The U.S. Census Bureau today released data tables examining the educational characteristics of people age 3 and over. Data are based on statistics from the 2024 School Enrollment Supplement.
In 2024, 23.4% of people age 3 and over were enrolled in school. Of those age 3 and over enrolled in school:
- 11.3% were in nursery school or kindergarten.
- 42.7% were in elementary school.
- 22.8% were in high school.
- 23.2% were in college (undergraduate or graduate school).
Other Highlights
Nursery School and Kindergarten Enrollment
- In 2024, 58.8% of U.S. children ages 3 to 4 were enrolled in school, up 5.3 percentage points from 53.5% in 2023.
- 53.5% of children ages 5 to 6 were enrolled in nursery school or kindergarten.
Elementary and High School Enrollment
- In 2024, 38.9% of children ages 5 to 6 and 96.4% of children ages 7 to 13 were enrolled in elementary school (grades 1 through 8).
- 85.1% of children ages 14 to 17 were enrolled in high school (grades 9 through 12).
- 83.7% of male children and 86.6% of female children ages 14 to 17 were enrolled in high school.
College Enrollment
- In 2024, 57.9% of students age 18 and older enrolled in college (undergraduate or graduate school) were female and 42.1% were male.
- 79.1% of students age 18 and older enrolled in college were enrolled in undergraduate 2- or 4-year programs, and 20.9% were enrolled in graduate programs.
The Current Population Survey, sponsored by the Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is the primary source of labor force statistics for the nation’s population. The Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics sponsored the October 2024 School Enrollment Supplement. Definitions and information on confidentiality protection, methodology, and sampling and nonsampling error are available in the technical documentation. All comparative statements in this release have undergone statistical testing and are statistically significant at the 10% confidence level.