Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in United States
Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in the United States was 15.4 pupils per teacher in 2022, according to National Center for Education Statistics. That is down 0.1% from 2021.
Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in United States, 2000 to 2022
All 8 values
| Period | pupils per teacher |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 15.4 |
| 2021 | 15.4 |
| 2020 | 15.4 |
| 2019 | 15.9 |
| 2018 | 16 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2012 | 16 |
| 2000 | 16 |
Rankings
Definition
Students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in the fall divided by the full-time-equivalent number of public school teachers, from the NCES Digest of Education Statistics (Common Core of Data). The year is the fall of the school year (2022 means fall 2022, the 2022-23 school year).
This is not class size: teachers include those who do not lead a regular class, such as special education and specialist teachers. NCES publishes it for selected years only (2000, 2012 and 2017 onwards).
How to cite
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state (Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools, United States, 2000 to 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp
MLA 9
Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state, Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools, United States, 2000 to 2022. National Center for Education Statistics, 9 May 2024, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/pupil-teacher-ratio-public-schools/united-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
National Center for Education Statistics. 2024. Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state. Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools, United States, 2000 to 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/pupil-teacher-ratio-public-schools/united-states.
Harvard
National Center for Education Statistics (2024) Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state, Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools, United States, 2000 to 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/pupil-teacher-ratio-public-schools/united-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{national_pupil_to_teacher_ratio_2022,
author = {{National Center for Education Statistics}},
title = {{Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state: Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools, United States, 2000 to 2022}},
year = {2024},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/pupil-teacher-ratio-public-schools/united-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23\_208.40.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - National Center for Education Statistics
TI - Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state: Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools, United States, 2000 to 2022
PY - 2024
DA - 2024/05/09
PB - National Center for Education Statistics
DB - Invokely
UR - https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp
L2 - https://invokely.ai/en/pupil-teacher-ratio-public-schools/united-states
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/pupil-teacher-ratio-public-schools/united-states.
N1 - Publisher attribution: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_208.40.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
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What is the latest pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in United States? Cite the source.
get_value {"indicator":"pupil_teacher_ratio_public_k12","place":"us"}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/value?indicator=pupil_teacher_ratio_public_k12&place=usQuestions
What is the pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in United States?
Pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in the United States was 15.4 pupils per teacher in 2022, according to National Center for Education Statistics. That is down 0.1% from 2021.
Where does this figure come from?
National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, table 208.40: public elementary and secondary pupil/teacher ratios by state. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.
What was the highest pupil to teacher ratio, public schools in United States?
16 pupils per teacher in 2000, the highest value since 2000 in this series.