Research Initiative

Tectonics

The K-12 education system in the US is currently experiencing significant transformations. Factors such as population shifts, changes in student demographics, the financial effects of COVID-19 on schools, the emergence of new educational models, and environmental concerns all contribute to a seismic shift in education.

This website aims to provide readers with a general overview of these evolving aspects of the education system, explore how these changes may influence education policies, and, importantly, give you questions that your community should be considering. Your community plays a vital role in addressing its needs in the future. Choose a topic below to delve deeper into a detailed discussion.

Explore K-12 Education Data

Search, compare, and analyze education metrics across districts, regions, and topics

19,186

School Districts

-0.09% from last year

49.4M

Students

-0.22% from last year

3.3M

Teachers

+0.87% from last year

15.2

Pupil/Teacher Ratio

-1.30% from last year

District Comparison

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Data Availability

Teacher Pensions and Teacher Workforce data are available at the state level only. For district-level comparisons, we currently support: Demographics, Revenue, Expenditures, Income, Population Shift, and ESSER funding data.

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Select Districts to Compare

Choose up to 4 districts to compare their data across different topics.

Policy Topics

Population

Explore how changing populations impact school capacity, planning, and resources.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion

Student Demographics

Explore how increasing diversity is reshaping student populations across districts.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion

ESSER Impact

Explore how federal relief funding shaped school district responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

Policy Makers Workbook

Expenditure

Explore where the billions spent on public education go and how budgets are allocated.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion

Revenue

Explore how schools are funded and how revenue sources vary across states.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion

Teacher Workforce

Explore where new teachers come from and how workforce trends affect staffing and supply.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion

Income and Poverty

Explore how income and poverty levels vary across communities and what that means for schools.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion

Teacher Pensions

Explore how benefits shape teacher careers and the challenges facing pension systems today.

Policy Makers Workbook Policy Discussion