Forum on Child and Family StatisticsSummer Enrichment Programs
Many students have experienced enrollment disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Public schools can address pandemic-related learning needs by offering summer enrichment programs, including summer school and summer camps, to their students. The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) fund provides nearly $122 billion to states and school districts to help safely reopen schools, sustain the safe operation of schools, and address the impact of the pandemic. The ARP ESSER fund specifically requires that states invest in evidence-based initiatives to address the impact of lost instructional time, such as summer programs.20 The School Pulse Panel survey collected data on schools' offering of summer enrichment programs in 2021.21
Figure 15. Percentage of public schools that offered summer school and summer camps to address students' pandemic-related learning needs, Summer 2021
NOTE: This figure is based on experimental data. While estimates have been weighted and adjusted for non-response, these experimental data should be interpreted with caution.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, School Pulse Panel.
- During the summer of 2021, about 85% of public schools offered summer programs and 51% offered summer camps to their students to address pandemic-related learning needs.
20 More information about the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund is available on the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education's website at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-elementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief/.
21 Full results from the 2021 School Pulse Panel Summer survey are available on the Institute of Education Sciences website at https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/sppsummer/spp_summer.xlsx.
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
