June 2007

Most public elementary and secondary schools have 

“instructional paraprofessionals” who are support staff 

responsible for assisting in the delivery of instruction.1 

Instructional paraprofessionals account for about 12 percent 

of full-time or its equivalent staff in these schools while 

teachers make up about half of such staff (Hoffman and Sable 

2006). However, little is known about the assignments of 

these paraprofessionals and the educational qualifi cations that 

they are required to have in order to work in an instructional 

capacity. This Issue Brief (1) offers a descriptive portrait of 

the distribution of instructional paraprofessionals in all 

public elementary and secondary schools by instructional 

responsibility and selected school characteristics and (2) 

examines the educational attainment criteria used by school 

districts in hiring these paraprofessionals.

Data for this analysis were drawn from the 2003–04 Schools 

and Staffi ng Survey (SASS), conducted by the U.S. Department 

of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). 

Data from the SASS school questionnaire were used to examine 

how many staff held full-time, part-time, or other assignments 

for various categories of instructional paraprofessionals, 

including special education, regular Title I, English as a 

Second Language (ESL)/bilingual, library/media center, and 

other instructional paraprofessionals. Previous research has 

shown that the percentage, number, and availability of fulland part-time instructional paraprofessionals vary by school 

level and school poverty status (Wirt et al. 2004, indicator 

28). Therefore, fi ndings are also shown by these and other 

school characteristics.2

 

Data from the SASS school district questionnaire were used to 

examine the criteria used in hiring instructional paraprofessionals. 

On the questionnaire, school districts were asked if they hire 

paraprofessionals to provide instructional support and, if so, 

what educational qualifi cation criteria they use in considering 

applicants.3

 The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-

110) now requires all instructional paraprofessionals employed 

in Title I programs to have earned at least a high school diploma. 

This legislation also requires new Title I paraprofessionals hired 

after its enactment to have either completed 2 years of study at 

an institution of higher education, received an associate’s degree 

or higher degree, or passed a rigorous local or state assessment. 

Therefore, in this Issue Brief, fi ndings regarding hiring practices 

are compared by Title I status. 

Distribution of Instructional Paraprofessionals 

by Instructional Responsibility and School 

Characteristics

Ninety-one percent of public elementary and secondary 

schools in 2003–04 had instructional paraprofessionals, with 

an average of eight per school. The majority of the 634,000 

instructional paraprofessionals in these schools were employed 

full time (75 percent) (table 1). 

Description and Employment Criteria of 

Instructional Paraprofessionals 

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2007–008

Issue

Brief

Differences by instructional responsibility. Public elementary 

and secondary schools were more likely to report having 

special education paraprofessionals (76 percent) than 

other instructional (42 percent), library/media center (38 

percent), regular Title I (36 percent), and ESL/bilingual (31 

percent) paraprofessionals (table 1). Among schools with 

instructional paraprofessionals, they reported having more 

special education paraprofessionals (fi ve), on average, than 

other instructional (four), regular Title I (three), ESL/bilingual 

(two), and library/media center (one) paraprofessionals. 

In addition, the average number of teachers per special 

education instructional paraprofessional was smaller (nine 

teachers per paraprofessional) than for other instructional 

(10), regular Title I (11), ESL/bilingual (23), and library/media 

center (36) paraprofessionals. Furthermore, special education 

paraprofessionals were more likely to work full time (80 

percent) than other instructional (74 percent), regular Title 

I (69 percent), library/media center (68 percent), and ESL/

bilingual (58 percent) paraprofessionals.

Differences by school characteristics. The percentage of schools 

with instructional paraprofessionals, the average number of 

instructional paraprofessionals per school, and the percentage 

of instructional paraprofessionals who were full-time varied by 

school classifi cation, school level, and student enrollment.4 A 

greater percentage of traditional public schools than charter 

schools reported having instructional paraprofessionals (91 vs. 

74 percent) (table 2). Similarly, elementary schools were more 

likely than secondary schools to report having instructional 

paraprofessionals (94 vs. 82 percent). Also, schools with 

student enrollments of 300–699 and 700 or more were more 

likely to report having instructional paraprofessionals (94 

percent each) than were small public schools—those with less 

than 300 students (82 percent).

