B (Even Start) provides formula grants to 

states, discretionary statewide family literacy initiative grants, and 

discretionary grants to migratory workers, Indian tribes and tribal 

organizations, and a prison that houses women and children. Even 

Start’s core services have four components, as specified in the 

legislation: adult education and adult literacy; parenting education; 

early childhood education (e.g., developmentally appropriate

educational services for children designed to prepare them for 

success in regular school programs); and interactive parent and

child literacy activities.

and Title I, Part A (25 percent). Thirteen percent 

of the schools received Head Start funds, and

11 percent received child care funds through a 

state or local agency for their prekindergarten

classes. Title I, Part B funds were received by 

4 percent of schools with prekindergarten classes.

There were some differences by public school

characteristics in the likelihood that schools

received funding from these sources. For

example:

• Fifty-six percent of rural/small town schools 

received funds from federal or local programs 

for children with disabilities, compared with 

42 percent of city schools.

• More city schools and rural/small town

schools received Title I, Part A funds than did 

urban fringe/large town schools (33 and

27 percent versus 16 percent, respectively). In 

addition, schools in the West were more likely 

to have received funding from this source than 

were schools in the Central region or in the 

Northeast (33 percent versus 20 and 18 percent, respectively).

• Poverty concentration was positively related to 

the likelihood that schools received Title I, 

Part A funds and the likelihood that they

received child care funds through a state or 

local agency for prekindergarten. As poverty 

concentration increased, the likelihood that

schools received Title I, Part A funds

increased from 8 percent to 40 percent; the 

likelihood that they received child care funds 

increased from 7 percent to 15 percent.
48

Table 17. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes indicating receipt of 

money for prekindergarten services from various sources, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001

Source

School characteristic

State or local 

education 

funds

Federal or 

local 

programs for 

children with 

disabilities

Title I,

Part A Head Start

Child care 

funds through 

a state or local 

agency

Title I,

Part B

(Even Start)

All public elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes................................ 80 51 25 13 11 4

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 79 54 20 13 10 5

300 to 599................................................................ 82 49 27 16 12 6

600 or more................................................................ 79 52 26 7 11 2

Locale

City................................................................ 79 42 33 13 9 5

Urban fringe/large town ................................ 79 53 16 13 15 3

Rural/small town................................................................ 83 56 27 12 9 5

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 81 53 18 11 13 2!

Southeast ................................................................ 79 56 27 17 15 7

Central................................................................84 49 20 13 4 2

West ................................................................ 78 47 33 9 12 6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................ 81 56 13 11 9 #!

6 to 20 percent ................................................................ 85 53 17 10 8 2!

21 to 49 percent................................................................ 81 55 21 13 9 4

50 percent or more................................ 78 44 39 15 15 8

Percent of students eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ................................ 79 54 8 6 7 2

35 to 49 percent................................................................ 90 59 19 11 8 #!

50 to 74 percent................................................................ 80 51 32 13 12 4

75 percent or more................................ 78 43 40 19 15 10

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution; the coefficient of variation is greater than 50 percent 

NOTE: Data presented in this table are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Percent 

minority enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the 

sample. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other school characteristics. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
49

• Eight percent of schools with the highest

percent minority enrollment received Title I, 

Part B funds for prekindergarten classes,

compared with less than 0.5 percent of schools 

with the lowest percent minority enrollment 

and 2 percent of schools with 6 to 20 percent 

minority enrollment. This relationship may be 

associated with the relationship between

school poverty and Title I status (U.S. 

Department of Education 2002).

Some public schools were uncertain if they had 

received funding from particular sources.40 The

level of uncertainty ranged from 7 percent for 

receipt of state or local education funds and for 

Head Start funds to 15 percent for receipt of child 

care funds through a state or local agency and for 

receipt of Title I, Part B funds. Figure 6 shows the 

distribution of responses for each funding source.

 

40 Preliminary versions of the study questionnaire asked schools to 

report the amount of funding received from each source. Because 

respondents had difficulty providing information at that level of 

detail, the final version asked only if funding had been received and 

included a “don’t know” response option.

Figure 6. Percent of public e lementary schools with prekindergarten classes indicating receipt of 

money, nonreceipt, or uncertainty of receipt for prekindergarten services from various 

sources: 2000–2001

80

51

25

13 11

4

12

36

61

80

74

80

7

13 14

7

15 15

0

20

40

60

80

100

State or local

education

funds

Federal or

local programs

Title I,

Part A

Head Start Child care

funds

Title I,

Part B

Yes

No 

Don't know

Percent

Source

NOTE: Data presented in this figure are based on the estimated number of schools with at least one prekindergarten class—19,900. Detail may not 

sum to totals because of rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
50
51

8. SUMMARY

The National Center for Education Statistics has 

collected extensive information on grades 1–12 

and postsecondary education for several decades 

and, through the Early Childhood Longitudinal 

Survey, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99, has more 

recently begun to collect information on the

characteristics of kindergarten classes nationwide. 

The Survey of Classes That Serve Children Prior 

to Kindergarten in Public Schools, undertaken by 

NCES using its Fast Response Survey System, 

was the first national data collection that focused 

exclusively on classes offered by U.S. public 

elementary schools41 for children prior to

kindergarten. Findings from this study

complement our understanding of the educational 

structure and programs across the entire spectrum 

from preschool through postsecondary levels.

This survey is the first to characterize public 

elementary school prekindergarten classes

nationwide. Results from the survey provide

information on the public schools that offered

prekindergarten classes and describe

characteristics of prekindergarten children and

their teachers. For example, there were about 

19,900 public elementary schools (35 percent)

with prekindergarten classes during the 2000–

2001 school year (table 1); 28 percent of all public 

elementary schools offered general education

prekindergarten classes, and 15 percent offered

special education prekindergarten classes (table 2).

During the 2000–2001 school year, approximately 

822,000 children were enrolled in public

elementary school prekindergarten classes (table 

4). As of October 1, 2000, 3 percent of these

children were younger than 3 years, 20 percent 

were 3 years, 68 percent were 4 years, and

9 percent were 5 years or older (figure 2). Fortynine percent of the children were White,

 

41Public special education and regular elementary and combined

schools were included in the study sample. These schools are 

referred to as public elementary schools throughout this report. See 

methodology in appendix A for a detailed description of school 

types.

24 percent were Hispanic, and 23 percent were

Black (table 6). Asian and American 

Indian/Alaska Native children represented 3 and 

2 percent of the prekindergarten population,

respectively (table 6). Additional information

from the study describes the number of

prekindergarten children who were LEP, the

number who were low income, and the number 

with IEPs.

Approximately 58,500 prekindergarten classes

were offered in regular and special education

public elementary schools during the 2000–2001

school year (table 8). Overall, public elementary 

schools that offered prekindergarten classes

averaged 2.9 prekindergarten classes per school 

(table 10). On average, there were 14 children 

enrolled in each class (table 11). Sixty-seven 

percent of the prekindergarten classes were

general education classes, and 33 percent were

special education classes (table 9). Nationwide, 

public elementary schools averaged two general 

education prekindergarten classes and one special 

education prekindergarten class (table 10). 

The survey also collected information on the

length of the school day and number of days per 

week that prekindergarten classes were offered in 

public schools. Thirty-two percent of the classes 

were full-day classes, and most (84 percent) of 

these full-day classes met 5 days per week (table 

12). Sixty-eight percent of the prekindergarten 

classes were half-day classes; 51 percent of these 

half-day classes met 5 days per week (table 12).

Nearly 46,000 public school teachers taught

prekindergarten classes in public schools during 

the 2000–2001 school year (table 13). Eighty-six 

percent of the teachers had a bachelor’s or higher 

degree (table 14). The majority (82 percent) of 

public elementary school prekindergarten teachers 

were paid using the elementary school teacher pay 

scale for their districts, although the likelihood

varied by school size, locale, region, and poverty 

concentration (table 14).
52

Of the 19,900 public elementary schools with

prekindergarten classes, 79 percent indicated that 

prekindergarten children received transportation

services, 74 percent provided meals to

prekindergarten children, and 18 percent provided 

extended day care (table 15). The likelihood that 

schools reported prekindergarten children

receiving transportation services varied by school 

size, locale, region, percent minority enrollment, 

and poverty concentration. The likelihood of

providing meals was higher in the Southeast than 

in other regions and also varied by percent

minority enrollment and poverty concentration. 

Schools that offered full-day prekindergarten

classes only were more likely to provide extended 

day care services to prekindergarten children than 

schools that offered half-day classes only.

In addition to indicating whether they provided 

these support services to prekindergarten children, 

the public schools reported the number of

prekindergarten children who received each

service. Study results show that 52 percent of 

prekindergarten children received transportation

services, 64 percent received meals, and 5 percent 

participated in extended day care programs (table 

16).

Dissimilarities between prekindergarten classes

become evident when examined by various public 

school characteristics. For example, differences 

appear between prekindergarten classes in city

schools and rural/small town schools, and between 

schools in different regions. Traditional aspects of 

prekindergarten classes (e.g., targeting lowincome and disabled children) may contribute to 

the apparent relationships between public school 

characteristics and the relationships reported

below.

Comparisons of public school prekindergarten 

classes in city schools with those in rural/small 

town schools show the following differences:

• A higher percentage of city schools (45

percent) offered prekindergarten classes than

did rural/small town schools (34 percent). 

City schools also were more likely to offer 

general education prekindergarten classes (37 

percent) than were rural/small town schools 

(26 percent) (table 2).

