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Understanding the American Education System

The American education system offers a rich field of choices for international students. There is such an array of schools, programs and locations that the choices may overwhelm students, even those from the U.S. As you begin your school search, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the American education system. Understanding the system will help you narrow your choices and develop your education plan.

The Educational Structure

Primary and secondary school.

Prior to higher education, American students attend primary and secondary school for a combined total of 12 years. These years are referred to as the first through twelfth grades.

Around age six, U.S. children begin primary school, which is most commonly called “elementary school.” They attend five or six years and then go onto secondary school.

Secondary school consists of two programs: the first is “middle school” or “junior high school” and the second program is “high school.” A diploma or certificate is awarded upon graduation from high school. After graduating high school (12th grade), U.S. students may go on to college or university. College or university study is known as “higher education.”

Grading System

Just like American students, you will have to submit your academic transcripts as part of your application for admission to university or college. Academic transcripts are official copies of your academic work. In the U.S. this includes your “grades” and “grade point average” (GPA), which are measurements of your academic achievement. Courses are commonly graded using percentages, which are converted into letter grades.

The grading system and GPA in the U.S. can be confusing, especially for international students. The interpretation of grades has a lot of variation. For example, two students who attended different schools both submit their transcripts to the same university. They both have 3.5 GPAs, but one student attended an average high school, while the other attended a prestigious school that was academically challenging. The university might interpret their GPAs differently because the two schools have dramatically different standards.

Therefore, there are some crucial things to keep in mind:

You should find out the U.S. equivalent of the last level of education you completed in your home country.
Pay close attention to the admission requirements of each university and college, as well as individual degree programs, which may have different requirements than the university.
Regularly meet with an educational advisor or guidance counselor to make sure you are meeting the requirements.

Your educational advisor or guidance counselor will be able to advise you on whether or not you must spend an extra year or two preparing for U.S. university admission. If an international student entered a U.S. university or college prior to being eligible to attend university in their own country, some countries’ governments and employers may not recognize the students’ U.S. education.

Academic Year

The school calendar usually begins in August or September and continues through May or June. The majority of new students begin in autumn, so it is a good idea for international students to also begin their U.S. university studies at this time. There is a lot of excitement at the beginning of the school year and students form many great friendships during this time, as they are all adjusting to a new phase of academic life. Additionally, many courses are designed for students to take them in sequence, starting in autumn and continuing through the year.

The academic year at many schools is composed of two terms called “semesters.” (Some schools use a three-term calendar known as the “trimester” system.) Still, others further divide the year into the quarter system of four terms, including an optional summer session. Basically, if you exclude the summer session, the academic year is either comprised of two semesters or three quarter terms.

The U.S. Higher Education System: Levels of Study

First Level: Undergraduate

"The American system is much more open. In Hong Kong you just learn what the teacher writes on the board. In America, you discuss the issues and focus more on ideas."

Paolo Kwan from Hong Kong: Studying English and Business Administration at Sierra College in California

A student who is attending a college or university and has not earned a bachelor’s degree, is studying at the undergraduate level. It typically takes about four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. You can either begin your studies in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree at a community college or a four-year university or college.

Your first two years of study you will generally be required to take a wide variety of classes in different subjects, commonly known as prerequisite courses: literature, science, the social sciences, the arts, history, and so forth. This is so you achieve a general knowledge, a foundation, of a variety of subjects prior to focusing on a specific field of study.

Many students choose to study at a community college in order to complete the first two years of prerequisite courses. They will earn an Associate of Arts (AA) transfer degree and then transfer to a four-year university or college.

A “major” is the specific field of study in which your degree is focused. For example, if someone’s major is journalism, they will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. You will be required to take a certain number of courses in this field in order to meet the degree requirements of your major. You must choose your major at the beginning of your third year of school.

A very unique characteristic of the American higher education system is that you can change your major multiple times if you choose. It is extremely common for American students to switch majors at some point in their undergraduate studies. Often, students discover a different field that they excel in or enjoy. The American education system is very flexible. Keep in mind though that switching majors may result in more courses, which means more time and money.

Second Level: Graduate in Pursuit of a Master’s Degree

Presently, a college or university graduate with a bachelor’s degree may want to seriously think about graduate study in order to enter certain professions or advance their career. This degree is usually mandatory for higher-level positions in library science, engineering, behavioral health and education.

