NOTE: The years 1863-1870 show two numbers. The first is the number of students in college courses; the second is the number enrolled in college preparatory classes, which were roughly equivalent to high school.
| 1863 | 14/93 | 1865 | 23/90 | 1870 | 34/160 | 1875 | 177 | 1880 | 267 |
| 1885 | 428 | 1886 | 481 | 1887 | 472 | 1888 | 445 | 1889 | 514 |
| 1890 | 593 | 1891 | 584 | 1892 | 587 | 1893 | 555 | 1894 | 572 |
| 1895 | 647 | 1896 | 734 | 1897 | 803 | 1898 | 870 | 1899 | 1,094 |
| 1900 | 1,321 | 1901 | 1,396 | 1902 | 1,574 | 1903 | 1,605 | 1904 | 1,462 |
| 1905 | 1,690 | 1906 | 1,937 | 1907 | 2,192 | 1908 | 2,308 | 1909 | 2,305 |
| 1910 | 2,407 | 1911 | 2,523 | 1912 | 2,928 | 1913 | 3,027 | 1914 | 3,089 |
| 1915 | 3,314 | 1916 | 3,339 | 1917 | 2,406 | 1918 | 2,991 | 1919 | 3,376 |
| 1920 | 3,395 | 1921 | 3,560 | 1922 | 3,626 | 1923 | 3,812 | 1924 | 4,031 |
| 1925 | 4,019 | 1926 | 4,083 | 1927 | 3,878 | 1928 | 3,879 | 1929 | 3,987 |
| 1930 | 4,045 | 1931 | 3,928 | 1932 | 3,359 | 1933 | 2,928 | 1934 | 3,436 |
| 1935 | 2,367 | 1936 | 3,684 | 1937 | 3,885 | 1938 | 3,933 | 1939 | 4,082 |
| 1940 | 4,108 | 1941 | 3,780 | 1942 | 3,253 | 1943 | 1,560 | 1944 | 1,522 |
| 1945 | 2,206 | 1946 | 6,522 | 1947 | 7,160 | 1948 | 7,435 | 1949 | 7,020 |
| 1950 | 5,907 | 1951 | 4,947 | 1952 | 5,030 | 1953 | 5,052 | 1954 | 5,385 |
| 1955 | 5,977 | 1956 | 6,526 | 1957 | 6,695 | 1958 | 6,706 | 1959 | 6,706 |
| 1960 | 7,265 | 1961 | 7,607 | 1962 | 8,477 | 1963 | 8,652 | 1964 | 9,634 |
| 1965 | 10,681 | 1966 | 11,285 | 1967 | 11,755 | 1968 | 12,570 | 1969 | 13,149 |
| 1970 | 13,847 | 1971 | 14,789 | 1972 | 15,158 | 1973 | 15,477 | 1974 | 16,422 |
| 1975 | 17,901 | 1976 | 18,220 | 1977 | 19,045 | 1978 | 18,293 | 1979 | 18,613 |
| 1980 | 19,547 | 1981 | 19,982 | 1982 | 19,497 | 1983 | 18,470 | 1984 | 18,092 |
| 1985 | 17,570 | 1986 | 17,630 | 1987 | 18,048 | 1988 | 19,301 | 1989 | 20,110 |
| 1990 | 20,002 | 1991 | 21,507 | 1992 | 21,222 | 1993 | 20,775 | 1994 | 20,664 |
| 1995 | 20,476 | 1996 | 20,324 | 1997 | 20,306 | 1998 | 20,885 | 1999 | 21,543 |
| 2000 | 21,929 | 2001 | 22,396 | 2002 | 22,762 | 2003 | 23,050 | 2004 | 23,151 |
| 2005 | 23,182 | 2006 | 23,141 | 2007 | 23,332 | 2008 | 23,520 | 2009 | 23,581 |
| 2010 | 23,588 | 2011 | 23,863 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |