Do you have a student going back to school this month? The U.S. Census Bureau first collected information on the number of schools and students during the 1840 Census. That year, there were approximately 2 million students attending 50,000 schools. Today, there are more than 47 million students attending the 90,750 elementary and secondary schools in the United States.

The Census Bureau collects a variety of information on school districts, school enrollment, educational attainment, public school finances, educational services, and other related topics. For example:

• The projected number of high school diplomas that will be awarded in the 2011-12 school year is 3.2 million.
• There were 7.2 million school teachers in the United States in 2009. In 1980, public school teachers earned around $16,000 per year. In 2009, their yearly salaries averaged $53,000.
• In 2009, the per-pupil expenditure on public elementary and secondary education nationally was $10,499.
• In 1850, there were 234 colleges in the United States with an enrollment of 27,159 students. In 2007, there were 4,409 colleges and universities with 18.2 million students.

For more information on the history of the U.S. Census Bureau, click here.