{"id":18402,"date":"2018-09-07T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/6-facts-about-americas-students\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:43:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:43:39","slug":"6-facts-about-americas-students","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2018\/09\/07\/6-facts-about-americas-students\/","title":{"rendered":"6 facts about America\u2019s students"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><figure id=\"attachment_305712\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-305712\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-305712\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-305712\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ismael Mora raises his hand on the first day of school at McGlone Academy in Denver on Aug. 15. (AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A projected 50.7 million pre-K-12 students will return to the classroom in U.S. public schools this fall. They comprise a student body that is more racially and ethnically diverse, more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college, and perhaps more prepared than ever before for a world in which <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2016\/10\/06\/5-the-value-of-a-college-education\/\">education plays an outsize role<\/a> in determining their futures.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are key findings about America\u2019s students and their experiences:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-305373 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2018\/08\/FT_18.08.09_TeacherRace.png\" alt=\"Racial, ethnic diversity has grown more quickly among U.S. public school students than teachers\" width=\"420\" height=\"604\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>America\u2019s students are more racially and ethnically diverse than ever, while <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2018\/08\/27\/americas-public-school-teachers-are-far-less-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-than-their-students\/\">teachers remain overwhelmingly white<\/a>.<\/strong> In fall 2015, the share of nonwhite students in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools hit a record 51%. That\u2019s up from 30% in fall 1986. Growth has been especially fast among Hispanic students, who increased from 10% of students in 1986 to 26% in 2015.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, nonwhites continue to make up a relatively small share of teachers: In the 2015-16 school year, just 20% of public school elementary and secondary teachers were nonwhite, up from 13% in 1987-88. (In 2015, 39% of all Americans were nonwhite.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While America\u2019s overall student body has become more diverse, many nonwhite students go to public schools <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2017\/10\/25\/many-minority-students-go-to-schools-where-at-least-half-of-their-peers-are-their-race-or-ethnicity\/\">where at least half of their peers are of their race or ethnicity<\/a>. Large shares of blacks (44%) and Hispanics (57%) attend public schools where people of their own race or ethnicity make up at least half the student body. Meanwhile, whites \u2013 who continue to make up a larger share of overall U.S. public school students than any other race or ethnicity \u2013 tend to go to schools where half or more of students are white.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Students today are more likely to stay in school \u2013 and this is particularly true for Hispanics.<\/strong> The overall high school dropout rate in the U.S. has fallen substantially in recent decades, matching a record low of 6% in 2016. Hispanics <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2017\/09\/29\/hispanic-dropout-rate-hits-new-low-college-enrollment-at-new-high\/\">have accounted for much of that trend<\/a>: The Hispanic dropout rate, which was the highest (34%) among all analyzed racial and ethnic groups in 1999, dropped to 10% by 2016. By comparison, the fall in dropout rates over the same period has been much less dramatic for blacks, whites and Asians.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, the share of Hispanic high school graduates who enroll in college has risen: In 2016, 47% of Hispanic high school graduates ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in college, up from 32% in 1999. Despite these gains, Hispanics <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2016\/07\/28\/5-facts-about-latinos-and-education\/\">trail other groups<\/a> in earning a bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2015\/12\/ST_2015-12-17_parenting-53.png\" width=\"310\" height=\"428\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Student involvement in extracurricular activities often differs by family income.<\/strong> Seven-in-ten parents of school-age children say their children return home after school, while 18% say their school-age children participate in after-school activities and 8% say they use an after-care program, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2015\/12\/17\/4-child-care-and-education-quality-availability-and-parental-involvement\/#after-school-arrangements-vary-by-income\">fall 2015 survey of parents<\/a> with children younger than 18. About one-third of parents (32%) with annual family incomes of $75,000 or higher report that their children participate in after-school activities or go to an after-care program, compared with 17% of those with incomes below $30,000. For some parents \u2013 including about half (52%) of those with family incomes of less than $30,000 \u2013 affordable, high-quality <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2015\/12\/17\/4-child-care-and-education-quality-availability-and-parental-involvement\/#for-some-parents-good-after-school-programs-can-be-hard-to-find\">after-school programs can be hard to find<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Family income is also connected to participation in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2015\/12\/17\/5-childrens-extracurricular-activities\/\">host of other extracurricular activities<\/a>. Among parents with annual family incomes of $75,000 or higher, 84% say their children participated in sports or athletic activities in the prior year; 62% say their children took music, dance or art lessons. Smaller shares of parents with incomes of less than $30,000 say their children played sports or took lessons in music, dance or art. Just 14% of parents with incomes of less than $30,000 said their children participated in an organization like the scouts, a smaller share than that of parents with incomes of $75,000 or more (28%).