1.2 million students drop out of high school every year
This spring 1.2 million students will fail to graduate with their peers—that’s more than 6,000 students every day.
1/4 high school students don't graduate on time
29 percent of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time.
70% of 8th graders can't read at grade level
Seventy percent of 8th graders can’t read at their grade level – and most will never catch up.
2/3 jobs require college education
Over two thirds of new jobs being created require college education or advanced training.
More than 3 in 10 college freshmen repeat high school classes
In community colleges, the remediation rate climbs to 43 percent.
Jobs demand the same level of preparation as college
Jobs that pay enough to support a family — traditional blue-collar professions, such as electricians — now demand the same level of preparation as college.
High school graduates don't have skills needed
The majority of employers and college professors say today’s high school graduates do not have the skills to succeed. The majority of high school graduates say they regret not learning more in high school.
Education reduces crime
For each additional year of school, the odds that a student will someday commit a crime like murder or assault are reduced by almost one-third.
93% of American science teachers have little or no training in science
In fact, more than 12 million students in grades 7-12 are taught academic courses by teachers who have no degree in the subject they’re teaching.
Math teachers lack math-related degrees
More than one-third of middle and high school math classes are taught by someone who lacks even a college minor in a math related field.
States set low standards
25 million students attend school in states that have set proficiency standards for 4th grade reading below even the most basic level.
Out of 30 industrialized countries, America’s 15-year-olds rank 25th in math and 21st in science
Even America’s top math students rank 25th out of 30 countries when compared with top students elsewhere in the world.
US ranks 20th in graduation rate
Forty years ago, we were first.
No increase in bachelor's degree attainment
Out of 23 countries, the U.S. was one of the only two that showed no increase in the percentage of its population obtaining a postsecondary degree between 2000 and 2005.
View the sources of these statistics here.
