Distance Education in U.S. Public Schools, 2004-05 Survey

96% of sampled public school district superintendents responded to this 2004-05 Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) study. The survey provides national estimates for technology-based distance education courses in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools. Key statistics include enrollment percentages, completion status, delivery technologies, and plans for expansion.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the prevalence of distance education courses based on reported enrollment percentages by instructional level.
• Studying the technologies used for course delivery based on the survey questions about delivery methods.
• Investigating access patterns for online courses based on questions about where students accessed courses (e.g., at school or at home).
• Assessing the role of distance education in providing advanced coursework based on questions about AP and college-level course offerings.

Strengths

• The survey achieved a 96% response rate from district superintendents.
• Data provides national estimates for a specific academic year (2004-05).
• Survey design captured multiple dimensions: enrollments, completion, technology, access location, and expansion plans.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; the data is from a single historical period.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the 2004-05 school year.

Provenance

Source

Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) program, U.S. Department of Education.

Collection Method

Sample survey mailed to public school district superintendents.

Time Range

2004-05 academic year.

Freshness

Data is from the 2004 05 academic year; update frequency is unknown.

Geography

United States (national estimates).