Among schools with instructional paraprofessionals, 

traditional public schools reported having more instructional 

paraprofessionals per school, on average, than did charter 

schools (eight vs. six), and elementary schools reported having 

more instructional paraprofes-sionals per school than did 

secondary schools (eight vs. seven). Differences in the average 

total number of instructional paraprofessionals per school 

were also found by student enrollment. Public schools with 

student enrollments of 300–699 and 700 or more had, on 

average, a greater number of instructional paraprofessionals 

(eight and ten, respectively) than did public schools with less 

than 300 students (fi ve). 

Traditional public schools had a greater percentage of fulltime instructional paraprofessionals than did charter schools 

(75 vs. 65 percent). Among schools with instructional 

paraprofessionals, secondary schools had a greater percentage 

of full-time instructional paraprofessionals than did elementary 

schools (81 vs. 73 percent). In addition, 78 percent of schools 
2 NCES 2007-008 Issue Brief June 2007

with 700 or more students had full-time instructional 

paraprofessionals compared to 73 percent of schools with less 

than 300 students. 

Differences were also found by other school characteristics for 

schools that reported having instructional paraprofessionals. 

For example, on average, schools with 

minority enrollments of 35 percent or 

more had 9 instructional paraprofessionals 

per school, but schools with minority 

enrollments of less than 35 percent 

had between 7 and 8 instructional 

paraprofessionals per school. In addition, 

schools in which 51 percent or more of the 

students were eligible for free or reducedprice lunch had a greater percentage of 

full-time instructional paraprofessionals 

than did schools in which 20 percent or 

less of the students were eligible (78 vs. 71 

percent). 

Of schools that reported having instructional paraprofessionals, those located in 

rural areas and small towns had fewer 

instructional paraprofessionals per school 

(seven) than did schools located in central 

cities (nine) or large towns (eight). In terms 

of region, schools in the South reported a 

greater percentage of full-time instructional 

paraprofessionals than did schools in the 

other regions of the country. Ninety-one 

percent of instructional paraprofessionals 

in the South were full-time staff, compared to 80 percent in the Northeast, 77 

percent in the Midwest, and 48 percent in 

the West.

Criteria Used to Hire Instructional 

Paraprofessionals 

In addition to the distribution of instructional 

paraprofessionals, this Issue Brief also 

examines the educational qualifi cation 

criteria used by school districts when hiring 

paraprofessionals. School districts could 

report that, when hiring instructional 

paraprofessionals, they either required, 

used but did not require, or did not use any 

of the following educational qualifi cation 

criteria: (1) a high school diploma or the 

equivalent, (2) at least 2 years of college, 

(3) an associate’s or higher degree, or (4) 

passage of a state or local test.

In 2003–04, of all schools in districts that 

hired instructional paraprofessionals, 

93 percent required these staff to have a 

high school diploma or the equivalent; 

39 percent required at least 2 years of 

college, 18 percent required an associate’s 

or higher degree, and 37 percent required 

the passage of a state or local test (table 

3). Some districts reported that they used 

the educational qualifi cation criteria even 

though the criteria were not required. 

A high school diploma or its equivalent 

was used but not required by 5 percent of 

schools. Fifty-one percent of schools used but did not require 

the completion of at least 2 years of college, 67 percent used 

but did not require an associate’s degree, and 28 percent used 

but did not require the passage of a state or local test.

Table 1. Instructional paraprofessionals in public elementary and secondary schools, 

by instructional responsibility: 2003–04

In schools with instructional paraprofessionals1

Instructional responsibility Total2

Percentage of 

schools with 

instructional 

paraprofessionals3

Average 

number 

per school3

Average number 

of teachers per 

instructional 

paraprofessional3

Percentage 

full-time

All instructional

papaprofessionals 633,671 90.6 7.9 4.8 74.5

Special education 311,908 76.3 4.6 8.5 80.0

Regular Title I 94,934 35.5 3.0 11.2 68.7

ESL/bilingual 51,346 31.2 1.9 23.1 57.6

Library/media center 38,611 38.4 1.1 35.5 67.7

Other instructional 136,871 41.8 3.7 9.8 74.0

1

 Estimates are calculated only for schools with instructional paraprofessionals. Estimates by type of instructional 

paraprofessionals are calculated only for schools with those instructional paraprofessionals.

2

 Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

3

 Does not distinguish between full- and part-time status of staff.

