Education Statistics

According to the laws of the land, People are required to attend school until the age of 16-18, depending on the state. Many more states now require people to attend school until the age of 18. Some states have exemptions for those 14-18. Students may attend public, private, or home schools. In most public and private schools, education is divided into three levels: elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school. Grade levels in each vary from area to area. The United Nations assigned an Education Index of 99.9 to the United States, ranking it number 1 in the world, a position it shares with about 20 other nations. 76.6 million students were enrolled in the study. Of these, 72 percent aged 12 to 17 were judged academically "on track" for their age (enrolled in school at or above grade level). Of those enrolled in compulsory education, 5.2 million (10.4 percent) were attending private schools. Among the country's adult population, over 85 percent have completed high school and 27 percent have received a bachelor's degree or higher. The average salary for college graduates is $45,400, exceeding the national average by more than $10,000, according to a 2002 study by the U.S. Census Bureau. I'm sure its a bit higher now due to the cost of living but maybe not. That depends on the company you work for.
The country has a reading literacy rate at 98% of the population over age 15, while ranking below average in science and mathematics understanding. The poor performance has pushed public and private efforts such as the No Child Left Behind Act. In addition, the ratio of college-educated adults entering the workforce to general population (33%) is slightly below other developed countries (35%) and rate of participation of the labor force in continuing education is high. I can't believe in today's society that kids would chose to drop out of school, given the statistics, but they do. The Baby Boomer generation was able to get by without a college degree, and still make decent wages. Those days are long gone. Bottom line, push your kids to stay in school and be the best they can be. The military is another option but not for everyone.