The Condition of Education 2015 presented 42 key indicators on important topics and trends in U.S. education. It reported characteristics of the K-12 population, educational attainment, economic outcomes, participation in education, school characteristics and climate, along with postsecondary education and completion rates. This publication is considered top shelf educational research when it comes to setting baselines and identifying trends. Additional reports on postsecondary education are available at The Condition of Education website.

Lately, I am more focused on students’ reading and writing scores. I wonder if anyone has done any work comparing NAEP scaled scores to Lexile levels, so that I can compare my 9th-grade students to the national average. Other stats that intrigued me were:

1. 91 percent of young adults ages 25 to 29 had a high school diploma or its equivalent in 2014
2. In 2014, 34 percent of young adults ages 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s or higher degree.
3. 20 percent, or 1 out of 5 school-age children lived in poverty in 2013, a 6 percent increase from about one in seven in 2000
4. Sixty-five percent of
3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in preschool in 2013 – about the same amount as in the previous year
5. 60 percent of 2013 preschool children attended full-day programs
6. In the fall of 2012, nearly 50 million students were enrolled in public schools
7. Over 2 million US students were enrolled in charter schools in fall of 2012
8. The percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and do not have a high school credential, declined from 11 percent in 2000 to 7 percent in 2013.
9. In school year 2011–12, 3.1 million public high school students, or 81 percent, graduated on time with a regular diploma
10. Sixty-six percent of 2013 high school completers enrolled in college the following fall
11. 42 percent of 2013 high school completers went to 4-year institutions
12. 24 percent of 2013 high school completers went to 2-year institutions.
13. Postsecondary enrollment hit 20 million students in the fall of 2013
14. US colleges enrolled 17 million undergraduate students in fall 2013
15. In the fall of 2013, the US had 3 million graduate students
16. At public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges, most of the full-time undergraduates (88 and 86 percent, respectively) were under 25
17. Only 30 percent of full-time students at private for-profit colleges were under 25
18. 56 percent of male students who began their bachelor’s degree in the fall of 2007, and did not transfer, had completed their degree within six years
19. 62 percent of female students who began their bachelor’s degree in the fall of 2007, and did not transfer, had completed their degree within six years
20. In 2013, American colleges awarded over 1 million associate’s degrees, 1.8 million bachelor’s degrees, 750,000 master’s degrees, and 175,000 doctoral degrees

I am interested in learning how educators use education statistics to help students with goal-setting strategies. Please leave any ideas in the comments section.

Reference

Kena, G., Musu-Gillette, L., Robinson, J., Wang, X., Rathbun, A., Zhang, J., Wilkinson-Flicker, S., Barmer, A., and Dunlop Velez, E. (2015). The Condition of Education 2015 (NCES 2015-144). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC. Retrieved July 23, 2015 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch