It is if you are a parent dying for some peace and quiet.
Have you seen the Staples back-to-school commercial? It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Hi.lar.ri.ous!
I realize that I may be jinxing my good fortune by revealing this, but my soon-to-be first grader is actually counting down the days until the first day of school. It’ll be interesting to see if she is as enthusiastic as she enters seventh grade. Still, according to the calendar, she has less than a week to go before she is reunited with her school chums.
Kids in Oklahoma return to school on Tuesday while year-round classes in Hawaii got underway last week. With most kids heading back to school in the next couple of weeks, I thought it would be apropos to share some fun facts on the new school year, courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Parents, did you know:
*We drop more than $7 billion on back-to-school duds at children’s clothing stores in the month of August alone. Only October, November and December (the holiday shopping season) register sales greater than $5 billion.
*The number of U.S. residents enrolled in schools totals 76 million, from nursery schools to colleges. Fifty-six million of those students will fill the nation’s elementary and high schools. Compare that with the 1.1 million kids who are home schooled.
*The number of practicing teachers in the United States, from preschool to college tops 7 million.
*The average annual salary paid to public school teachers in California (who make the highest wages of any state in the nation) is $63,640. Teachers in South Dakota received the lowest — $35,378. The national average is $50,758.
*The average tuition, room and board (for in-state students) at the nation’s four-year public colleges and universities for an entire academic year is $14,915.
*The average tuition, room and board at the nation’s four-year private colleges and universities for an entire academic year is $40,640.
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