Thursday update: 41 states have closed all schools because of the coronavirus

At least 95,000 U.S. public and private schools are closed, Education Week estimates.
March 19, 2020

Forty-one states have closed all their schools as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the education of millions.

Education Week reports that as of Thursday morning, March 19,  the closures in those states, combined with individual district closures in the other states, have canceled classes for at least 95,000 U.S. public and private schools.

At least 43.9 million school students have been affected.

The United States has 98,277 public schools and 34,576 private schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Almost 50.8 million students are enrolled in public schools and 5.8 million in private schools.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.

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