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About half (54%) of American parents say parents <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2015\/12\/17\/4-child-care-and-education-quality-availability-and-parental-involvement\/#can-too-much-parental-involvement-in-a-childs-education-be-a-bad-thing\">can never be too involved<\/a> when it comes to their children\u2019s education.<\/strong> Yet 43% say too much involvement could be a bad thing. White parents are far more likely than black or Hispanic parents to say too much involvement can be a bad thing, according to the 2015 survey of parents with children younger than 18.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to assessments of <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2015\/12\/17\/4-child-care-and-education-quality-availability-and-parental-involvement\/#about-half-of-parents-wish-they-could-be-more-involved\">their own involvement in their kids\u2019 education<\/a>, 53% of American parents of school-age children say they are satisfied with the level of their involvement, though close to half (46%) wish they could be doing more. When asked about specific ways they are involved, more than eight-in-ten parents (85%) say they talked to a teacher about their child\u2019s academic progress in the prior year, and at least six-in-ten attended a PTA or other special school meeting.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>American students lag their peers in many other countries in <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2017\/02\/15\/u-s-students-internationally-math-science\/\">academic achievement<\/a> and foreign language education.<\/strong> U.S. 15-year-olds ranked 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science in 2015, according to a cross-national test known as the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/pisa\/aboutpisa\/\">Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)<\/a>. Among 35 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. ranked 30th in math and 19th in science. Results in a separate test of 4th and 8th graders from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationsreportcard.gov\/\">2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)<\/a> indicated a dip in math proficiency among U.S. students for the first time since 1990 \u2013 but some improvement in science.<\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-305710 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1\/2018\/09\/FT_17.02.14_STEM_dot.png\" alt=\"Internationally, U.S. stands in middle of pack on science, math, reading scores\" width=\"640\" height=\"331\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are glaring differences between Europe and the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2018\/08\/06\/most-european-students-are-learning-a-foreign-language-in-school-while-americans-lag\/\">when it comes to foreign language education<\/a>. A median of 92% of European primary and secondary students are learning a foreign language in school, compared with just 20% of K-12 students in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"is-style-has-big-number wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-306292 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/FT_17.05.15_workersEducation_grads.png?w=200\" alt=\"Younger workers in U.S. more likely than ever to be college graduates\" width=\"200\" height=\"439\"><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The high educational attainment among young Americans today is <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2017\/05\/16\/todays-young-workers-are-more-likely-than-ever-to-have-a-bachelors-degree\/\">reflected in the workforce<\/a>.<\/strong> Four-in-ten Millennial workers ages 25 to 29 had at least a bachelor\u2019s degree in 2016. (Overall, about one-third \u2013 34% \u2013 of Millennials ages 25 to 29 had at least a bachelor\u2019s in 2016.) That compares with 32% of Generation X workers and smaller shares of the Baby Boom and Silent generations when they were the same age. Employed Millennial women (46%) are particularly likely to have a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher in comparison with Gen X women (36%) at the same age. Millennial men in the workforce are also more likely to hold at least a bachelor\u2019s degree than their Gen X counterparts did as young adults.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: This is an update to a post originally published on Aug. 10, 2015.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A projected 50.7 million pre-K-12 students will return to the classroom in U.S. public schools this fall. As the school year gets underway, read key findings about America\u2019s students and their experiences. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":386,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[204,361,373,206],"bylines":[948],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[521,525,529,526,527,528,522,520,523,517,518,519],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-18402","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","category-comparison-of-generations","category-education","category-k-12","category-teens-youth","bylines-abigail-geiger","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-data-labs","research-teams-global","research-teams-global-migration-and-demography","research-teams-internet","research-teams-journalism","research-teams-methods","research-teams-pew-research-center","research-teams-politics","research-teams-race-and-ethnicity","research-teams-religion","research-teams-science","research-teams-social-trends"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":1028,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2018\/09\/07\/6-facts-about-americas-students\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":28629,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false},"A2":{"id":28629,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"A3":{"id":28629,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false},"A4":{"id":28629,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false},"XL":{"id":28629,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp?w=640&h=360&crop=1","width":640,"height":360,"chartArt":false},"social":{"id":28629,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp","url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/09\/FT_18.09.05_StudentFacts-jpg.webp?w=640&h=360&crop=1","width":640,"height":360,"chartArt":false}},"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"6 facts about America\u2019s students","description":"A projected 50.7 million pre-K-12 students will return to the classroom in U.S. public schools this fall. 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