Fast Facts

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  • American 15 year-olds’ math skills rank 25th internationally

    "Highlights from PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context.” The National Center for Education Statistics (2007)  

  • Someone with a college degree makes 73% more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school degree

    NELS 1988: Baum and Payea, “Education Pays: the Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society,” (2004), The College Board  

  • A high school dropout is 5-8x more likely to be incarcerated than a college graduate

    Enrico Moretti, “Crime and the Costs of Criminal Justice.” The Price We Pay, 2007; Pew Center on the States, “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008”

  • A 10% increase in high school graduation rates would reduce murder rates in the United States by 20%

    “The Effect of Education on Crime,” National Bureau of Economic Research Working Papers

  • Reading and math scores improved 40 to 50% faster with teachers who reported high levels of parent outreach and participation

    The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance in Title I Schools. 

  • Of the 1,485,000 bachelor's degrees conferred in 2005–06, the largest numbers of degrees were conferred in the fields of business (318,000), social sciences and history (161,000), and education (107,000).

    U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008 

  • The number of mathematics degrees declined by 12 percent between 1995–96 and 2000-01, but then rose 32 percent between 2000-01 and 2005–06. Some technical fields experienced sustained increases in degrees conferred from 1995–96 through 2005–06.

    U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008

  • For the 2007–08 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board were estimated to be $11,578 at public institutions and $29,915 at private institutions. Between 1997–98 and 2007–08, prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public institutions rose by 30 percent, and prices at private institutions rose by 23 percent, after adjustment for inflation.

    U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2008

Did You Know?

  • The Army spent over $156 million in tuition assistance in 2007 for 275,000 Soldiers on Active duty to take classes in their spare time.
  • Army Soldiers earned 1,800 associate’s degrees, 2,300 bachelor’s degrees and approximately 725 graduate degrees in FY07.
  • The U.S. Army sponsors a wide range of education programs to help youth achieve their highest goals.
  • Army ROTC awards hundreds of full and partial scholarships and is available at more than 800 colleges and universities.
  • Army ROTC is a college elective students can try out for up to two years with no obligation.
  • The ASVAB program guide contains information on approximately 400 occupations and also helps students identify specific areas for which they have an aptitude.
  • Since 1981, the Army Reserve has presented the National Scholar Athlete Award to selected students at more than 12,000 schools annually.
  • The NHRA's Youth and Education Program, presented by the U.S. Army, is motorsports' first and only full-time program devoted exclusively to educational programming.
  • The U.S. Army currently employs more than 14,000 Soldier-linguists, stationed in countries around the world, as well as in Alaska, Hawaii and the continental United States.
  • The Post 9/11 GI Bill provides financial support for education to individuals who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. For more information, please visit www.GIBILL.va.gov.
  • The U.S. Army is one of the most significant investors in education in the nation.