NOAA education accomplishments
Each year, the NOAA education community helps connect and inspire millions of people with NOAA's mission. The Education Council gathers information on the reach, progress, and impacts of these efforts and reports them through annual output measures and accomplishments reports.

Fiscal year 2020 common measures
NOAA’s common measures are collected from programs across NOAA and are one way we communicate the reach of our investments to the public, students, and educators. Partners such as academic institutions, educational organizations, and other federal, state, and local agencies extend our ability to reach our target audiences.
In 2020, these numbers were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With many in-person programs switching to virtual learning and partner institutions closing their doors to visitors, programs worked hard to continue providing meaningful learning experiences to students and educators in a new virtual world. Though the numbers below look different from previous years, they capture the combined, extraordinary efforts of educators across the agency, spanning all of NOAA’s mission areas.
Not reported due to COVID-19: people who visited informal education institutions hosting NOAA-supported exhibits or programs.
473 institutions increased educational capacity through NOAA-funded centers, exhibits, or programs.
2.4 million youth and adults participated in NOAA-supported informal education programs.
284,000 P-12 students participated in NOAA-supported formal education programs.
46,000 educators participated in NOAA-supported professional development programs.
42.4 million visits were made to NOAA Education websites that host valuable activities and information.
3,400 postsecondary students were trained through NOAA-funded higher education programs.
833 postsecondary degrees were awarded to NOAA-supported students in higher education programs.
Accomplishments reports
These reports feature stories that illustrate how we connect the nation with NOAA-related sciences, places, products, and services. You can also explore our stories in an interactive mapoffsite link.
- Fiscal Year 2020 Accomplishments Report
- Fiscal Year 2019 Accomplishments Report
- Fiscal Year 2018 Accomplishments Report
- Fiscal Year 2017 Accomplishments Report, Accomplishments Summary
- Fiscal Year 2016 Accomplishments Report, Accomplishments Summary, Reference Document
- Fiscal Year 2015 Accomplishments Report
- Fiscal Year 2014 Accomplishments Report
- Fiscal Year 2013 Accomplishments Report
- Fiscal Year 2012 Accomplishments Report
Education accomplishments for fiscal years 2009-2011 appear in the NOAA Blue Book - Budget Summary.