Back to School: Eductaion by the Numbers
Associated Press 8-12-06

Percentage of population with various educational levels, 2004:

• Less than high school degree: 14.8 percent
• High school graduate: 32 percent
• Some college: 17 percent
• Associate's degree: 8.4 percent
• Bachelor's degree: 18.1 percent
• Advanced degree: 9.6 percent

Median yearly earnings of full-time workers age 25-34 in 2004:

• Less than high school degree: $21,800
• High school diploma or equivalent: $27,100
• Some college experience: $32,000
• Bachelor's degree or higher: $43,500

Average salaries of teachers in public schools:

• 1995: $36,675
• 2000: $41,807
• 2003: $45,776
• 2005: $47,750

Total college enrollment in two-year and four-year schools:

• 1980: 10.5 million
• 1990: 12 million
• 2000: 13.1 million
• 2006: 15.1 million (x)

Percentage of full-time college students who have received federal loans:

• 1993: 31 percent
• 2004: 48 percent

Average salaries for all ranks of college professors, 2005:

• Public schools: $66,900
• Private schools: $79,300

Sources of public spending on schools, 2003:

• Federal: 8.5 percent
• States: 48.7 percent
• Local: 42.8 percent
• Total spending: $450 billion

Spending per student, 2004

• National average: $8,287
• New Jersey (highest): $12,981
• Utah (lowest): $5,008

Percentage of students who can handle rigorous material at their grade level, 2005:

• Fourth-grade math: 36.3 percent
• Eighth-grade math: 29.8 percent
• Fourth-grade reading: 31.5 percent
• Eighth-grade reading: 30.8 percent