The Census on Education

Representation and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers ... . The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

— Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States, via the US Census Bureau

Certainly, the census means reapportioning some of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. There are winners and loser among states and then the remapping of legislative districts by states. This year's notables: Texas gained four seats, Florida two, and New York and Ohio each lost two; another fourteen states picked up or lost one seat. The reallocation of seats come from the country's latest population count: 308,745,538 Americans, roughly 64 million of these people are school-aged children. As we know, census data often affects decisions of national and local importance, including education and support services for children (notably public health care, rural development, and housing).

But what else can the data show us in regard to education? Quite a lot, and The New York Times has an easy-to-use multimedia tool that lets you explore census data, from a broad, countrywide view, on down to your own zip code. I found the tools' view of elementary students in private schools interesting, primarily because it was there. The other education maps include those highlighting the distribution of high school, college, and advanced college degrees. And then, there's the interesting random and occasionally education-related topics. (Off topic, but of interest: the change in median home value map.)

Image credit: The New York Times