NOTE: Standard errors are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007008.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffi ng Survey (SASS), 

“Public School Questionnaire,” 2003–04.

Table 2. Instructional paraprofessionals in public elementary and secondary schools, 

by school characteristics: 2003–04

In schools with instructional paraprofessionals1

School characteristics

Percentage of 

schools with 

instructional 

paraprofessionals2

Average

 number 

per school2

Average number 

of teachers per 

instructional 

paraprofessional2

Percentage 

full-time

Total 90.6 7.9 4.8 74.5

School classifi cation

Traditional public school 91.0 8.0 4.8 74.6

Charter school 74.1 6.4 3.4 65.0

School level

Elementary 94.2 8.5 4.1 72.5

Secondary 81.6 6.6 8.2 81.1

Combined 84.5 6.4 4.1 82.1

Student enrollment

1–299 82.1 5.1 3.3 72.6

300–699 94.2 8.2 4.2 72.6

700 or more 93.9 10.4 6.5 78.4

Percent minority

Less than 10 percent 89.1 6.8 4.9 74.5

From 10 to 34 percent 90.9 8.0 4.9 70.0

35 percent or more 91.5 8.7 4.6 77.1

Percent of students in 

school approved for 

free or reduced-price 

lunch

0–20 87.0 7.5 5.7 70.7

21–50 92.8 7.7 4.8 73.1

51–100 91.1 8.4 4.2 77.8

Community type

Central city 92.3 8.6 5.0 76.1

Urban fringe/large town 90.5 8.3 4.9 71.5

Rural/small town 89.2 6.6 4.3 79.2

Region

Northeast 89.3 8.8 5.2 79.8

Midwest 89.9 6.7 4.9 76.5

South 91.6 7.7 5.5 90.9

West 90.8 9.2 3.6 48.2

1

 Estimates are calculated only for schools with instructional paraprofessionals. 

2

 Does not distinguish between full- and part-time status of staff.

NOTE: Standard errors are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007008.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffi ng Survey (SASS), 

“Public School Questionnaire,” 2003–04.
NCES 2007-008 Issue Brief June 2007 3

to have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Furthermore, 

Title I schools were more likely than non-Title I schools to 

be in districts that required instructional paraprofessionals to 

have at least 2 years of college, an associate’s degree or higher 

degree, and/or the passage of a state or local test.

References

Hoffman, L., and Sable, J. (2006). Public Elementary and Secondary Students, 

Staff, Schools, and School Districts: School Year 2003–04 (NCES 

2006-307). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National 

Center for Education Statistics. 

Wirt, J., Choy, S.P., Rooney, P., Provasnik, S., Sen, A., and Tobin, R. (2004). 

The Condition of Education 2004 (NCES 2004-077). U.S. Department 

of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Government Printing Offi ce.

Endnotes

1 Paraprofessionals who provide noninstructional or clerical support are not 

included in this analysis. Terms used besides instructional paraprofessional 

include teacher aide, paraeducator, and teacher assistant. 

2 The sample for the fi rst part of the analysis (tables 1 and 2) includes 

7,991 schools. The analysis was weighted using the public school weight 

(SFNLWGT).

3 All the estimates based on the school district questionnaire (table 3) are 

presented at the school level and not at the district level. The sample for 

this part of the analysis includes 6,146 schools. Of these 6,146 schools, 

1,221 schools (16 percent) were in districts that did not complete the district 

questionnaire. Additionally, 624 schools were in districts that did not hire 

paraprofessionals for providing instructional support. These schools were 

excluded from the sample. The analysis was weighted using the public school 

weight (SFNLWGT).

4 It is important to note that many of the school characteristics used for 

independent analysis may also be related to each other. However, this Issue 

Brief focuses on the bivariate relationships between the school characteristics 

and the data gathered in the survey, rather than more complex analyses, 

to provide descriptive information on the distribution of instructional 

paraprofessionals in public schools.

Differences were found by 

Title I status. For example, 

Title I schools were more 

likely than non-Title I schools 

to be in districts that required 

instructional paraprofessionals 

to have a high school diploma 

or its equivalent (94 vs. 92 

percent). In addition, a greater 

percentage of Title I schools 

than non-Title I schools required 

instructional paraprofessionals 

to have at least one of the 

education qualifi cations beyond 

a high school diploma or the 

equivalent (60 vs. 52 percent). 

