How to understand the different estimates of America’s unconnected students
We continue to compare the estimates of unconnected students from four organizations:
- EducationSuperhighway (ESH)
- Funds For Learning (FFL)
- Common Sense Media (CSM)
- Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed)
Models vary in estimates because of differences in units, definitions, assumptions, methodology and data sources. Initially, we compared the total number of estimated unconnected students, children, and families. From 7 million homes to 17 million children, we similarly find a wide range of differences in the following areas:
- Costs for Connection, Devices
- Race and Ethnicity
- Rural vs. Non-rural
A side-by-side estimate comparison for each of these areas is shown below. While these models all provide great starting points to understand the scope and socioeconomic and racial inequities of the digital divide on students during COVID-19, the variability of these estimates underscores the importance of better data collection at the local and state level.
To identify and connect students who lack home digital access in your area Explore our Needs Assessment Playbook >
Table 1: National Number of Unconnected Students, Children, Families
| ESH | FFL | CSM | All4Ed | |
| 9.7 million students lack reliable internet connectivity at home | 7.15 million families without Internet access because they cannot afford it | 15 million to 16 million students without an internet connection or device adequate for distance learning | 16.9 million children lack the home internet access necessary to support online learning | |
| Units, Definition | “students” refers to K-12 students in public and charter schools | “families” refers to households | “students” refers to K-12 public school students | “children” refers to number of related children in the household |
Table 2: Costs for Connection, Devices
| ESH | FFL | CSM | All4Ed | |
| $1.7 billiontotal estimated cost for connecting for the 9.7M students | $7.54 billiontotal estimated cost for Connection, Device, and Cybersecurity for the 7.15M family households | $6 billion to $11 billion and up to an additional $1 billion for teachers.the cost of closing the digital divide for K-12 public school students for 15-16M students | $6.8 billion necessary to cover immediate costs related to high-speed home internet access and devices for 16.9M children | |
| Time | Cost in the first year, one-time and recurring costs | Cost in the first year | Cost in the first year, one-time and recurring costs | Cost in the first year, one-time and recurring costs |
| Cost estimates include: | Connection | Connection, devices, and cybersecurity | Connection, devices, and device warranties | Connection and devices |
| Methodology | Average monthly wireline cost of $10.97; Average monthly LTE cost of $39; Average one-time cost for the hotspot device $75 | Average connectivity cost $50/month per household; Average $250 per device; Average $25 per user for cybersecurity | $3 billion-$5.5 billion of one-time costs for installation and set-up, devices, and device warranties; and ~$2.7 billion to $5.6 billion for 12 months of recurring charges for connectivity, connectivity equipment, and mobile device management | Connectivity cost $600 annually per household $250 one-time device cost per child |
| Assumption | costs of home internet service based on per household | device costs based on one device per household | cost estimates for connectivity is for each student, not household | costs of high-speed home internet service based on per household computer costs based on the number of children |
Table 3: Black or African American, Latinx, Asian, and American Indian/Alaska Native
| ESH | CSM | All4Ed | |
| 5.1 million Black, Latino students lack reliable internet connectivity at home | 26 percent of Latinx, 30 percent of Black, and 35 percent of Native American households lack adequate home internet access | 4.7 million Black, Latino, Asian, and American Indian/Alaska Native families combined lack the high-speed home internet service necessary to support online learning | |
| Units, Definition | “students” refers to K-12 students in public and charter schools who identify as Black or African American or Latinx | “Households” as defined by the ACS | “Families”, “Households” as defined by the ACS |
| Definition | “reliable internet connectivity” refers to internet connection adequate for distance learning | “internet connection” refers to internet provided via cable, fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL);estimate includes students that only have access to internet via a cellular connection on a mobile device | “internet connection” refers to internet provided via cable, fiber, or digital subscriber line (DSL) |
| Data Source(s) | NCES, USAC | American Community Survey (ACS) 1 Year, 5 Year NCES | American Community Survey (ACS) 1 Year |
Table 4: Rural
| ESH | CSM | All4Ed | |
| 1.4 million rural students lack reliable internet connectivity at home | 37 percent students without a home broadband connection in rural communities | 1.7 million households in nonmetropolitan (or rural) areas do not have high-speed home internet service | |
| Units, Definition | “students” refers to K-12 students in public and charter schools | “students” refers to K-12 public school students | “Household” refers to households with one or more children of age 17 years or younger |
| Data Source(s) | NCES, USAC | American Community Survey (ACS) 1 Year, 5 Year NCES | American Community Survey (ACS) 1 Year |
