The Condition of Education 2013

The National Center for Education Statistics has released The Condition of Education 2013. The 42 indicators presented in The Condition of Education 2013 provide a progress report on education in America and include findings on the demographics of American schools, U.S. resources for schooling, and outcomes associated with education.

Report findings include:

- As of 2012, about 90 percent of young adults ages 25 to 29 had a high school diploma or its equivalent and 33 percent had a bachelor’s or higher degree. Annual median earnings in 2011 were higher for those with higher levels of education. For example, 25- to 34-year-olds with a college degree earned over twice as much as high school dropouts.

- In 2011, almost two-thirds of 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in preschool, and nearly 60 percent of these children were in full-day programs. At the elementary and secondary level, there were about 50 million public school students in 2011, with nearly 2 million of them in charter schools. Postsecondary enrollment in 2011 was at 21 million students, including 18 million undergraduate and 3 million graduate students.

- At the elementary and secondary level, about 1 in 5 public schools was considered high poverty in 2011, meaning that 75 percent or more of their enrollment qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, a number that was closer to 1 in 8 in 2000. In 2009–10, some 3.1 million public high school students, or 78.2 percent, graduated on time with a regular diploma.

- In postsecondary education, about 56 percent of male students and 61 percent of female students who began their bachelor degree in the fall of 2005, and did not transfer, had completed their degree by 2011. In that year, 1.7 million bachelor’s degrees and over 700,000 master’s degrees were awarded.