School Enrollment data can be found from a variety of sources. These sources are listed below with brief descriptions to help you decide which data source would best suit your needs. Availability of data by time and geography are highlighted in the sections below. The links below will take you to the appropriate page for School Enrollment data by survey.

The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual, nationwide survey of more than 3.5 million households in the U.S. The ACS is part of the Decennial Census Program and replaces the long form, which the Census Bureau last used during Census 2000. The survey produces statistics on demographic, social, economic, and other characteristics about our nation's population and housing. We release ACS 1-year estimates in September for the pervious calendar year and 5-year estimates in December for the previous five calendar years.

Data on School Enrollment characteristics are available for the U.S., states, counties, selected metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and selected zip codes from 2000 to the present. There are over a thousand detailed tables in American FactFinder (AFF), of which over 20 are school enrollment tables.

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics sponsors the survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau conducts the data each month. The CPS involves a sample of about 60,000 occupied households. Households are in the survey for four consecutive months, out for eight, and then return for another four months before leaving the sample permanently.

School enrollment data are collected annually in the October Current Population Survey (CPS) since 1947 for the nation. The school enrollment statistics from the CPS are based on replies to the interviewer’s inquiry whether the person was enrolled in regular school. Interviewers were instructed to count as enrolled anyone who had been enrolled at any time during the current term or school year in any type of public, parochial, or other private school in the regular school system. Such schools include nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools. Attendance may be on either a full-time, or part-time basis and during the day or night. Regular schooling is that which may advance a person toward an elementary or high school diploma, a college, university, or professional school degree. Children enrolled in nursery schools and kindergarten are included in the enrollment figures for regular schools and are also shown separately.

The decennial census counts every resident in the U.S. once every ten years, in years ending in zero. The Constitution of the United States mandates the head count to make sure each state can fairly represent its population in the U.S. House of Representatives. States use the numbers to draw their legislative districts. The federal government uses them to distribute funds and assistance to states and localities.

Data on School Enrollment characteristics are available for the U.S., 50 states and the District of Columbia, counties, and subcounty statistical areas (such as zip codes and block groups). The decennial census has included a question on school enrollment since 1840. The question changed over the decades and in 1910 the enrollment question asked if the respondent had been enrolled at sometime since September of the previous year. By 1930 the term "college" was added to the enrollment question. In 1940 the school enrollment item limited the time frame to "enrollment since February 1" of the census year, a concept still used today. Also in 1940, school enrollment was collected for every person enumerated in the census (i.e., 100% data) and on a sample basis thereafter.

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) provides information on the distribution of income and the success of government assistance programs. SIPP data provide the most extensive information available on how the nation’s economic well-being changes over time. The sample survey is a continuous series of national panels, each ranging from approximately 14,000 to 53,000 interviewed households. The duration of each panel ranges from 2 ½ years to 4 years.

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) collects information about respondent's highest level of school completed or degree received, course or programs studied, and dates of receipt of high school and postsecondary degrees or diplomas. The education module determines if the respondent attended a public or a private high school. Job-related-training questions address training designed to help find or develop skills for a new job as well as to improve skills at the current or most recent job. People 15 years of age and older are asked whether they have received job training; if they have, they are asked about the duration of the training, how it was used, how it was paid for, and if it was federally sponsored.