The U.S. Census Bureau has provided a glimpse into the number of students enrolled in school across America. According to new 2024 data, 23.4 percent of people ages 3 and older were enrolled in school.
Of those enrolled, 11.3 percent were in nursery school or kindergarten, 42.7 percent were in elementary school, 22.8 percent were in high school and 23.2 percent were in college (undergraduate or graduate school).
Within the nursery school and kindergarten cohort, 58.8 percent of U.S. children ages 3 to 4 were enrolled in school, up 5.3 percentage points from 53.5 percent in 2023. Additionally, 53.5 percent of children ages 5 to 6 were enrolled in nursery school or kindergarten.
In the elementary and high school cohort, 38.9 percent of children ages 5 to 6 and 96.4 percent of children ages 7 to 13 were enrolled in elementary school (grades 1 through 8). In the 14-to-17 age group, 85 percent were enrolled in high school (grades 9 through 12). The Census data also showed that 83.7 percent of males and 86.6 percent of females ages 14 to 17 were enrolled in high school.
Of students ages 18 and older enrolled in college (undergraduate or graduate school), 57.9 percent were female and 42.1 percent were male. Of those college students, 79.1 percent were enrolled in undergraduate two- or four-year programs, and 20.9 percent were enrolled in graduate programs.