• The composition of public elementary school 

prekindergarten enrollment was more racially 

and ethnically diverse in city schools than

in rural/small town schools (table 6). In city 

schools, 28 percent of the prekindergarten

children were White, 35 percent were

Hispanic, and 33 percent were Black. In

contrast, in rural/small town schools,

74 percent of the children were White,

10 percent were Hispanic, and 12 percent were 

Black.

• The percentage of prekindergarten children

who were LEP was higher in city schools than 

in rural/small town public elementary schools 

(22 versus 6 percent, respectively) (table 7).

• The average prekindergarten class size was

lower in rural/small town public elementary

schools than in city public elementary schools 

(13 versus 15 children per class, respectively) 

(table 11).

• Prekindergarten teachers in city schools (91 

percent) were more likely to have a bachelor’s 

or higher degree than were prekindergarten

teachers in rural/small town schools (83

percent) (table 14). The city school

prekindergarten teachers also were more likely 

to be paid using the elementary school teacher 

pay scale for their districts than were

rural/small town prekindergarten teachers

(87 percent compared with 79 percent) (table 

14).

• Rural/small town schools were more likely

than city schools to report that prekindergarten 

children received transportation services

(91 percent versus 60 percent) (table 15).

Comparisons between public school

prekindergarten classes in different regions

showed differences as well. For example:

• A higher percentage of schools in the

Southeast (46 percent) offered prekindergarten 

classes than did schools in the West

(35 percent), and also were more likely to 

offer general education prekindergarten

classes (37 percent versus 28 percent, 

respectively) (table 2). In addition, 23 percent 
53

of schools in the Southeast offered special

education prekindergarten classes, compared

with 14 percent of schools in the West.

• The racial and ethnic composition of public 

elementary school prekindergarten enrollment 

in the Southeast was different than in the West 

(table 6). In the Southeast, 9 percent were

Hispanic and 38 percent were Black. In the 

West, 47 percent of the children were

Hispanic and 13 percent were Black.

• In public elementary schools in the West,

30 percent of the prekindergarten children

were LEP, compared with 7 percent in the 

Southeast (table 7).

• Schools in the Southeast were more likely than 

schools in the West to report that

prekindergarten children received transporttation services and meals (table 15). Eightynine percent of schools in the Southeast

reported that prekindergarten children

received transportation services, whereas

71 percent of schools in the West reported that 

children received this service. Ninety-six 

percent of schools in the Southeast offered

meals, compared with 76 percent of schools in 

the West.

Public school prekindergarten class characteristics 

also varied by school poverty concentration. For 

this survey, school poverty concentration was

based on the number of students eligible to receive 

free or reduced-price lunch. Examples of

differences between schools at two levels of

poverty—schools with the highest poverty

concentration (75 percent or more students eligible 

for free or reduced-price lunch) and schools with 

the lowest poverty concentration (less than

35 percent of students eligible)—include the

following:

• A higher percentage of schools with the

highest level of poverty (51 percent) offered

prekindergarten classes than did schools with 

the lowest level of poverty (25 percent) (table 

2). Schools with the highest poverty

concentration also were more likely to offer 

general education prekindergarten classes (44 

percent) than were schools at the lowest level 

(16 percent).

• The racial and ethnic composition of public 

elementary school prekindergarten enrollment 

in schools with the highest poverty

concentration was different from that in

schools with the lowest poverty concentration 

(table 6). In schools with the highest poverty 

concentration, 22 percent of the prekindergarten children were White, 39 percent were 

Hispanic, and 36 percent were Black. In

contrast, in schools with the lowest poverty 

concentration, 79 percent of the children were 

White, 8 percent were Hispanic, and 7 percent 

were Black.

• There was a positive relationship between

school poverty concentration and the

percentage of prekindergarten children who

were LEP (table 7). The percentage of these 

children ranged from 5 percent in schools with 

the lowest poverty concentration to 25 percent 

in schools with the highest poverty

concentration.

• The average prekindergarten class size was

lower in public elementary schools with the 

lowest level of poverty than in public

elementary schools with the highest level (12 

versus 16 children per class, respectively)

(table 11).

• Prekindergarten teachers in schools with the 

lowest level of poverty (91 percent) were more 

likely to have a bachelor’s or higher degree 

than were prekindergarten teachers in schools 

with the highest level (81 percent) (table 14).

• Schools with the highest level of poverty were 

less likely than schools with the lowest level 

of poverty to report that prekindergarten

children received transportation services;

however, the schools with the highest level of 

poverty were more likely to provide meals and 

extended day care services (table 15). Sixtyfour percent of schools with the highest level 

of poverty reported that prekindergarten

children received transportation services. 

Eighty-five percent of schools with the lowest 

level of poverty reported children receiving 
54

this service. Ninety-two percent of schools 

with the highest level of poverty offered meals 

to their prekindergarten children, compared

with 47 percent of schools with the lowest 

level.

This profile of public elementary school

prekindergarten classes nationwide provides

important new information on the nature of

prekindergarten classes—the number of children 

enrolled in both general education and special

education, the age and racial/ethnic background of 

the children, the educational background and pay 

scales of the classroom teachers, and the funding 

sources for prekindergarten classes. The study

was not intended to address their curricula,

instructional approaches, or the effect they have on 

school readiness. Nor was the study designed to 

gather detailed financial information such as the 

relative percentages of budget or the support per 

child provided by specific funding sources. Such 

topics may be covered in future NCES research.
55

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Statistics.
A-1

Appendix A

Survey Methodology
A-2
A-3

Table of Contents

Section Page

Fast Response Survey System.................................................................................. A-5

Sample Selection .................................................................................................... A-5

Respondent and Response Rates.............................................................................. A-7

Sampling and Nonsampling Errors........................................................................... A-8

Definitions of Analysis Variables............................................................................ A-10

Definitions of Questionnaire Terminology................................................................ A-11

Survey Sponsorship and Acknowledgments.............................................................. A-12

List of Appendix Tables

Table

A-1 Distribution of regular and special education schools by status of prekindergarten 

enrollment in the 1998–99 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) Public Elementary 

and Secondary School Universe file ......................................................................... A-6

A-2 Number and percentage distribution of regular elementary and special education 

public schools in the respondent sample, estimated number and percentage 

distribution of regular elementary and special education public schools in the 

nation, number and percentage distribution of regular elementary and special 

education public schools with prekindergarten classes in the respondent sample, 

and estimated number and percentage distribution of regular elementary and special 

education public schools with prekindergarten classes in the nation: 2000–2001 ........ A-9
A-4
A-5

Fast Response Survey System

The Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) was 

established in 1975 by the National Center for

Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of 

Education. FRSS is designed to collect issueoriented data within a relatively short timeframe. 

To ensure minimal burden on respondents, the 

surveys are generally limited to three pages of

questions, with a response burden of about 30

minutes per respondent. Sample sizes are

relatively small (usually about 1,000 to 1,500

respondents per survey) so that data collection can 

be completed quickly. Data are weighted to

produce national estimates of the sampled

education sector. The sample size permits limited 

breakouts by classification variables. However, as 

the number of categories within the classification 

variables increases, the sample size within

categories decreases, which results in larger

sampling errors for the breakouts by classification 

variables. FRSS collects data from state education 

agencies, local education agencies, public and

private elementary and secondary schools, public 

school teachers, and public libraries.

Sample Selection

The sample for the FRSS Survey of Classes That 

Serve Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public 

Schools consisted of 2,044 regular and special

education public schools in the 50 states and the 

District of Columbia. The sample contained 1,801 

regular elementary schools, 150 regular combined 

schools, and 93 special education schools. It was 

selected from the 1998–99 NCES Common Core 

of Data (CCD) School Universe file (see table A1). Regular middle and high schools were not 

eligible for the survey. Also excluded from the 

sampling frame were vocational and

alternative/other schools, schools in the territories, 

and Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian 

Affairs schools.

A school was defined as an elementary school if 

the lowest grade was less than or equal to grade 3 

and the highest grade was less than or equal to 

grade 8. A middle school was defined as having a 

low grade of 4 or more and a high grade of 9 or 

less. A high school was defined as having a low 

grade of 9 or more and a high grade of 10 or more. 

Combined schools contain both elementary and

secondary grades (e.g., K to 12 or 1 to 9).

The sample design was guided by the study’s

focus on classes that serve children prior to

kindergarten entry in public schools. The 1998–99 

CCD frame indicates that of the nation’s 85,000 

regular and special education schools,

approximately one-third of the elementary and

special education schools reported having either 

prekindergarten children or a prekindergarten

grade (table A-1). By definition, middle and high 

schools do not offer elementary grades and are 

therefore not expected to offer prekindergarten

classes. The 1998–99 CCD indicates that very 

few middle and secondary schools reported

prekindergarten children or grade. Although this 

does not necessarily imply that the “true”

incidence of prekindergarten classes in these

schools is 0, it does seem likely that the incidence 

of such classes is very low. Moreover,

information from a variety of sources (e.g.,

pretests, feasibility calls, pilot study) suggests it is 

highly likely that prekindergarten classes in

middle and high schools were established to serve 

the needs of older students (e.g., as laboratories for 

students’ on-the-job-training or as day care for the 

children of high school students). Thus, only the 

approximately 51,000 elementary schools, 5,000 

combined schools, and 2,000 special education

schools were included in the frame for the survey.
A-6

Table A-1. Distribution of regular and special education schools by status of prekindergarten 

enrollment in the 1998–99 NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) Public Elementary 

and Secondary School Universe file 

Status of prekindergarten enrollment in school as

reported in 1998–99 CCD

Type of school

1 or more

prekindergarten 

students

No prekindergarten 

children but reports 

a prekindergarten 

grade

No prekindergarten 

children or grade Total1

Total, all schools................................................... 16,441 1,712 66,898 85,051

Regular2

Elementary ........................................................... 15,395 1,368 34,102 50,865

Middle ................................................................. 24 0 15,384 15,408

Secondary............................................................. 70 0 11,661 11,731

Combined............................................................. 431 238 4,409 5,078

Special education....................................................... 521 106 1,342 1,969

Total, eligible for survey3............................................ 16,347 1,712 39,853 57,912

1 Counts exclude regular schools with a high grade of UG (ungraded) or 00.

2 Elementary schools are defined to be those schools with low grade of 3 or less and a high grade of 8 or less. Middle schools are defined to be 

those with a low grade of 4 or more and a high grade of 9 or less. Secondary schools are those with a low grade of 9 or more and a high grade of 

10 or more. All other schools are referred to as “combined” schools as they contain both elementary and secondary grades (e.g., K to 12, or 1 to 

9).

