Between 1970 and 2005, enrollment rates increased among those between ages 18 and 34, the period when individuals typically enroll in postsecondary education. For those ages 18–19, the enrollment rate increased from 48 to 68 percent.

Changes in the number of students enrolled can stem from fluctuations in population size or shifts in enrollment rates. This indicator examines the enrollment rates of individuals ages 3–34 to identify changes in enrollment behavior, which may reflect changes in attendance requirements, the perceived value or cost of education, or the time taken to complete degrees.

Between 1970 and 2005, the enrollment rate of children ages 3–4 (the typical preschool ages) increased from 20 to 54 percent. While some of this increase may reflect changes in the data collection method in 1994,¹ the rate of preschool attendance had already doubled before then (see table 1-1). The enrollment rate of children ages 5–6 (the typical kindergarten² or 1st-grade ages) increased from 90 percent in 1970 to 96 percent in 1977 and has since remained roughly level. Because state law requires youth ages 7–13 to enroll in elementary or secondary education, their enrollment rate has been very high (between 98 and 99 percent) over the past 35 years. The maximum compulsory age of school attendance varies by state between ages 16 and 18; that may be reflected in the lower enrollment rates for 14- to 17-year-olds (between 93 and 97 percent) compared with those for 7- to 13-year-olds (Education Commission of the States 2005b).

Youth ages 18–19 are typically transitioning into postsecondary education or the workforce. Between 1970 and 2005, the enrollment rate for these youth increased at the elementary/secondary level (from 10 to 18 percent) and at the postsecondary level (from 37 to 49 percent), raising the overall rate of 18- to 19-year-olds from 48 to 68 percent. This overall rate for 2005 is up from 61 percent of students in this age group in 2000.

Adults ages 20–34 who are enrolled in school are usually enrolled in postsecondary education. Between 1970 and 2005, the enrollment rate of young adults, ages 20–24, increased from 22 to 36 percent, up from 32 percent in 2000. Within this age group, the enrollment rate of those ages 20–21 increased from 32 to 49 percent, and the enrollment rate of those ages 22–24 increased from 15 to 27 percent. Among the older age groups, the enrollment rate increased from 8 to 12 percent for those ages 25–29 and from 4 to 7 percent for those ages 30–34 during this period.

¹ Beginning in 1994, new procedures were used to collect preprimary enrollment data. As a result, data from before 1994 may not be comparable to data from 1994 or later. (back to text)

² As of April 2005, there were 36 states or jurisdictions that did not require kindergarten attendance; however, most mandate that school districts offer kindergarten programs (Education Commission of the States 2005a). (back to text)