america's dynamic workforce: 2008 |
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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