3Counts exclude regular middle and secondary schools.

The sample design was also informed by results 

from a pilot study of over 300 schools that was 

conducted in November 2000 to obtain relevant 

information about the presence and nature of

prekindergarten classes in public schools. The 

pilot study was necessary because the information 

in the CCD file underreported prekindergarten

enrollment; for example, some states, such as

California, Alabama, and Kentucky, did not report 

any prekindergarten classes or students to CCD. 

Feasibility calls and pretests suggested several

reasons for the underreporting of prekindergarten 

children to CCD. For example, some schools did 

not refer to their classes for children preceding 

kindergarten as prekindergarten classes, and other 

schools did not report prekindergarten children if 

the prekindergarten class funds were kept

separately from school funds. For these and other 

reasons, it was believed that a portion of the

schools that reported no prekindergarten children 

or grade in CCD actually had some type of

program for children prior to kindergarten entry. 

The classes include general prekindergarten/

preschool, special education, Title I, Head Start 

administered by the school district, and any other 

classes that serve children prior to kindergarten

entry, regardless of whether the schools referred to 

those classes as prekindergarten or preschool or 

some other name. Thus, the pilot was designed to 

(1) identify definitional issues and develop a

working definition of prekindergarten, and

(2) inform the study’s sample design by answering 

What percentage of public schools listed in CCD 

as not having prekindergarten classes actually

have classes that serve children prior to

kindergarten entry? 

The pilot study indicated that information

available in the CCD file about the presence of 

students/classes prior to kindergarten was

imperfect and could not be used to exclude schools 

without such programs from the main study

sample. As a result, to avoid bias associated with 

undercoverage, it was necessary to include in the 
A-7

sample schools that reported no prekindergarten

students/classes in CCD.

The 1998–99 CCD School Universe file contained 

information on approximately 58,000 potentially 

eligible public elementary schools. According to 

that file, 31 percent (about 18,000) of the schools 

had prekindergarten children/grades; 69 percent 

(about 40,000) of the schools did not have such 

children/grades. Based on pilot study findings, 

however:

• An estimated 20 percent of schools that CCD 

indicated as having prekindergarten classes 

(about 3,600 of the 18,000) did not offer such 

classes.

• An estimated 19 percent that CCD indicated as 

not having prekindergarten classes (about

5,700 of the 40,000) did offer such classes.

Overall, the pilot study results estimated that

38 percent of the 58,000 potentially eligible public 

schools had classes for children prior to

kindergarten entry, regardless of whether the

schools referred to those classes as

prekindergarten or preschool or some other

name.

42 For the main study, a stratified sample of 

2,044 schools was selected from the 1998–99 

CCD School Universe file. Information from the 

pilot study was used to guide the allocation of the 

total sample to various subsets of schools—

schools with one or more prekindergarten

children, schools with a prekindergarten grade but 

no prekindergarten children, and schools with no 

prekindergarten children or grade. Within each

subset, schools were further stratified by poverty 

concentration (based on the percentage of students 

who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch) 

and enrollment size. Stratification by poverty

concentration was designed to ensure that

sufficient numbers of high-poverty schools were 

selected for analysis purposes. Within each

poverty group, the sample was allocated to size 

strata in rough proportion to the aggregate square 

root of the enrollment in the stratum. Such an

 

42A statement was added to the questionnaire describing the survey 

focus as being on “classes that serve children prior to kindergarten, 

regardless of whether your school refers to those classes as

prekindergarten, preschool, or some other name.”

allocation was expected to yield relatively precise 

estimates of percentages (e.g., the percentage of 

schools with prekindergarten classes that have a 

specified characteristic), as well as aggregative 

measures related to prekindergarten enrollment

(e.g., the number of classes or students enrolled in 

prekindergarten classes). Finally, schools in the 

sampling frame were sorted by type of locale (city, 

urban fringe, town, rural) and region (Northeast, 

Southeast, Central, West) to induce additional

implicit stratification. Within each sampling

stratum, schools were selected systematically and 

with equal probabilities.

Respondent and Response Rates

Questionnaires and cover letters for the study were 

mailed to the principal of each sampled school in 

early March 2001. The letter introduced the study 

and requested that the questionnaire be completed 

by the person at the school who was most

knowledgeable about prekindergarten classes. 

Telephone follow up was conducted from late

March 2001 through May 2001 with principals 

who did not respond to the initial questionnaire 

mailing.

Of the 2,044 schools in the sample, 50 were found 

to be out of the scope of the survey, usually

because they were administrative centers or closed 

schools. This left a total of 1,994 eligible schools 

in the sample. Completed questionnaires were

received from 1,843 schools, or 92 percent of the 

eligible schools (table A-2). The weighted

response rate was 94 percent. Roughly 80 percent 

(1,593) of the eligible cases required telephone 

follow up to obtain their participation. Among the 

respondents, 41 percent completed the

questionnaire by mail, 43 percent completed it by 

telephone, and 15 percent provided their answers 

by fax.

With the exception of the question on the number 

of prekindergarten children eligible for free and 

reduced-price lunch (which had an item

nonresponse rate of 5.6 percent), weighted item 

nonresponse rates ranged from 0 percent to 

1.2 percent.
A-8

The responses were weighted to produce national 

estimates (see table A-2). The weights were

designed to adjust for the variable probabilities of 

selection and differential nonresponse. The

probabilities of selection varied by type of school 

(e.g., regular vs. special education), enrollment 

size, and whether or not the school enrolled

prekindergarten students as recorded in the CCD 

frame. Nonresponse adjustments were made to

reflect differential response rates by poverty

status, in addition to type and size of school, and 

presence of prekindergarten students.

Sampling and Nonsampling Errors

The findings in this report are estimates based on 

the sample selected and, consequently, are subject 

to sampling variability. The standard error is a 

measure of the variability of estimates due to

sampling. It indicates the variability of a sample 

estimate that would be obtained from all possible 

samples of a given design and size. Standard

errors are used as a measure of the precision

expected from a particular sample. If all possible 

samples were surveyed under similar conditions, 

intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96 

standard errors above a particular statistic would 

include the true population parameter being

estimated in about 95 percent of the samples. 

This is a 95 percent confidence interval. For 

example, the estimated percentage of public

elementary schools with prekindergarten classes is 

35.3 percent, and the estimated standard error is 

0.96 percent. The 95 percent confidence interval 

for the statistic extends from [35.3 – (0.96 times 

1.96)] to [35.3 + (0.96 times 1.96)], or from 33.4

to 37.2 percent. The coefficient of variation

(“c.v.,” also referred to as the “relative standard 

error”) of an estimate (y) is defined as c.v. = (s.e. / 

y) x 100, where s.e. is the standard error of the 

estimate y. Throughout this report, any estimate 

with a c.v. higher than 50 percent is flagged with 

the note that the estimate should be interpreted

with caution because the value of the estimate is 

very unstable.

Estimates of standard errors were computed using 

a technique known as jackknife replication. As 

with any replication method, jackknife replication 

involves constructing a number of subsamples

(replicates) from the full sample and computing 

the statistic of interest for each replicate. The

mean square error of the replicate estimates

around the full sample estimate provides an

estimate of the variances of the statistics. To

construct the replications, 50 stratified subsamples 

of the full sample were created and then dropped 

one at a time to define 50 jackknife replicates. A 

computer program (WesVar) was used to calculate 

the estimates of standard errors.

The test statistics used in the analysis were

calculated using the jackknife variances and thus 

appropriately reflected the complex nature of the 

sample design. Bonferroni adjustments were

made to control for multiple comparisons where 

appropriate. For example, for an “experimentwise” comparison involving g pairwise

comparisons, each difference was tested at the 

0.05/g significance level to control for the fact that 

g differences were simultaneously tested. The 

Bonferroni adjustment results in a more

conservative critical value being used when

judging statistical significance. This means that 

comparisons that would have been significant with 

an unadjusted critical value of 1.96 may not be 

significant with the more conservative critical

value. For example, the critical value for

comparisons between any two of the four

categories of poverty concentration is 2.64 rather 

than 1.96.

When comparing percentage estimates across a

family of three or more ordered categories (e.g., 

categories defined by percent minority

enrollment), however, a trend analysis was used

rather than a series of paired comparisons. The 

trend test involved estimating a simple linear

regression model with the ordered categories as 

the independent variable and the (dichotomous) 

outcome of interest (e.g., whether or not the school 

offered prekindergarten classes) as the dependent 

variable. The slope of the line (regression

coefficient) describing the relationship between

the independent and dependent variables was

estimated using generalized weighted least

squares. The corresponding standard error was 

estimated using jackknife replication methods. 

The t statistic used to assess the significance of the 
A-9

Table A-2. Number and percentage distribution of regular elementary and special education 

public schools in the respondent sample, estimated number and percentage 

distribution of regular elementary and special education public schools in the nation, 

number and percentage distribution of regular elementary and special education 

public schools with prekindergarten classes in the respondent sample, and estimated 

number and percentage distribution of regular elementary and special education 

public schools with prekindergarten classes in the nation: 2000–2001

Regular elementary 

and special 

education public 

schools in the 

respondent sample

National estimate of 

all regular 

elementary and 

special education 

public schools

Regular elementary 

and special 

education public 

schools with 

prekindergarten 

classes in 

respondent sample

National estimate of 

all regular 

elementary and 

special education 

public schools with 

prekindergarten 

classes

School characteristic

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

All public elementary schools................................ 1,843 100 56,369 100 814 100 19,920 100

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 541 29 17,386 31 197 24 4,923 25

300 to 599................................................................ 773 42 24,925 44 352 43 9,095 46

600 or more................................................................ 529 29 14,058 25 265 33 5,902 30

Locale

City ................................................................ 479 26 13,809 25 263 32 6,273 31

Urban fringe/large town................................ 681 37 21,236 38 265 33 6,401 32

Rural/small town................................ 683 37 21,323 38 286 35 7,246 36

Region

Northeast................................................................ 338 18 10,885 19 131 16 3,256 16

Southeast................................................................ 407 22 11,830 21 218 27 5,473 27

Central................................................................ 546 30 16,710 30 222 27 5,338 27

West ................................................................ 552 30 16,945 30 243 30 5,853 29

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................ 485 26 15,757 28 170 21 4,443 22

6 to 20 percent................................ 393 21 12,367 22 141 18 3,369 17

21 to 49 percent ................................ 396 21 11,801 21 183 23 4,400 22

50 percent or more................................ 545 30 15,785 28 309 38 7,447 37

Percent of students eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................ 707 38 22,635 41 229 28 5,637 28

36 to 49 percent ................................ 273 15 8,395 15 116 14 2,889 14

50 to 74 percent ................................ 414 22 12,590 22 200 25 5,005 25

75 percent or more................................ 432 23 12,233 21 262 31 6,218 31

NOTE: For the number of public elementary schools, percent minority enrollment was missing for 24 cases and percent of students eligible for 

free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 17 cases in the sample. For the number of schools with prekindergarten classes, percent minority 

enrollment was missing for 11 cases and percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for 7 cases in the sample. Detail 

may not sum to totals because of rounding or missing data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
A-10

linear model was calculated as the ratio of the 

estimated regression coefficient to its standard

error. If t was greater than 1.96 (the critical value 

of t with “infinite” degrees of freedom at a

significance level of 0.05), there was evidence of a 

linear relationship between the two variables.

Regression models were also used to test the

significance of combinations of independent

variables (e.g., school size and prekindergarten

class schedule) on a reported characteristic of 

interest. In particular, logistic regression methods 

allow the estimation of the probability of an event 

(e.g., the provision of meals) as a function of a 

number of independent variables and their

interactions. To account for the complex sample 

design used in the study, jackknife replication was 

used to estimate the standard errors of the

regression coefficients and to develop the

corresponding statistical tests. An independent 

variable in the model was deemed to be

statistically significant if the p-value associated

with the test was less than 0.05.

The survey estimates are also subject to

nonsampling errors that can arise because of

nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage)

errors, errors of reporting, and errors made in data 

collection. These errors can sometimes bias the 

data. Nonsampling errors may include such

problems as misrecording of responses; incorrect 

editing, coding, and data entry; differences related 

to the particular time the survey was conducted; or 

errors in data preparation. Although general

sampling theory can be used in part to determine 

how to estimate the sampling variability of a

statistic, nonsampling errors are not easy to

measure and, for measurement purposes, usually 

require that an experiment be conducted as part of 

the data collection procedures or that data external 

to the study be used.

To minimize the potential for nonsampling errors, 

the questionnaire was pretested with respondents 

like those who completed the survey. During the 

design of the survey, the survey pretest, and the 

pilot study, an effort was made to check for

consistency of interpretation of questions and to 

eliminate ambiguous items. The questionnaire and 

instructions were extensively reviewed by the

National Center for Education Statistics and the 

Early Childhood Institute, U.S. Department of

Education. 43 Manual and machine editing of the 

questionnaire responses were conducted to check 

the data for accuracy and consistency. Cases with 

missing or inconsistent items were recontacted by 

telephone. Data were keyed with 100 percent 

verification.

Definitions of Analysis Variables

School size – total number of students enrolled in 

the school based on data from the 1998–99 CCD 

School Universe file.

Less than 300 students

300 to 599 students

600 or more students

Enrollment data were missing for eight schools. 

However, the information needed was obtained 

through telephone contact with the schools, or 

through accessing the school data contained in the 

1997–98 CCD file. Once this information was 

obtained, the eight schools were assigned to the 

appropriate enrollment size category.

Locale – as defined in the 1998–99 CCD School 

Universe file.

City – a large or midsize central city of a 

Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area

(CMSA) or Metropolitan Statistical Area

(MSA).

Urban fringe/large town – urban fringe is a 

place within a CMSA or MSA of a large or 

midsize central city, but not primarily its 

central city; large town is an incorporated

place not within a CSMA or MSA, with a 

population greater than or equal to 25,000.

Small town/rural – small town is an

incorporated place not within a CMSA or 

MSA, with a population less than 25,000 

and greater than or equal to 2,500; rural is a 

 

43The survey questionnaire was also reviewed and approved by the 

Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB clearance 

number was 1850-0733.
A-11

place either outside or within a CMSA or 

MSA of a large or midsize city, and defined 

as rural by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Geographic region – one of four regions used by 

the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S.

Department of Commerce, the National

Assessment of Educational Progress, and the

National Education Association. Obtained form 

the 1998–99 CCD School Universe file.

Northeast – Connecticut, Delaware, District 

of Columbia, Maine, Maryland,

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode

Island, and Vermont.

Southeast – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,

Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, 

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, 

Virginia, and West Virginia.

Central – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, 

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,

North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and

Wisconsin.

West – Alaska, Arizona, California , 

Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, 

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas,

Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Percent minority enrollment – The percent of 

students enrolled in the school whose race or

ethnicity is classified as one of the following:

American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black, 

or Hispanic, based on data in the 1998–99 CCD 

School Universe file. The data were missing for 

24 schools in the respondent sample.

Less than 6 percent

6 to 20 percent

21 to 50 percent

50 percent or more

Percent of students eligible for free or reducedprice lunch – This was based on information

collected from the schools during the survey. The 

data were missing from 201 questionnaires. Data 

for 184 of these schools were obtained from the 

1998–99 CCD School Universe file, leaving 17 

schools for which the data were missing. This 

item served as the measurement of the

concentration of poverty at the school.

Less than 35 percent

35 to 49 percent

50 to 74 percent

75 percent or more

Definitions of Questionnaire

Terminology

Children who are limited English proficient

(LEP) – Children whose native or dominant

language is other than English, and whose skills in 

listening to, speaking, reading, or writing English 

are such that they derive little benefit from school

instruction in English.

General education classes for children prior to 

kindergarten – Includes combined/inclusive

classes, Title I classes, Head Start classes that

were part of a district-administered program, and 

any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds 

prior to kindergarten.

Public elementary school – Refers to public

special education and regular elementary and

combined schools. A school was defined as an

elementary school if the lowest grade was less

than or equal to grade 3 and the highest grade was 

less than or equal to grade 8. Combined schools 

contain both elementary and secondary grades

(e.g., K to 12 or 1 to 9). See the “Sample 

Selection” section of this appendix for a detailed 

description of school types.

Special education classes for children prior to 

kindergarten – Includes classes that serve only 

children with Individualized Education Programs 

(IEPs).
A-12

Survey Sponsorship and 

Acknowledgments

The survey was performed under contract with

Westat. Bernie Greene was the NCES Project 

Officer. The data were requested by the National 

Institute on Early Childhood Development and

Education, Office of Education Research and

Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. 

This report was reviewed by the following

individuals:

Outside NCES

• Margaret Burchinal, University of North

Carolina, Chapel Hill

• W. Steven Barnett, Rutgers University

• Stephanie Cronen, American Institutes for

Research, Education Statistics Services

Institute

• Lawrence Lanahan, American Institutes for

Research, Education Statistics Services

Institute

• Robert Pianta, University of Virginia

Inside NCES

• Stephen Broughman, Elementary/Secondary

and Libraries Studies Division

• Shelley Burns, Early Childhood, International, 

and Crosscutting Studies Division

• Elvira Germino-Hausken, Early Childhood,

International, and Crosscutting Studies

Division

• Arnold Goldstein, Assessment Division

• William Hussar, Early Childhood,

International, and Crosscutting Studies

Division

• Val Plisko, Associate Commissioner, Early

Childhood, International, and Crosscutting

Studies Division

• John Ralph, Early Childhood, International, 

and Crosscutting Studies Division

• Marilyn Seastrom, Chief Statistician,

Statistical Standards Program, Office of the

Deputy Commissioner

• Bruce Taylor, Statistical Standards Program,

Office of the Deputy Commissioner

For more information about the survey, contact 

Bernie Greene, Early Childhood, International,

and Crosscutting Studies Division, National

Center for Education Statistics, Institute for

Education Sciences U.S. Department of Education, 

1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, email: Bernard.Greene@ed.gov, telephone (202)

502-7348.
B-1

Appendix B

Standard Error Tables
B-2
B-3

Table of Contents

Tables of Standard Errors

Table Page

B-1 Standard errors for table 1: Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

schools and elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001 ........................................................................................... B-5

B-2 Standard errors for table 2: Number of public elementary schools, number and percent

of elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, and percent of elementary schools 

with general education and special education prekindergarten classes: 2000–2001 ........... B-6

B-3 Standard errors for table 3: Percent of public elementary schools offering full-day

only, half-day only, both types, or no prekindergarten classes, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001 ........................................................................................... B-7

B-4 Standard errors for table 4: Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

school prekindergarten children, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001................ B-8

B-5 Standard errors for table 5: Number of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children and of those, percent in general education and special education classes,

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001 ............................................................... B-9

B-6 Standard errors for table 6: Number and percent of public elementary school 

prekindergarten children of various racial/ethnic backgrounds, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001 ........................................................................................... B-10

B-7 Standard errors for table 7: Percent of all public elementary school prekindergarten 

children who were limited English proficient, percent who were low income, and 

percent with Individualized Education Programs, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001 ................................................................................................................... B-11

B-8 Standard errors for table 8: Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

school prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001.................. B-12

B-9 Standard errors for table 9: Number of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classes, and of those, percent that are general education and special education classes, by 

selected school characteristics: 2000–2001 .................................................................... B-13

B-10 Standard errors for table 10: Average number of public elementary school 

prekindergarten classes per school, overall and by type of class, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001 ........................................................................................... B-14

B-11 Standard errors for table 11: Average number of public elementary school 

prekindergarten children per class, overall and by type of class, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001 ........................................................................................... B-15

B-12 Standard errors for table 12: Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classes, by type of class schedule, by days per week, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001 ................................................................................................................... B-16
B-4

Table of Contents (continued)

Tables of Standard Errors (continued)

Table Page

B-13 Standard errors for table 13: Number and percentage distribution of public elementary 

school prekindergarten classroom teachers, by selected school characteristics: 2000–

2001 ............................................................................................................................ B-17

B-14 Standard errors for table 14: Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten 

teachers with a bachelor’s or higher degree and percent paid using lower, the same, or 

higher salary scales than those of other public elementary school teachers, by selected 

school characteristics: 2000–2001.................................................................................. B-18

B-15 Standard errors for table 15: Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten 

classes indicating that at least one prekindergarten child received various services, by 

type of class schedule, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001.............................. B-19

B-16 Standard errors for table 16: Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children who received various services, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001..... B-20

B-17 Standard errors for table 17: Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten 

classes indicating receipt of money for prekindergarten services from various sources, 

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001 ................................................................ B-21

B-18 Standard errors for the figures and for data not shown in tables: 2000–2001 .................... B-22
B-5

Table B-1. Standard errors for table 1: Number and percentage distribution of public 

elementary schools and elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, by selected 

school characteristics: 2000–2001

Elementary schools

Elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

Number

Percentage 

distribution Number

Percentage 

distribution

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 201 † 529 †

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 298 0.5 274 1.3

300 to 599..................................................................................... 388 0.7 375 1.5

600 or more................................................................ 438 0.8 348 1.4

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 600 1.1 376 1.6

Urban fringe/large town................................................................ 626 1.1 362 1.6

Rural/small town................................................................ 603 1.0 370 1.7

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 310 0.5 287 1.3

Southeast....................................................................................... 334 0.6 269 1.3

Central.......................................................................................... 462 0.8 391 2.0

West ............................................................................................. 509 0.9 450 1.9

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................ 695 1.2 335 1.6

6 to 20 percent................................................................ 541 1.0 263 1.2

21 to 49 percent ................................................................ 599 1.1 343 1.5

50 percent or more................................................................ 525 0.9 364 1.8

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................................................ 483 0.8 352 1.4

35 to 49 percent ................................................................ 505 0.9 266 1.3

50 to 74 percent ................................................................ 534 0.9 342 1.5

75 percent or more................................................................ 452 0.8 331 1.7

†Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on an estimate of 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-6

Table B-2. Standard errors for table 2: Number of public elementary schools, number and percent 

of elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, and percent of elementary schools 

with general education and special education prekindergarten classes: 2000–2001

Elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes

Percent of elementary schools 

with

School characteristic

Number of 

elementary 

schools

Number Percent

General 

education 

prekindergarten classes

Special 

education 

prekindergarten classes

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 201 529 1.0 0.9 0.8

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 298 274 1.5 1.5 1.2

300 to 599..................................................................................... 388 375 1.6 1.4 1.3

600 or more................................................................ 438 348 2.4 2.0 1.8

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 600 376 2.4 2.4 2.0

Urban fringe/large town................................................................626 362 1.9 1.6 1.4

Rural/small town................................................................ 603 370 1.8 1.6 1.3

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 310 287 2.6 2.2 1.4

Southeast....................................................................................... 334 269 2.3 2.1 2.2

Central.......................................................................................... 462 391 2.0 1.7 1.5

West ............................................................................................. 509 450 2.0 1.8 1.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................ 695 335 2.0 1.7 1.3

6 to 20 percent................................................................ 541 263 2.0 1.8 1.8

21 to 49 percent ................................................................ 599 343 2.2 1.8 1.7

50 percent or more................................................................ 525 364 2.3 2.2 1.9

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................................................ 483 352 1.5 1.1 1.3

35 to 49 percent ................................................................ 505 266 2.6 3.0 1.7

50 to 74 percent ................................................................ 534 342 2.5 2.2 1.9

75 percent or more................................................................ 452 332 2.3 2.3 2.0

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-7

Table B-3. Standard errors for table 3: Percent of public elementary schools offering full-day

only, half-day only, both types, or no prekindergarten classes, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001

School characteristic Full day only Half day only Both None

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 0.5 0.7 0.4 1.0

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 0.9 1.4 0.6 1.5

300 to 599..................................................................................... 0.9 1.3 0.7 1.6

600 or more................................................................................... 1.4 1.9 0.7 2.4

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 1.5 1.8 0.9 2.4

Urban fringe/large town................................................................ 1.1 1.4 0.5 1.9

Rural/small town................................................................ 1.0 1.3 0.6 1.8

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 1.3 2.3 0.9 2.6

Southeast....................................................................................... 2.1 1.2 0.8 2.3

Central.......................................................................................... 0.9 1.8 0.7 2.0

West ............................................................................................. 0.8 1.7 0.6 1.9

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................ 1.0 1.9 0.7 2.0

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 1.2 1.6 0.6 2.0

21 to 49 percent ................................................................ 1.5 1.5 1.0 2.2

50 percent or more................................................................ 1.5 1.7 0.9 2.3

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................................................ 0.8 1.3 0.5 1.5

35 to 49 percent ................................................................ 1.6 2.3 0.7 2.6

50 to 74 percent ................................................................ 1.4 1.9 0.7 2.4

75 percent or more................................................................ 1.8 1.7 1.0 2.3

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-8

Table B-4. Standard errors for table 4: Number and percentage distribution of public 

elementary school prekindergarten children, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001

Prekindergarten children

School characteristic

Number Percentage distribution

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 40,000 †

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 19,600 2.3

300 to 599..................................................................................... 18,700 2.3

600 or more................................................................................... 28,400 2.3

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 28,000 2.3

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 18,100 2.4

Rural/small town............................................................................ 18,500 1.7

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 14,500 1.9

Southeast....................................................................................... 12,500 1.5

Central.......................................................................................... 26,100 2.9

West ............................................................................................. 33,900 3.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 14,500 1.6

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 17,700 2.0

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 15,500 2.0

50 percent or more......................................................................... 30,000 2.6

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 13,900 1.8

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 11,900 1.6

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 25,400 2.4

75 percent or more........................................................................... 27,200 2.5

†Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on an estimate of 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-9

Table B-5. Standard errors for table 5: Number of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children and of those, percent in general education and special education classes, 

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten children

School characteristic

Number

Percent in general 

education classes

Percent in special 

education classes

All public elementary schools.......................................................... 40,000 1.7 1.7

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 19,600 3.3 3.3

300 to 599..................................................................................... 18,700 1.7 1.7

600 or more................................................................................... 28,400 3.8 3.8

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 28,000 3.7 3.7

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 18,100 2.3 2.3

Rural/small town............................................................................ 18,500 1.8 1.8

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 14,500 2.7 2.7

Southeast....................................................................................... 12,500 2.3 2.3

Central.......................................................................................... 26,100 2.6 2.6

West ............................................................................................. 33,900 4.6 4.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 14,500 2.4 2.4

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 17,700 4.1 4.1

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 15,500 2.7 2.7

50 percent or more......................................................................... 30,000 3.2 3.2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 13,900 2.8 2.8

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 11,900 4.2 4.2

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 25,400 5.7 5.7

75 percent or more........................................................................... 27,200 1.8 1.8

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-10

Table B-6. Standard errors for table 6: Number and percent of public elementary school 

prekindergarten children of various racial/ethnic backgrounds, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001

Racial/ethnic background

School characteristic White, 

nonHispanic Hispanic

Black, 

nonHispanic Asian

American 

Indian/

Alaska 

Native

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes

(number)................................................................................. 23,600 15,500 13,200 2,000 2,600

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 1.6 1.5 1.3 0.2 0.3

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 4.0 3.2 2.3 0.5 0.8

300 to 599..................................................................................... 2.3 2.0 2.6 0.4 0.3

600 or more................................................................................... 3.0 2.7 2.9 0.4 0.6

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 2.1 2.7 2.7 0.4 0.3

Urban fringe/large town................................................................ 3.2 3.2 2.3 0.5 0.5

Rural/small town............................................................................ 2.1 1.8 1.5 0.2 0.7

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 4.1 3.1 3.3 0.7 0.6

Southeast....................................................................................... 2.7 1.5 2.5 0.3 0.6

Central.......................................................................................... 3.4 1.8 3.1 0.5 0.3

West ............................................................................................. 1.9 3.4 2.1 0.4 0.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 1.1 0.6 0.2 0.2 1.0

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 1.2 0.9 1.1 0.4 0.3

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 1.8 1.9 1.6 0.5 0.5

50 percent or more......................................................................... 1.4 2.6 2.2 0.5 0.4

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 1.8 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.3

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 4.3 3.3 4.3 0.5 0.9

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 2.4 2.1 3.0 0.6 0.7

75 percent or more......................................................................... 3.2 3.4 2.8 0.3 0.5

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-11

Table B-7. Standard errors for table 7: Percent of all public elementary school prekindergarten 

children who were limited English proficient, percent who were low income, and 

percent with Individualized Education Programs, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001

Percent of prekindergarten children

School characteristic

Limited 

English proficient Low income

With 

Individualized 

Education Programs

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 1.4 1.5 1.5

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 2.1 4.1 3.1

300 to 599..................................................................................... 1.4 2.5 1.8

600 or more................................................................................... 2.7 3.5 3.4

Locale

City............................................................................................... 2.1 2.3 3.4

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 2.5 3.0 2.4

Rural/small town............................................................................ 1.4 2.9 2.0

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 1.7 4.4 2.4

Southeast ....................................................................................... 1.3 2.5 2.1

Central.......................................................................................... 1.6 3.8 2.6

West ............................................................................................. 3.4 2.5 4.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 0.2 3.2 2.8

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 0.8 5.5 4.2

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 1.8 3.8 2.6

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 2.3 2.0 3.0

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 1.1 2.0 2.3

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 2.8 4.0 3.6

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 1.3 2.5 5.3

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 2.9 1.5 1.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-12

Table B-8. Standard errors for table 8: Number and percentage distribution of public 

elementary school prekindergarten classes, by selected school characteristics: 2000–

2001

Prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

Number Percentage distribution

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 3,000 †

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 1,400 2.1

300 to 599..................................................................................... 1,300 2.3

600 or more................................................................................... 2,100 2.3

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 2,000 2.1

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 1,300 2.4

Rural/small town............................................................................ 1,300 1.6

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 1,200 2.1

Southeast....................................................................................... 795 1.4

Central.......................................................................................... 1,900 2.8

West ............................................................................................. 2,400 3.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 1,000 1.5

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 1,300 2.1

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 1,200 2.1

50 percent or more......................................................................... 2,100 2.5

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 1,100 2.0

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 854 1.6

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 2,000 2.6

75 percent or more......................................................................... 1,800 2.4

†Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on an estimate of 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-13

Table B-9. Standard errors for table 9: Number of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classes, and of those, percent that are general education and special education classes, 

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

Number

Percent of general 

education classes

Percent of special 

education classes

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 3,000 2.1 2.1

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 1,400 4.3 4.3

300 to 599..................................................................................... 1,300 2.2 2.2

600 or more................................................................................... 2,100 3.7 3.7

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 2,000 4.5 4.5

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 1,300 3.0 3.0

Rural/small town............................................................................ 1,300 2.4 2.4

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 1,200 4.4 4.4

Southeast....................................................................................... 795 2.9 2.9

Central.......................................................................................... 1,900 2.9 2.9

West ............................................................................................. 2,400 5.2 5.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 1,000 2.9 2.9

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 1,300 4.8 4.8

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 1,200 3.7 3.7

50 percent or more......................................................................... 2,100 4.0 4.0

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 1,100 3.5 3.5

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 854 5.8 5.8

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 2,000 6.4 6.4

75 percent or more......................................................................... 1,800 2.7 2.7

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-14

Table B-10. Standard errors for table 10: Average number of public elementary school 

prekindergarten classes per school, overall and by type of class, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten classes

School characteristic

All classes

General education 

classes

Special education 

classes

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 0.1 0.1 0.1

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 0.2 0.2 0.1

300 to 599..................................................................................... 0.1 0.1 0.1

600 or more................................................................................... 0.3 0.1 0.2

Locale

City............................................................................................... 0.3 0.2 0.2

Urban fringe/large town .................................................................. 0.2 0.2 0.1

Rural/small town............................................................................ 0.1 0.1 0.1

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 0.2 0.3 0.1

Southeast ....................................................................................... 0.1 0.1 0.1

Central.......................................................................................... 0.2 0.2 0.1

West ............................................................................................. 0.3 0.1 0.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 0.1 0.1 0.1

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 0.3 0.3 0.2

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 0.2 0.1 0.1

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 0.2 0.1 0.2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 0.1 0.1 0.1

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 0.2 0.2 0.2

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 0.3 0.1 0.3

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 0.2 0.2 0.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-15

Table B-11. Standard errors for table 11: Average number of public elementary school 

prekindergarten children per class, overall and by type of class, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001

Prekindergarten children per class

School characteristic

All classes

General education 

classes

Special education 

classes

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................ 0.2 0.2 0.2

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 0.5 0.5 0.4

300 to 599..................................................................................... 0.2 0.3 0.3

600 or more................................................................................... 0.4 0.4 0.6

Locale

City .............................................................................................. 0.3 0.4 0.5

Urban fringe/large town.................................................................. 0.4 0.5 0.3

Rural/small town............................................................................ 0.3 0.4 0.4

Region

Northeast....................................................................................... 0.4 0.4 0.6

Southeast....................................................................................... 0.4 0.5 0.4

Central.......................................................................................... 0.4 0.4 0.4

West ............................................................................................. 0.4 0.4 0.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 0.4 0.5 0.5

6 to 20 percent............................................................................... 0.4 0.4 0.3

21 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 0.6 0.7 0.4

50 percent or more......................................................................... 0.3 0.4 0.5

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent....................................................................... 0.4 0.5 0.3

35 to 49 percent ............................................................................. 0.6 1.0 0.4

50 to 74 percent ............................................................................. 0.5 0.5 0.6

75 percent or more......................................................................... 0.3 0.3 0.6

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-16

Table B-12. Standard errors for table 12: Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten 

classes, by type of class schedule, by days per week, by selected school characteristics: 

2000–2001

Full-day classes Half-day classes

School characteristic

Total

5 days 

per week

Less than

5 days 

per week Total

5 days 

per week

Less than 

5 days 

per week

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten 

classes................................................................ 1.6 2.1 2.1 1.5 3.1 3.1

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 3.2 5.2 5.2 3.2 6.6 6.6

300 to 599................................................................ 2.4 3.2 3.2 2.4 3.3 3.3

600 or more................................................................ 4.1 3.5 3.5 4.0 8.4 8.4

Locale

City............................................................................................... 2.4 1.2 1.2 2.4 6.9 6.9

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 2.8 3.2 3.2 2.8 4.8 4.8

Rural/small town................................................................ 3.2 4.1 4.1 3.1 3.3 3.3

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 3.9 2.9 2.9 3.9 5.1 5.1

Southeast ....................................................................................... 3.3 2.7 2.7 3.3 9.3 9.3

Central.......................................................................................... 2.3 9.5 9.5 2.3 4.2 4.2

West ............................................................................................. 2.5 2.9 2.9 2.4 6.9 6.9

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................................................3.5 6.7 6.7 3.5 4.0 4.0

6 to 20 percent ................................................................ 3.1 6.3 6.3 3.2 5.7 5.7

21 to 49 percent................................................................ 3.3 3.7 3.7 3.3 5.4 5.4

50 percent or more................................................................ 2.9 2.0 2.0 2.9 6.8 6.8

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ................................................................2.0 4.2 4.2 2.0 4.0 4.0

35 to 49 percent................................................................ 4.1 8.8 8.8 4.1 8.0 8.0

50 to 74 percent................................................................ 5.3 4.4 4.4 4.7 13.0 13.0

75 percent or more................................................................ 3.7 2.8 2.8 3.7 7.1 7.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-17

Table B-13. Standard errors for table 13: Number and percentage distribution of public 

elementary school prekindergarten classroom teachers, by selected school 

characteristics: 2000–2001

School characteristic Number Percentage distribution

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 1,900 †

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 912 1.9

300 to 599..................................................................................... 1,100 2.1

600 or more................................................................................... 1,200 1.9

Locale

City............................................................................................... 1,400 2.2

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 929 2.2

Rural/small town............................................................................ 884 1.6

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 753 1.7

Southeast ....................................................................................... 888 1.8

Central.......................................................................................... 1,200 2.5

West ............................................................................................. 1,700 3.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 709 1.5

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 869 1.7

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 911 2.0

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 1,500 2.4

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 747 1.6

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 626 1.4

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 1,200 2.1

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 1,200 2.2

†Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on an estimate of 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-18

Table B-14. Standard errors for table 14: Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten 

teachers with a bachelor’s or higher degree and percent paid using lower, the same, 

or higher salary scales than those of other public elementary school teachers, 

by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Percent distribution of teachers paid using:

School characteristic

Percent of 

teachers with a 

bachelor’s or 

higher degree

A lower 

pay scale

The same

pay scale

A higher

pay scale

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 1.5 1.3 1.4 0.5

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 3.4 2.9 3.2 3.7

300 to 599..................................................................................... 1.9 2.1 2.0 1.1

600 or more................................................................................... 2.2 2.1 2.3 0.3

Locale

City............................................................................................... 1.6 2.1 2.2 0.6

Urban fringe/large town ................................................................ 2.2 2.5 2.5 0.9

Rural/small town............................................................................ 2.4 2.4 2.4 1.2

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 2.1 2.6 2.6 0.0

Southeast ....................................................................................... 2.9 2.8 2.8 0.8

Central.......................................................................................... 2.0 2.6 2.9 1.3

West ............................................................................................. 2.5 2.3 2.5 0.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 2.6 3.2 3.3 1.0

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 2.8 3.8 4.0 1.0

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 3.1 3.1 3.3 0.4

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 2.1 2.0 2.2 0.8

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 2.0 2.6 2.8 0.6

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 3.1 3.1 3.3 1.0

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 2.2 2.5 2.5 0.0

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 2.4 2.5 2.5 1.1

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-19

Table B-15. Standard errors for table 15: Percent of public elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes indicating that at least one prekindergarten child received 

various services, by type of class schedule, by selected school characteristics: 2000–

2001

Percent of elementary schools indicating that children received

Transportation Meals, excluding snacks Extended day care

School characteristic

Overall

Schools 

with fullday 

classes 

only

Schools 

with 

half-day 

classes 

only Overall

Schools 

with fullday 

classes

only

Schools 

with halfday 

classes 

only Overall

Schools 

with fullday 

classes 

only

Schools 

with halfday 

classes 

only

All public elementary schools 

with prekindergarten 

programs................................ 1.7 2.5 2.2 1.7 1.2 2.7 1.4 3.1 1.4

School size

Less than 300 ................................ 2.7 5.3 3.7 3.1 0.9 5.1 2.7 5.3 3.9

300 to 599................................ 2.0 3.6 2.8 2.7 2.1 3.9 2.1 4.3 1.9

600 or more................................ 3.1 4.0 4.4 2.8 2.0 4.6 2.5 4.9 3.1

Locale

City................................................................ 3.6 6.1 4.2 2.4 1.6 4.4 2.7 5.2 2.8

Urban fringe/large town................................ 2.2 3.6 3.3 2.9 2.4 3.9 2.7 6.1 3.2

Rural/small town ................................1.9 2.5 2.9 3.0 2.1 4.6 2.0 3.3 2.3

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 3.5 89 4.0 4.4 7.1 5.7 3.1 9.2 3.2

Southeast ................................................................ 2.3 30 5.3 1.5 0.7 9.3 3.0 3.9 6.7

Central................................................................ 2.7 6.1 3.1 3.3 5.9 4.0 2.1 8.0 1.9

West................................................................ 3.0 5.0 4.1 3.3 2.6 4.4 2.8 5.8 3.6

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent ................................ 30 6.4 3.4 4.4 4.2 4.9 2.4 5.2 2.9

6 to 20 percent................................ 2.4 4.1 3.5 4.9 4.0 6.2 3.4 7.6 4.0

21 to 49 percent................................ 2.8 3.4 4.9 3.1 † 5.7 3.1 5.5 4.0

50 percent or more................................2.9 4.2 4.4 1.8 1.9 3.8 2.7 4.5 3.2

Percent of students eligible for free 

or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent................................ 26 6.6 2.9 3.6 4.3 3.8 2.4 6.2 2.2

35 to 49 percent................................ 2.4 3.4 3.2 4.3 † 6.1 3.3 8.9 4.2

50 to 74 percent................................ 3.2 3.4 5.2 2.8 1.4 5.2 3.2 5.3 4.3

75 percent or more................................3.3 4.3 5.1 2.0 1.3 4.2 2.5 4.3 3.1

†Estimate of standard error is not derived because it is based on an estimate of 100 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That 

Serve Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000-2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-20

Table B-16. Standard errors for table 16: Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten 

children who received various services, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Percent of children who received

School characteristic

Transportation

Meals, 

excluding snacks

Extended

day care

All public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes................. 2.2 2.1 0.6

School size

Less than 300................................................................................. 5.1 4.9 1.3

300 to 599..................................................................................... 2.9 2.7 1.1

600 or more................................................................................... 3.2 6.0 0.7

Locale

City............................................................................................... 4.3 3.5 1.3

Urban fringe/large town .................................................................. 3.3 4.1 1.1

Rural/small town............................................................................ 2.9 3.5 0.9

Region

Northeast ....................................................................................... 3.6 5.1 1.6

Southeast ....................................................................................... 2.5 1.5 1.5

Central.......................................................................................... 4.3 5.4 1.4

West ............................................................................................. 4.4 4.1 1.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent......................................................................... 4.8 4.7 1.0

6 to 20 percent ............................................................................... 5.8 6.6 0.9

21 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 3.4 3.8 1.6

50 percent or more.......................................................................... 3.4 3.0 1.2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ....................................................................... 3.3 2.9 1.0

35 to 49 percent.............................................................................. 3.7 4.4 1.1

50 to 74 percent.............................................................................. 4.0 6.9 1.5

75 percent or more.......................................................................... 4.1 2.1 1.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-21

Table B-17. Standard errors for table 17: Percent of public elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes indicating receipt of money for prekindergarten services 

from various sources, by selected school characteristics: 2000–2001

Source

School characteristic

State or local 

education 

funds

Federal or 

local 

programs for 

children with 

disabilities

Title I,

Part A Head Start

Child care 

funds through 

a state or local 

agency

Title I,

Part B

(Even Start)

All public elementary schools with 

prekindergarten classes................................ 1.5 1.9 1.5 0.9 1.0 0.7

School size

Less than 300................................................................ 3.2 4.0 3.0 2.3 2.0 1.4

300 to 599................................................................ 24 3.0 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.4

600 or more................................................................ 2.7 2.9 2.7 1.3 2.4 0.9

Locale

City................................................................ 2.8 2.9 2.8 1.9 1.9 1.3

Urban fringe/large town ................................ 2.9 3.5 2.0 2.3 2.1 1.0

Rural/small town................................................................ 2.4 3.4 2.6 1.9 2.1 1.3

Region

Northeast ................................................................ 38 4.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 1.1

Southeast ................................................................ 30 3.4 3.1 2.7 2.1 1.7

Central................................................................2.7 4.8 2.9 2.1 1.7 0.8

West ................................................................ 2.9 3.0 2.5 1.8 2.3 1.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 6 percent................................ 3.9 4.3 2.6 2.4 2.3 0.5

6 to 20 percent ................................................................ 2.9 4.9 3.3 2.8 2.6 1.0

21 to 49 percent................................................................ 3.3 3.6 2.9 2.3 2.2 1.6

50 percent or more................................ 2.5 3.2 2.3 2.0 2.0 1.7

Percent of students eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunch

Less than 35 percent ................................ 3.2 4.2 1.8 1.8 1.9 0.7

35 to 49 percent................................................................ 2.9 4.6 3.5 3.2 2.3 0.5

50 to 74 percent................................................................ 3.4 3.3 3.2 2.6 2.4 1.4

75 percent or more................................ 2.4 3.1 2.8 2.5 2.0 2.0

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001.
B-22

Table B-18. Standard errors for the figures and for data not shown in tables: 2000–2001

Item Estimate Standard error

Figure 1. Percent of public elementary schools with general education 

prekindergarten classes only, with special education prekindergarten classes 

only, with both types of classes, and with no prekindergarten classes: 2000–

2001

General education classes only...................................................................... 20 0.7

Special education classes only ...................................................................... 8 0.5

Both types of classes.................................................................................... 8 0.5

No prekindergarten classes........................................................................... 65 1.0

Figure 2. Percent of public elementary school prekindergarten children by 

age, overall and by type of class: 2000–2001

Younger than 3 years: overall...................................................................... 3 0.4

Younger than 3 years: general education classes............................................. 1 0.3

Younger than 3 years: special education classes.............................................. 7 1.2

3 years: overall............................................................................................ 20 0.9

3 years: general education classes.................................................................. 17 1.1

3 years: special education classes.................................................................. 35 1.0

4 years: overall............................................................................................ 68 1.0

4 years: general education classes.................................................................. 75 1.2

4 years: special education classes.................................................................. 43 1.1

5 years or older: overall................................................................................ 9 0.5

5 years or older: general education classes...................................................... 7 0.7

5 years or older: special education classes...................................................... 16 1.6

Figure 3. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, 

by number of prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–2001

1 class........................................................................................................ 24 1.6

2 classes..................................................................................................... 38 1.8

3 or more classes......................................................................................... 37 1.4

Figure 4. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, 

by number of general education prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–2001

1 class........................................................................................................ 23 1.5

2 classes..................................................................................................... 34 1.7

3 or more classes......................................................................................... 22 1.6

No general education classes (1 or more special education classes)................... 21 1.4
B-23

Table B-18. Standard errors for the figures and for data not shown in tables: 2000–2001—

Continued

Item Estimate Standard error

Figure 5. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes, 

by the number of special education prekindergarten classes offered: 2000–

2001

1 class........................................................................................................ 18 1.3

2 classes..................................................................................................... 16 1.5

3 or more classes......................................................................................... 9 1.1

No general education classes (1 or more special education classes)................... 57 1.7

Figure 6. Percent of public elementary schools with prekindergarten classes 

indicating receipt of money, nonreceipt, or uncertainty of receipt for 

prekindergarten services from various sources: 2000–2001

State or local education funds: Yes............................................................... 80 1.5

State or local education funds: No ................................................................ 12 1.2

State or local education funds: Don’t know.................................................... 7 1.2

Federal or local programs: Yes..................................................................... 51 1.9

Federal or local programs: No...................................................................... 36 2.0

Federal or local programs: Don’t know......................................................... 13 2.0

Title I, Part A: Yes...................................................................................... 25 1.5

Title I, Part A: No....................................................................................... 61 1.7

Title I, Part A: Don’t know.......................................................................... 14 1.7

Head Start: Yes.......................................................................................... 13 0.9

Head Start: No........................................................................................... 80 1.2

Head Start: Don’t know............................................................................... 7 1.2

Child care funds: Yes.................................................................................. 11 1.0

Child care funds: No 74 1.6

Child care funds: Don’t know...................................................................... 15 1.6

Title I, Part B: Yes...................................................................................... 4 0.7

