New York City is the nation's largest school district, not only in student enrollment, but also in overall population.
According to Proximity, a company that analyzes U.S. Census data relating to K-12 education, more than 8 million people live within the boundaries of the New York City district. The next largest district is Los Angeles Unified, with more than 4.4 million residents.
Other demographic tidbits:
The fastest growing of the 20 largest districts is Clark County, Nev., which grew 85.5 percent in the 1990s (741,459 to 1,375,765). Two of the top 20 districts lost population — the Philadelphia district declined 4.29 percent and Detroit declined 7.46 percent.
New York City also has the most children of any district — 1,940,269. Of the 20 districts with the most children, Phoenix Union High School District has the highest percentage — 31.34 percent (193,377 out of 617,077). Palm Beach County, Fla., is the top 20 district with the smallest percentage of children — 21.26 percent (240,458 out of 1,131,184).
School districts with greatest populations of children| Rank | School District | Total | Children | Percent |
|---|
| 1 | New York City Public Schools, NY | 8,008,278 | 1,940,269 | 24.23 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Unified, CA | 4,444,560 | 1,217,471 | 27.39 |
| 3 | City of Chicago School District, IL | 2,896,016 | 759,840 | 26.24 |
| 4 | Dade County School District, FL | 2,253,362 | 559,213 | 24.82 |
| 5 | Philadelphia City School District, PA | 1,517,550 | 383,469 | 25.27 |
| 6 | Broward County School District, FL | 1,623,018 | 382,929 | 23.59 |
| 7 | Clark County School District, NV | 1,375,765 | 351,770 | 25.57 |
| 8 | Houston Independent School District, TX | 1,259,617 | 332,640 | 26.41 |
| 9 | Hawaii Department of Education, HI | 1,211,537 | 295,767 | 24.41 |
| 10 | Detroit City School District, MI | 951,267 | 295,706 | 31.09 |
| 11 | Dallas Independent School District, TX | 986,021 | 266,715 | 27.05 |
| 12 | Hillsborough County School District, FL | 998,948 | 253,138 | 25.34 |
| 13 | Fairfax County Public Schools, VA | 969,749 | 246,264 | 25.39 |
| 14 | Palm Beach County School District, FL | 1,131,184 | 240,458 | 21.26 |
| 15 | Orange County School District, CA | 896,344 | 226,340 | 25.25 |
| 16 | San Diego City Unified, CA | 986,131 | 223,753 | 22.69 |
| 17 | Montgomery County Public Schools, MD | 873,341 | 221,758 | 25.39 |
| 18 | Prince George's County Public Schools, MD | 801,515 | 214,602 | 26.77 |
| 19 | Duval County School District, FL | 778,879 | 204,991 | 26.32 |
| 20 | Phoenix Union High School District, AZ | 617,077 | 193,377 | 31.34 |
