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Education In The United States

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) does extensive reporting on education in its member countries, the UK being one of them. The United States’ Education at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators report provides statistics and information on a number of different topics around education.

Education at a Glance 2023 highlighted US statistics include:

• In 2022, an average of 52.0% of 25-34 year-olds in the United States had attained tertiary education. This is higher than the OECD average of 50.0%. However, it is still lower than 3 OECD countries with higher tertiary education rates for 25-34 year-olds: Australia (61.0%), Canada (56.0%), and Ireland (54.0%).
   

• The United States spends an average of USD 31,500 per student enrolled in tertiary educational institutions each year. This is the highest amount among OECD countries, followed by Switzerland (USD 30,500) and Luxembourg (USD 29,100).
   

• While the average actual salaries (including bonuses and allowances) of teachers in primary and secondary education in the United States are higher than the OECD average, they still lag behind the salaries of other tertiary-educated workers in the country. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), teachers in the United States earn on average 68.2% of the salaries of full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education (25-64 years old). This places the United States among the bottom 10 OECD countries in terms of relative teacher pay.
   

• Despite growing recognition of the importance of high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC), enrollment in ECEC at the age of 3 in the United States remains significantly lower than the OECD average. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 53.9% of 3-year-olds in the United States were enrolled in ECEC in 2022, compared to the OECD average of 88.8%. This gap is even wider for children from low-income families, with only 26.2% of 3-year-olds from families in the lowest income quintile enrolled in ECEC, compared to the OECD average of 59.9%.
  
  
  For those interested in learning more about the United States’ educational system, the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators report provides a great deal of information. You can also filter down on OECD countries, age ranges, population with tertiary education, adult education levels, and enrollment rates on the OECD site on their OECD Education Attainment page.

OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)

Education at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators

OECD Education Attainment

US Census Bureau

National Education Association

National Association for the Education of Young Children

American Federation of Teachers