Chapter 4. A Labor Force that Learns

Figure 4-6. Trends in school enrollment among younger people, 1984-2007

SOURCE: October supplement, Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
NOTE: Data beginning in 1981, 1994, and 2001 are not strictly comparable with data for prior years due to the introduction of new population controls. Data beginning in 2006 reflect a change in supplement weights and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years.

• The commitment that Americans have made to achieve higher levels of educational attainment reflects their realization of the present and future benefits of education for labor market success.  More young Americans are investing in education.  In 1984, 70.5 percent of the population, ages 16 to 19, was enrolled in school; by 2007 the proportion had steadily rose to 80.8 percent.  Likewise, among the population ages 20 to 24, 23.7 percent was enrolled in school in 1984, compared to 35.7 percent in 2007.
   
• More youth are completing high school.  The average freshman graduation rate, which is an estimate of the percentage of public high school students who graduate with a diploma within 4 years, was 74.7 in the 2004 - 2005 school year and has consistently increased in recent years.¹⁵
   
• Likewise, since 2001, the college enrollment rate for recent high school graduates has trended upward.  Of the nearly 3.0 million youth who graduated from high school between October 2006 and October 2007, 67.2 percent were in college in October 2007, and 93.2 percent of those were full-time students.¹⁶

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