October 30th, 2014
Since its Halloween, we thought of scaring up some spooky facts about education in the U.S.
1. Thirty years ago, America was the leader in quantity and quality of high school diplomas. Today, it is ranked 18th out of 23 industrialized countries
2. Since 1971, educational spending in the U.S. has grown from $4,300 to $9,000 per student. But, reading and math scores have gone downhill.
3. Among 30 developed countries, the U.S. is ranked 25th in math and 21st in sciences.
4. Every year, only 69% of American high school seniors earn their diploma.
5. High school dropouts are 8 times more likely to go to prison.
6. 1.3 million U.S. high school students don’t graduate on time yearly. The States with highest rates (80-89%) are Wisconsin, Iowa, Vermont, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The States with lowest (less than 60%) are Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia and S. Carolina.
7. Approximately 6 million students, grade 7 through 12, are struggling to read at grade-level. Among the highest, 70% of 8th graders read below the standard.
8. Teacher quality is one of the most significant factors related to student achievement. In the U.S., 14% of new teachers resign by the end of their first year, 33% leave within their first 3 years, and almost 50% leave by their 5th year.
9. Only 1 in 4 high school students graduate college-ready in the 4 core subjects of English, reading, math and science.
10. Roughly half of the students who enter a 4-year school will receive a bachelor’s degree within 6 years.
Bonus Fact:
11. In the workplace, 85% of current jobs and 90% of new jobs require some or more college or post-secondary education.
Have a safe and fun Halloween!
