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Indicator 14: First Use of Computer

In 2015, about 41 percent of 4th-grade public school students reported first using a laptop or desktop computer in kindergarten or before kindergarten. This was higher than the percentages of 8th-grade (35 percent) and 12th-grade (29 percent) public school students in 2015 who reported first using a laptop or desktop computer in kindergarten or before kindergarten.

The Computer Access and Familiarity Study (CAFS) was designed to measure student access to and familiarity with technology. The CAFS was conducted as part of the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and administered to public school students in grades 4, 8, and 12.

This indicator uses the CAFS to examine when 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade public school students reported first using a laptop or desktop computer anywhere, by selected student or school characteristics. In 2015, about 41 percent of 4th-grade public school students reported first using a laptop or desktop computer in kindergarten or before kindergarten. This was higher than the percentages of 8th-grade (35 percent) and 12th-grade (29 percent) public school students in 2015 who reported first using a laptop or desktop computer in kindergarten or before kindergarten. In addition, 4 percent of 4th-grade public school students reported never having used a laptop or desktop computer before. This was higher than the percentages of 8th- and 12th-grade public school students (1 percent each) who reported never having used a laptop or desktop computer.


Figure 14.1. Percentage of public school students who first used a laptop or desktop computer in or before kindergarten, by grade level and race/ethnicity: 2015

Figure 14.1. Percentage of public school students who first used a laptop or desktop computer in or before kindergarten, by grade level and race/ethnicity: 2015

‡ Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.
NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: American Institutes for Research, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel, Initial Tables From the 2015 Computer Access and Familiarity Study. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 218.45.


Among 4th-grade public school students in 2015 who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before, differences were found by student sex, race/ethnicity, English language learner (ELL) status, disability status, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL), and school locale. A higher percentage of 4th-grade females (43 percent) than males (39 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before. The percentage of 4th-grade students who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier was higher for White students (46 percent) than for Black (40 percent) and Hispanic students (33 percent). In addition, the percentages of students of Two or more races (43 percent), Asian students (41 percent), and Black students who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier were higher than the percentage for Hispanic students. The percentage of 4th-grade students who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before was higher for non-ELL students (42 percent) than for ELL students (31 percent), and was also higher for students without a disability (42 percent) than for students with a disability (36 percent).

A higher percentage of 4th-grade students not eligible for FRPL (48 percent) than of those who were eligible for FRPL (37 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier. With respect to school locale, higher percentages of 4th-grade students in suburban (46 percent) and rural schools (42 percent) than in city (37 percent) and town schools (35 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier.

Among 4th-grade students in 2015 who reported never having used a computer, differences were found by student sex, race/ethnicity, ELL status, disability status, eligibility for FRPL, and school locale. A higher percentage of 4th-grade males (5 percent) than females (4 percent) reported never having used a computer. The percentage of 4th-grade students who reported never having used a computer was higher for Black and Hispanic students (6 percent each) than for White students (3 percent). The percentage of 4th-grade students who reported never having used a computer was higher for ELL students (10 percent) than for non-ELL students (4 percent), and was also higher for students with a disability (8 percent) than for students without a disability (4 percent).

A lower percentage of 4th-grade students not eligible for FRPL (2 percent) than of those who were eligible for FRPL (6 percent) reported never having used a computer. In addition, a lower percentage of 4th-grade students in suburban schools (4 percent) than in city schools (5 percent) reported never having used a computer.


Figure 14.2. Percentage of public school students who first used a laptop or desktop computer in or before kindergarten, by grade level and locale: 2015

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: American Institutes for Research, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel, Initial Tables From the 2015 Computer Access and Familiarity Study. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 218.45.


Among 8th-grade public school students in 2015 who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before, differences were found by student sex, race/ethnicity, ELL status, disability status, eligibility for FRPL, and school locale. Similar to the pattern observed at grade 4, a higher percentage of 8th-grade females (37 percent) than males (33 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier. A higher percentage of White students (40 percent) than of Black (35 percent), Asian (31 percent), and Hispanic students (27 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier. In addition, the percentages for students of Two or more races (36 percent) and Black students were higher than the percentage for Hispanic students. Consistent with patterns at grade 4, the percentage of 8th-grade students who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before was higher for non-ELL students (36 percent) than for ELL students (18 percent). The percentage of 8th-grade students who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before was higher for students without a disability (35 percent) than for students with a disability (29 percent), and was also higher for students not eligible for FRPL (41 percent) than for students who were eligible for FRPL (31 percent). With respect to school locale, a higher percentage of 8th-grade students in suburban schools (37 percent) than in city schools (32 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier.

Among 12th-grade public school students in 2015 who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before, differences were found by student race/ethnicity, ELL status, and eligibility for FRPL. A higher percentage of White students (34 percent) than of Black (29 percent), Asian (27 percent), Pacific Islander (22 percent), and Hispanic students (20 percent) reported first using a computer in kindergarten or earlier. In addition, the percentages for students of Two or more races (37 percent), Black, and Asian students were higher than the percentage for Hispanic students. Consistent with patterns at grades 4 and 8, the percentage of 12th-grade students who reported first using a computer in kindergarten or before was higher for non-ELL students (30 percent) than for ELL students (12 percent) and higher for students not eligible for FRPL (34 percent) than for students who were eligible for FRPL (22 percent). However, unlike the patterns observed at grades 4 and 8, the percentages of 12th-grade students who reported using a computer for the first time in kindergarten or before did not differ measurably by sex, disability status, or school locale.



Reference Tables

  • Table 14.1. (Digest table 218.45) Percentage distribution of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade public school students, by when student first used a laptop or desktop computer and selected student and school characteristics: 2015