Americans see value in higher education whether they graduated from college or not. Even so, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction – even suspicion – among the public about the role colleges play in society.
Earlier starts tend to be more common in the South and Southwest. Later starts are more common on the East Coast and in the upper Midwest and Northwest.
About one-third of adults under age 30 have student loan debt. In 2016, the amount students owed varied widely, especially by degree attained.
Compared with 10 years ago, American teens are devoting more of their time in the summer to educational activities and less time to leisure.
Around a quarter of college faculty in the U.S. were nonwhite in fall 2017, compared with 45% of students.
In 18 states and the District of Columbia, Latino children accounted for at least 20% of public school kindergarten students in 2017.
Republicans are less likely than Democrats to see colleges and K-12 public schools as open to a range of viewpoints.
Classes have ended for the summer at U.S. public schools, but a sizable share of teachers are still hard at work at second jobs outside the classroom.
This year will likely be the first year in which women are a majority of the U.S. college-educated labor force.
In 2016, a third of unauthorized immigrant adults were proficient in English – up from a quarter in 2007.