Title I, Part B: No....................................................................................... 80 1.7

Title I, Part B: Don’t know.......................................................................... 15 1.7

Chapter 3: Prekindergarten Children in Public Schools

Section: Public School Prekindergarten Children Who Were Low Income

Amongall public elementary school students, percent eligible for the school

lunch program : 2000–2001 .................................................................... 47 0.5

Section: Public School Prekindergarten Children With Individualized 

Education Programs

Percent of children with IEPs who were enrolled in special education 

prekindergarten classes........................................................................... 69 3.0

Percent of children with IEPs who were enrolled in general education 

prekindergarten classes........................................................................... 31 3.0

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey of Classes That Serve 

Children Prior to Kindergarten in Public Schools: 2000–2001,” FRSS 78, 2001. 
B-24
C-1

Appendix C

Survey Questionnaire
C-2
C-3

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FORM APPROVED

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS O.M.B. NO.: 1850-0733

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006 EXPIRATION DATE: 7/2002

SURVEY OF CLASSES THAT SERVE CHILDREN 

PRIOR TO KINDERGARTEN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by (P.L. 103-382). While you are not required to respond, your cooperation is needed to make the results of 

this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

What percentage of students enrolled at your school are eligible for federally funded free or 

reduced-price school lunch? ____________ percent

DEFINITIONS FOR THE SURVEY

Classroom Teacher: Teacher who is formally responsible for a prekindergarten class or group of students, 

including part-time and full-time teachers and teachers of self-contained and special education classes but 

excluding teachers of special subjects (e.g., music).

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Student/English Language Learner (ELL): Student whose native or 

dominant language is other than English, and whose skills in listening to, speaking, reading, or writing

English are such that he/she derives little benefit from school instruction in English.

School Day: The child’s total school day includes the time spent with any teacher, as well as time spent on 

meals, naps, recess, and between activities. This does not include wrap-around care, such as before- and 

after-school child care.

LABEL

IF ABOVE SCHOOL INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE UPDATE DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of person completing form: ___________________________________ Telephone: ______________________

Title/position:_______________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________

Best days and times to reach you (in case of questions): ____________________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

WESTAT Basmat Parsad at Westat

Attention: Parsad, 716620 800-937-8281, ext. 8222 or 301-251-8222

1650 Research Boulevard Fax: 1-800-254-0984 

Rockville, Maryland 20850 E-mail: Parsadb1@westat.com

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 

valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information is 1850-0733. The time required to complete this 

information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data 

resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collected. If you have any comments concerning the 

accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, 

D.C. 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your Individualized submission of this form, write directly 

to: National Center for Education Statistics, ECICSD, 1990 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006.

FRSS Form No. 78, 03/2001
C-4

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS

Please read the following instructions before you answer the questions.

Note: This survey focuses on classes that serve children prior to kindergarten located at the school 

identified on the cover page. Please do not report classes or students located at other schools.

The focus of this survey is on classes that serve children prior to kindergarten, regardless of whether 

your school refers to those classes as prekindergarten, preschool, or some other name.

For the purpose of this study, we will refer to those classes as prekindergarten and will INCLUDE the 

following types:

A. Special education classes for children prior to kindergarten, i.e., classes prior to kindergarten that 

serve ONLY children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). These classes may include children 

who were old enough for kindergarten for the 2000-2001 school year, but who are not yet enrolled in 

kindergarten.

B. Classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten, including:

• General and combined/inclusive prekindergarten; 

• Title I prekindergarten; 

• Head Start classes that are part of a program administered by your school district; and 

• Any other classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten.

These classes may have some children who are younger than 3 or older than 4.

When reporting your prekindergarten classes, please EXCLUDE: 

• Classes primarily for children who are younger than 3, and 

• Head Start classes that are NOT administered by your school district, even if they are located at 

your school.

A. Special education classes for children prior to kindergarten, i.e., classes prior to kindergarten that 

serve ONLY children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). For the purpose of this survey, we will 

call those classes special education prekindergarten.

1. Does your school have special education prekindergarten classes, i.e., classes prior to kindergarten 

that serve ONLY children with IEPs?

Yes ........... 1 (Continue with question 2.) No.............2 (Go to question 6.)

2. How many special education prekindergarten classes does your school have?__________

3. How many children are enrolled in the special education prekindergarten classes at your school? 

__________children

4. How many of the special education children reported in question 3 were... (If none, write “0.”)

a. 3 years old as of October 1, 2000?................................ __________

b. 4 years old as of October 1, 2000?................................ __________

c. 5 years old or more as of October 1, 2000? ................................ __________

5. For the LARGEST special education prekindergarten class at your school, what is the number of 

students per classroom teacher? (Count only classroom teachers as defined on cover page.)

__________ students per teacher
C-5

B. Classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds, excluding the special education classes already reported in 

question 2 but including general and combined/inclusive prekindergarten, Title I classes, Head Start 

classes that are part of a program administered by your school district, and any other classes 

primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten. For the purpose of this survey, we will call those 

classes prekindergarten.

6. Does your school have prekindergarten classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds, excluding the special 

education classes reported in question 2 but including the different types of prekindergarten listed 

above?

Yes ........... 1 (Continue with question 7.) No............. 2 (Go to question 12.)

7. How many prekindergarten classes does your school have? (Exclude the special education

prekindergarten classes reported in question 2.) __________ classes

8. How many children are enrolled in the classes reported in question 7? __________

9. How many of the children reported in question 8 were...... (If none, write “0.”)

a. 3 years old as of October 1, 2000?................................ __________

b. 4 years old as of October 1, 2000?................................ __________

c. 5 years old or more as of October 1, 2000? ................................ __________

10. How many of the children reported in question 8 have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)? 

__________children

11. For the LARGEST prekindergarten class reported in question 7, what is the number of students per 

classroom teacher? (Count only classroom teachers as defined on cover page.)

__________ students per teacher

______________________________________________________________________________________

C. ALL prekindergarten classes reported in sections A and B, i.e., special education prekindergarten 

and all other types of classes primarily for 3- or 4-year-olds prior to kindergarten.

12. What is the TOTAL number of prekindergarten classes at your school, i.e., the sum of classes

reported in questions 2 and 7? ____________ (If none, write “0” and then skip to question 21.)

13. Of ALL the prekindergarten classes at your school, how many are......(Complete each row. If none, 

write “0.”)

a. Full day, 5 days per week?............................................................................... _____________

b. Full day, less than 5 days per week? ................................................................ _____________

c. Half day, 5 days per week? .............................................................................. _____________

d. Half day, less than 5 days per week?................................................................ _____________

e. Other (Please specify.) ______________________________________________ _____________

f. TOTAL classes (This should equal to the sum of classes reported in

question 12.) ............................................................................................ _____________

Full-day classes last for 4 hours or more. Half-day classes last for less than 4 hours. To calculate 

hours per day, count from the first bell to the last, including recess time, naptime, etc., but excluding 

time spent in before- and after-school child care.
C-6

14. Of ALL the prekindergarten children reported earlier, how many are......(Complete each row. If 

none, write “0.”)

a. American Indian/Alaska Native?....................................................................... _____________

b. Asian?............................................................................................................ _____________

c. Black, non-Hispanic?....................................................................................... _____________

d. Hispanic? ....................................................................................................... _____________

e. White, non-Hispanic? ...................................................................................... _____________

f. TOTAL children (This should equal the sum of children reported in questions 3 

and 8.) ........................................................................................................... _____________

15. Of ALL the prekindergarten children at your school (i.e., special education and all other

prekindergarten children), how many are . . . (Complete each row. If none, write “0.”)

a. Eligible for free or reduced-price lunch? ................................................................______________

b. Limited English Proficient (LEP)/English Language Learners (ELL)? (See 

definition of LEP/ELL on cover page.) ................................................................ ______________

16. Of ALL the prekindergarten children at your school (i.e., special education and all other 

prekindergarten children), how many currently receive each of the following services at your school? 

Please include services provided by the school and those provided by outside groups. (Complete 

each row. If none, write “0.”) 

a. Meals (excluding snacks).................................................................................. ______________

b. Transportation .................................................................................................. ______________

c. Extended day (before or after school) care......................................................... ______________

17. Did (or will) your school receive money from the following sources for prekindergarten services for 

the 2000-2001 school year? (Complete each row.)

Yes No Don’t 

know

a. State or local education funds .............................................................. 1 2 3

b. Head Start .......................................................................................... 1 2 3

c. Title I, Part A....................................................................................... 1 2 3

d. Title I, Part B (Even Start) .................................................................... 1 2 3

e. Federal or local programs for children with disabilities ............................ 1 2 3

f. Child care funds through a state or local agency..................................... 1 2 3

g. Other (Please specify.)________________________________________ 1 2 3

18. What is the total number of prekindergarten classroom teachers at your school? (See definition of 

classroom teachers on cover page.) _____________ teachers

19. Of the prekindergarten classroom teachers reported in question 18, how many are paid..... 

(Complete each row. If none, write “0.”)

a. Using the same pay scale as the elementary school teachers in your district? ____________

b. Less than they would receive if the elementary teacher pay scale were 

used? ......................................................................................................... ____________

c. More than they would receive if the elementary teacher pay scale were 

used? ......................................................................................................... ____________

20. How many of the prekindergarten classroom teachers reported in question 18 do NOT have a 

bachelor’s degree? _____________ 

21. How many of the prekindergarten classroom teachers reported in question 18 have a teaching 

certificate that requires at least a bachelor’s degree? ______________ 

22. Which of the following grades are taught at your school? (Circle all that apply.)

PK K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 UNGRADED

Thank you. Please keep a copy for your records.