50,000 Students Still Missing from U.S. Schools as of Fall 2022

Public School Enrollment Remains Depressed, While Private Schooling and Homeschooling See Increases

50,000 students are still missing from U.S. schools as of fall 2022, according to an Associated Press analysis of public, private and homeschool enrollment in 22 states and Washington, D.C.
The reasons students left during the pandemic are varied, including homelessness, loss of interest or motivation, mental health struggles, work or adult responsibilities, and falling behind in online school.
The number of missing students has decreased from over 230,000 in fall 2021, indicating a positive trend in the education system's recovery.
Public school enrollment remained depressed, down by over 1 million students, while private schooling grew nearly 8% and homeschooling grew more than 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022.
The decline in missing students is a hopeful sign the education system is moving toward recovery, but the situation is not back to its pre-pandemic normal.