The Changing Landscape of U.S. Public Education -Hispanics Account for Most of Rising Enrollments, by Rick Fry, Senior Research Associate, Pew Hispanic Center, March 7, 2007: “Since the mid-1990s, two trends have transformed the landscape of American public education: Enrollment has increased because of the growth of the Hispanic population, and the number of schools has also increased. This report examines the intersection of those trends. Total public school enrollment in the United States peaked at 46.1 million in 1971 as the youngest members of the baby boom generation arrived in the nation’s classrooms. Enrollment gradually dropped off, to 39.2 million in fall 1984, then began to increase once again, reaching 48.2 million — a 23% jump — in the fall of 2002.”