Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016 shares
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	ESI
Entity Registrant Name	ITT EDUCATIONAL SERVICES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000922475
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	23,698,907