Between 2000 and 2010, enrollment rates increased for young adults ages 18–19 and adults ages 20–24, 25–29, and 30–34; students in these age groups are typically enrolled in college or graduate school.
School enrollment rates for most age groups from 3 to 34 were higher in 2010 than in the 1970s; however, the enrollment rate for 7- to 13-year-olds was lower in 2010 (98 percent) than in 1970 (99 percent). The rates of youth ages 14–15 fluctuated between 97 and 99 percent throughout this period (see table A-1-1). Enrollment patterns may reflect changes in attendance requirements or prevalence of home schooling, the perceived value or cost of education, and the time taken to complete degrees.
Between 1970 and 2010, the enrollment rate for children ages 3–4 (the ages at which children are typically enrolled in nursery or preschool) increased from 20 to 53 percent. The enrollment rate for children ages 5–6, who are typically enrolled in kindergarten or first grade, rose from 90 percent in 1970 to 97 percent in 1994, then decreased to 94 percent in 2010.
The enrollment rates for 7- to 13-year-olds and 14- to 15-year-olds were generally higher than the rate for 16- to 17-year-olds, but the rate for 16- to 17-year-olds did increase from 90 percent in 1970 to 96 percent in 2010 (see table A-1-1). As of August 2011, the maximum compulsory age of attendance was 18 years in 20 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.), 17 years in 11 states, and 16 years in 19 states (see table A-1-2).
Young adults ages 18–19 are typically transitioning into college education or the workforce. Between 1970 and 2010, the overall enrollment rate (including enrollment at both the secondary level and the college level) for young adults ages 18–19 increased from 48 to 69 percent (see table A-1-1). During this period, the enrollment rate for 18- and 19-year-olds at the secondary level increased from 10 to 18 percent, while the rate at the college level rose from 37 to 51 percent. Between 2000 and 2010, the college enrollment rate increased from 45 to 51 percent.
Adults ages 20–34 who are in school are usually enrolled in college or graduate school. Between 1970 and 2010, the enrollment rate for adults ages 20–24 increased from 22 to 39 percent, and the rate for adults ages 25–29 increased from 8 to 15 percent. The enrollment rate for adults ages 30–34 increased from 4 percent in 1970 to 8 percent in 2010. Between 2000 and 2010, the enrollment rate for adults ages 20–24 increased from 32 to 39 percent; for adults ages 25–29, it increased from 11 to 15 percent; and for adults ages 30–34, it increased from 7 to 8 percent.
Enrollment rates for all age groups varied by state in 2010 (see table A-1-2). Rates for ages 3–4 ranged from 31 percent in North Dakota to 73 percent in D.C. For ages 5–17, rates ranged from 93 percent (North Dakota) to 98 percent (California, Connecticut, Nebraska, and D.C.). Among 18- and 19-year-olds, total rates ranged from 59 percent in Nevada to 86 percent in Rhode Island.
Secondary enrollment rates of 18- and 19-year-olds ranged from 12 percent in D.C. to 39 percent in Alaska, and college enrollment rates ranged from 29 percent in Alaska to 72 percent in Rhode Island. Rates for 20- to 24-yearolds ranged from 30 percent (Nevada) to 51 percent (Massachusetts), and rates for 25- to 34-year-olds ranged from 10 percent (Maine) to 19 percent (D.C.).
Technical Notes
Current Population Survey (CPS) estimates include enrollment in any type of graded
public or parochial or other private schools and include nursery schools or preschools,
kindergartens, elementary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, and
professional schools. The American Community Survey (ACS) has a similar coverage,
except that it includes homeschooling as private school enrollment. Both the ACS
and the CPS exclude enrollments in schools that do not advance students toward a
regular school degree, such as trade schools, business colleges, and correspondence
courses. Due to the methodological differences between the CPS and ACS, enrollment
estimates from the two surveys are not directly comparable. Beginning in 1994, new
procedures were used in the CPS to collect enrollment data on children ages 3–4.
As a result, pre-1994 data on children ages 3–4 may not be comparable to data
from 1994 or later. For more information on the CPS and the ACS, see Appendix B
– Guide to Sources.
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