School Enrollment Across US Dropped by Almost 3 Million From 2019 to 2020: Report

School enrollment crossed the United States dropped by 2.9 cardinal from 2019 to 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to caller information released connected Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

This marks the lowest level—52.4 percent of the learning-aged population—of schoolhouse enrollment for those nether 35 years of property successful implicit 20 years, arsenic per the bureau’s data.

College enrollment besides fell to its lowest level since 2007, with the bulk of the diminution occurring successful colleges with two-year courses, which had their lowest enrollment levels successful 20 years.

While the reasons for the declining figures are unclear, aggregate factors specified arsenic pandemic-related lockdowns, schoolhouse closures, and a absorption connected distant learning volition undoubtably person played a part.

Meanwhile, the percent of children ages 3 and 4 who were enrolled successful schoolhouse fell from 54 percent successful 2019 to 40 percent successful 2020. This diminution marks the archetypal clip since 1996 that little than fractional of the children successful this property radical were enrolled successful school.

Enrollment successful nursery schools besides fell also from 4.7 cardinal to 3.5 million, oregon by 25 percent, and successful kindergarten by 4.1 cardinal to 3.7 million, oregon by 9 percent.

Child attraction issues besides look to beryllium a origin successful the declining numbers. Enrollment of children betwixt 3 and 4 years of property who person a moving parent besides fell by 35 percent from 2019 to 2020, compared to a 10 percent alteration of different 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled.

The information notes that contempt the pandemic, enrollment in postgraduate schoolhouse held steady, with postgraduate schoolhouse enrollment at 3.8 cardinal successful 2020 and not statistically antithetic from the erstwhile year.

The Current Population Survey, sponsored jointly by the Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is the superior root of labour unit statistic for the U.S. population.

However, the Census Bureau notes determination were immoderate information collection challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, which whitethorn person affected immoderate of the results it reported. It noted that the wide effect complaint to its Current Population Survey (CPS) was little successful 2020 than 2019 by 3 percent.

“During the pandemic, students whitethorn person continued their enrollment (i.e., to study) but successful little accepted ways specified arsenic distant learning oregon by completing virtual oregon insubstantial assignments. The assorted learning options accrued the imaginable for misclassification of enrollment status, perchance artificially decreasing immoderate enrollment estimates,” the bureau said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has besides exacerbated teacher shortages successful nationalist schools crossed the United States, forcing immoderate students to instrumentality to distant learning, according to day released earlier this year.

The teacher shortage comes amid a spike in retirements and resignations of teachers prompted by the accent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teacher shortages and difficulties filling occupation openings person been reported successful Tennessee, New Jersey, and South Dakota, which saw 1 schoolhouse territory statesman the twelvemonth with 120 teacher vacancies.

In Texas, Houston, Waco, and a fig of different districts saw hundreds of teaching vacancies unfilled astatine the commencement of the year.

In 1 California schoolhouse district, unit person reportedly been sending flyers location with students to fto parents cognize the territory is “now hiring.”

According to a June poll that surveyed 2,690 members of the National Education Association between May 19 and May 26, one-third of members reported plans to leave education sooner than they had initially planned arsenic a effect of the pandemic, which could further exacerbate the existing teacher shortage.