A greater percentage of both 

Title I and non-Title I schools 

were in districts that required 

the completion of at least 2 

years of college or the passage 

of a state or local test than an 

associate’s degree or higher. For example, 41 percent of Title 

I schools were in districts that required the completion of 2 

years of college compared to 20 percent of Title I schools that 

were in districts that required an associate’s degree or higher. 

Summary

Ninety-one percent of public elementary and secondary schools 

in the United States had at least one instructional paraprofessional 

on staff in 2003–04. Of these 634,000 staff who provided 

instructional support, about half (312,000) were employed as 

special education paraprofessionals. On average, each school 

had 5 special education instructional paraprofessionals, of 

whom 80 percent were employed full time. 

The analysis also found that a greater percentage of traditional 

public schools than charter schools had instructional 

paraprofessionals. Similarly, a greater percentage of 

elementary schools than secondary schools report having 

instructional paraprofessionals. In addition, among schools 

with instructional paraprofessionals, elementary schools 

averaged more instructional paraprofessionals than did 

secondary schools (eight vs. seven). However, instructional 

paraprofessionals in elementary schools were less likely than 

their counterparts in secondary schools to be employed full 

time (73 vs. 81 percent). 

The analysis also examined the educational qualifi cation 

criteria that school districts used when hiring instructional 

paraprofessionals. Overall, 93 percent of schools were in 

districts that required paraprofessionals to have a high school 

diploma or the equivalent. The results also indicate that a 

greater percentage of Title I schools than non-Title I schools 

were in districts that required instructional paraprofessionals 

The Issue Brief series presents information on education topics of current interest. All estimates shown are based on samples and are subject to sampling variability. 

All differences discussed are statistically signifi cant at the .05 level as measured by two-tailed t tests; this means a difference is discussed only if the probability 

that it is due to chance (i.e., sampling variability) is less than 1 in 20. No adjustments were made for multiple comparisons. In the design, conduct, and data 

processing of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors, such as item nonresponse, 

measurement error, data processing error, or other systematic error. For more information on the Schools and Staffi ng Survey, visit http://nces.ed.gov/sass. 

This Issue Brief was prepared by Gillian Hampden-Thompson (American Institutes for Research), Juliet Diehl (American Institutes for Research), and Akemi 

Kinukawa (Child Trends) of the Education Statistics Services Institute (ESSI). It was desktopped by Michael Stock (MacroSys Research and Technology) and edited 

by Martin Hahn (American Institutes for Research) of ESSI. For further information, contact Edith McArthur, NCES, at 202-502-7393 or edith.mcarthur@ed.gov. To 

order additional copies of this Issue Brief or other NCES publications, call 1-877-4ED-PUBS or visit http://www.edpubs.org. NCES publications are also available 

on the Internet at http://nces.ed.gov. 

Table 3. Percentage of schools with districts that reported hiring paraprofessionals and used 

or required educational qualifi cation hiring criteria when considering applicants for 

instructional paraprofessional staff, by Title I status: 2003–04

Educational qualifi cation criteria used or required in school district

High school 

diploma or 

equivalent

Beyond high school diploma or equivalent

Required at 

least 

one of the 

educational 

qualifi cations 

beyond 

high school 

diploma or 

equivalent

Completion of 

at least two years 

of college

Associate’s 

degree or higher

Passage of a 

state or local test

School 

characteristic

Used 

but not 

required Required

Used 

but not 

required Required

Used 

but not 

required Required

Used 

but not 

required Required

All schools 5.0 92.9 56.5 51.1 39.0 67.4 17.9 27.7 36.7

Title I schools1 4.5 93.7 59.9 49.4 41.3 66.5 19.9 26.2 40.0

Non-Title I schools 5.6 91.9 52.2 53.2 36.1 68.5 15.4 29.5 32.5

1

 Title I is a federally funded program that provides educational services, such as remedial reading or remedial math, to children who 

live in areas with high concentrations of low-income families.

NOTE: Standard errors are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007008.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffi ng Survey (SASS), “Public School 

Questionnaire,” 2003–04.
Description and Employment Criteria of 

Instructional Paraprofessionals

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NCES 2007–008

The Issue Brief series presents information on education topics of current interest.

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