No Dollar Left Behind

American Demographics, Sept 1, 2004

Byline: COMPILED BY CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS

74.6 MILLION students are enrolled in nursery school through college this year. U.S. Census Bureau (USCB)

53.8 MILLION students, from kindergarten through high school, are projected to enroll in school this fall. (USCB)

1.1 MILLION students were homeschooled in the United States in 2003. National Center for Education Statistics

114,000 elementary and secondary schools in the United States. (USCB)

91.3 PERCENT of parents will have their children with them when they go back-to-school shopping. America's Research Group (ARG)

UP TO 12 PERCENT increases in sales will be seen by apparel retailers selling back-to-school clothing, compared with last year. (ARG)

41.7 PERCENT of families with school-age children are planning to buy electronics or computer-related equipment. National Retail Federation (NRF)

$241.99 the average amount parents will spend on electronics for their children this year. BIGResearch

4.5 MILLION less people are in Generation X than will enroll as students from kindergarten through high school. American Demographics

30 PERCENT of students plan to buy their back-to-school electronics themselves. InsightExpress (IE)

56 PERCENT of students will make the decision which brand of MP3 player to purchase; only 14 percent of parents are likely to make that decision. (IE)

49 PERCENT of parents plan to pay for back-to-school items with cash. Cambridge Consumer Credit Index

45.5 PERCENT of parents said their teenagers would be spending their own money on back-to-school purchases. (NRF)

23.3 PERCENT of parents said their 6- to 12-year-olds would be spending their own money on back-to-school items. (NRF)

$884 MILLION is the collective amount that teens and preteens will be spending (of their own money) on back-to-school shopping. (NRF)

75.9 PERCENT of parents plan to shop at discount stores for back-to-school supplies. (NRF)

$483.28 the average amount that families with school-age children will spend on back-to-school items this year, up over $32 form last year. (NRF)

$27 BILLION the amount that discount stores could see in sales this year on back-to-school items alone. American Demographics

$26 BILLION the total revenue of Kmart Holding Corporation, the nation's fifth largest general merchandiser. Fortune

87 PERCENT the annual growth since 1990 in the average tuition, room and board (in-state students) at four-year public colleges and universities nationwide. (USCB)

$44,700 the national average salary for a public elementary or secondary school teacher. (USCB)

NORTHERN EDUCATION

TOP 10 STATES

by per pupil government expenditures in public elementary-secondary schools.