Between 2019 and 2024 public school enrollment in the U.S. decreased by over 1.3 million.  The three states that lost the most were California, New York and Illinois.  The states that gained the most students were Texas, Florida and South Carolina. This is not all that surprising since these three states have also ranked among the states to have the largest percentage increases in population in recent years, while the biggest losers have consistently ranked among the states to lose the most residents. There are, of course, myriad reasons that overall student enrollment has declined--too many to speculate about here--but the Covid pandemic may have been the most important factor. 

"Elementary and Secondary Enrollment -- Public Schools" is the total number of students enrolled in grades K-12 throughout each state. Under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the Director of IES is required to report biennially to the President, the Secretary of Education, Congress and the public on the activities of the IES Centers. 

For more information about public school enrollment go to Data-Z.org, where you can compare states going back to 1999.  You can also explore our many demographic, economic and financlal data series for all 50 states. For example, you can compare per pupil expenditures and revenues, and highschool graduation rates, as well as our proprietary information about government finances.