Can you believe the summer is already almost over and the kids will be going back to school? Me neither! Here are 35 fun facts about back to school craziness to help you cope!
1. There are approximately 33 million elementary school children in the U.S, 17 million kids attending high school, and 8.8 little ones in nursery schools and kindergartens.1. There are approximately 33 million elementary school children in the U.S, 17 million kids attending high school, and 8.8 little ones in nursery schools and kindergartens.
2. All told, including college students, and about 78 million kids head back to school every fall.
3. That’s 25% of the entire U.S. population over 3 years old!
4. There are about 8 million teachers in the U.S.
5. Add in parents, school staff, and retailers, and it’s hard to find someone not impacted by the Back to School exodus every year.
6. Back to School has also become its own shopping phenomenon. In fact, the majority of parents will spend more than $100 on back to school shopping.
7. The average family spends $700 in school supplies every year, adding up to $80 billion in annual sales!
8. They have plenty of choices where to buy back to school clothing and supplies, with 7,351 children and infants clothing stores; 25,214 shoe stores; 6,823 office supply and stationery stores; 6,888 bookstores; and 7,898 department stores.
9. Polls reveal which items parents “hate buying,” including:
32% Textbooks25% Clothing19% Electronics18% Supplies7% Sports equipment
10. Many kids (and not to mention their parents!) experience some nerves or extra anticipation based around the first day of schools.
11. According to surveys, the 5 worst expectations from elementary school kids include:HomeworkSwitching schoolsGetting up earlyTestsMath!
12. Didaskaleinophobia is the acute fear of going to school, which affects about 2.4% of all children.
13. Behavioral counselors recommend that parents ensure their kids are ready for the first day with:
Making sure their kids get a good night sleepStarting their morning with a healthy breakfastExhibiting and sharing a positive attitude about school
14. But the good news is that approximately two-thirds of all children (66.7%) like school.
15. School buses have been around since 1915 (as long as the automobile), but the official color of bright yellow wasn’t adopted until 1939.
16. Across the country, there are approximately 480,000 registered school buses, taking 26 million children to and from school every day.
17. By eliminating the need for each parent to get their own kid to school, school buses help keep an estimated 17.3 million cars off the road every year, saving 2.3 billion gallons of fuel.
18. The largest public high school in the U.S. is Morton High in Berwyn-Cicero, Illinois with 8,000 students.
19. Arizona State is the largest public university, with 81,000 students!
20. So people still use pencils? The average pencil can be sharpened 17 times and write about 45,000 words or draw a line 35 miles long before it’s out of service.
21. Pencils can also be used in zero gravity, upside down, or even underwater!
22. Before pencil erasers were invented, a common way to get rid of pencil markings was with a rolled up piece of white bread!
23. But teachers resisted erasers when they were first invented because they thought they’d encourage kids to make mistakes.
24. The average backpack weighs 20% of the student’s body weight! It’s recommended to keep that percentage below 10%.
25. The average cost of a school lunch is $2.70 – $3.10, and 11.6 million children eat breakfast at school daily.
26. The oldest public school in the United States is the Boston Latin School, which was founded in 1635.
27. In fact, five of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence – Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Samuel Adams and William Hopper – attended that school.
28. In 2017, the U.S. government allocates $11,222 per student in public school expenditures.
29. About 52% of high school students worked at least part-time during the school year, with 20% working full time.
30. But high school was actually created to deter teenagers from working! Until the Great Depression, public high schools didn’t exist, as kids went only up to the 8th grade (unless they were rich). But in order to slow the flood of young men entering the workforce during the Depression, high school was created, ensuring the few jobs went to adults and family men.
31. 100% of U.S. public schools have internet access, compared to 50% in 1995. There is currently one computer for every four classrooms in the U.S.
32. Thanks to their basketball culture, the state of Indiana has 9 of the top 10 largest high school gymnasiums in America.
33. A significant number of kids switch schools above and beyond the normal transition as they get older. In fact, 26% of kids ages 6-11 switch schools, and 42% of 12-17-year-olds will switch.
34. About 1 in every 12 children ages 6-11 will have to repeat a grade, while more than 1 in 10 kids ages 12-17 will repeat at least one grade.
35. Why do we give our teacher an apple? The tradition goes back to 16th century Denmark, where teachers didn’t earn enough for food so parents would send their children to school with an apple for them.
