Classroom

12 Important Statistics About Education in America

College Board data driving #DontForgetEd campaign.

Twitter

Jimmy is a writer and editor who publishes a weekly newsletter. You can find him on Twitter.

Don’t Forget Ed is a campaign sponsored by The College Board that aims to insert education as a key issue in the upcoming presidential election. Its survey of voters in swing states this spring unveiled some surprising statistics regarding education. The College Board found, for example, that these voters are very concerned about the current state of education and believe that it’s a crucial component to a successful economy. The increasing cost was cited as another important issue.

The #DontForgetEd campaign is using social media to spread the word among young voters, so be sure to check them out on Twitter.

Below are 12 statistics that #DontForgetEd is using to motivate voters to take action.

For every 100 ninth-graders:

70 will graduate from high school.
44 will enter college.
30 will return to college for their sophomore year.
21 will earn a bachelor’s degree.

According to voters surveyed in swing states:

67% say that education will be extremely important, on a personal level, in the upcoming presidential congressional elections.
34% say that education is one of the two most important issues when it comes to fixing the economy.
77% believe that education will increase “America’s ability to compete successfully in the global economy.”
76% believe that education will increase “the likelihood that young people can get good jobs in the future.”
75% believe that education will make “our communities safer and better places to live.”
78% believe we need increased spending on education.
56% say that it's “extremely important” to keep tuition costs low at community colleges and state colleges.
68% want higher education to be more affordable for all Americans.