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America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers
Significant Declines in Preschool Enrollment During COVID-19 Pandemic
The percentage of 3-to-6-year-olds enrolled in preschool in the United States dropped by 9.3 percentage points from 2019 to 2021, from 51.1% to 41.8%, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report.
The 4.1 million preschool enrollees in 2021 was the smallest number since the American Community Survey (ACS) began collecting these data in 2005. This decline coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Many schools closed because of public health and safety concerns. In addition, there was a general unwillingness to send children to school at the height of the pandemic.
The rate of total preschool enrollment for 3- to 6-year-olds fell in both private and public schools but the rates of decline varied.
Public school enrollment shrank by 6.5 percentage points (30.5% to 24.0%) and private school enrollment by 2.8 points (20.6% to 17.8%).
Continue reading to learn more about:
- Geographic change
- Declines in enrollment, which vary by race and Hispanic origin
- Work and families
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