Furthermore, international students from some countries are only permitted to study abroad at a graduate level. You should inquire about the credentials needed to get a job in your country before you apply to a postgraduate university in the USA.

A graduate program is usually a division of a university or college. To gain admission, you will need to take the GRE (graduate record examination). Certain master’s programs require specific tests, such as the LSAT for law school, the GRE or GMAT for business school, and the MCAT for medical school.

Graduate programs in pursuit of a master’s degree typically take one to two years to complete. For example, the MBA (master of business administration) is an extremely popular degree program that takes about two years. Other master’s programs, such as journalism, only take one year.

The majority of a master’s program is spent in classroom study and a graduate student must prepare a long research paper called a “master’s thesis” or complete a “master’s project.”

Third Level: Graduate in Pursuit of a Doctorate Degree

Many graduate schools consider the attainment of a master’s degree the first step towards earning a PhD (doctorate). But at other schools, students may prepare directly for a doctorate without also earning a master’s degree. It may take three years or more to earn a PhD degree. For international students, it may take as long as five or six years.

For the first two years of the program most doctoral candidates enroll in classes and seminars. At least another year is spent conducting firsthand research and writing a thesis or dissertation. This paper must contain views, designs, or research that have not been previously published.

A doctoral dissertation is a discussion and summary of the current scholarship on a given topic. Most U.S. universities awarding doctorates also require their candidates to have a reading knowledge of two foreign languages, to spend a required length of time “in residence,” to pass a qualifying examination that officially admits candidates to the PhD program, and to pass an oral examination on the same topic as the dissertation.

Characteristics of the U.S. Higher Education System

Classroom Environment

Classes range from large lectures with several hundred students to smaller classes and seminars (discussion classes) with only a few students. The American university classroom atmosphere is very dynamic. You will be expected to share your opinion, argue your point, participate in class discussions and give presentations. International students find this one of the most surprising aspects of the American education system.

Each week professors usually assign textbook and other readings. You will be expected to keep up-to-date with the required readings and homework so you can participate in class discussions and understand the lectures. Certain degree programs also require students to spend time in the laboratory.

Professors issue grades for each student enrolled in the course. Grades are usually based upon:

Each professor will have a unique set of class participation requirements, but students are expected to participate in class discussions, especially in seminar classes. This is often a very important factor in determining a student’s grade.
A midterm examination is usually given during class time.
One or more research or term papers , or laboratory reports must be submitted for evaluation.
Possible short exams or quizzes are given. Sometimes professors will give an unannounced “pop quiz.” This doesn’t count heavily toward the grade, but is intended to inspire students to keep up with their assignments and attendance.
A final examination will be held after the final class meeting.

Each course is worth a certain number of credits or credit hours. This number is roughly the same as the number of hours a student spends in class for that course each week. A course is typically worth three to five credits.

A full-time program at most schools is 12 or 15 credit hours (four or five courses per term) and a certain number of credits must be fulfilled in order to graduate. International students are expected to enroll in a full-time program during each term.

If a student enrolls at a new university before finishing a degree, generally most credits earned at the first school can be used to complete a degree at the new university. This means a student can transfer to another university and still graduate within a reasonable time.

Types of U.S. higher education

Xujie Zhao from China: Studying Computer Networking at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston

1. State College or University

A state school is supported and run by a state or local government. Each of the 50 U.S. states operates at least one state university and possibly several state colleges. Many of these public universities schools have the name of the state, or the actual word “State” in their names: for example, Washington State University and the University of Michigan.

2. Private College or University

These schools are privately run as opposed to being run by a branch of the government. Tuition will usually be higher than state schools. Often, private U.S. universities and colleges are smaller in size than state schools.

Religiously affiliated universities and colleges are private schools. Nearly all these schools welcome students of all religions and beliefs. Yet, there are a percentage of schools that prefer to admit students who hold similar religious beliefs as those in which the school was founded.

3. Community College

Community colleges are two-year colleges that award an associate’s degrees (transferable), as well as certifications. There are many types of associate degrees, but the most important distinguishing factor is whether or not the degree is transferable. Usually, there will be two primary degree tracks: one for academic transfer and the other prepares students to enter the workforce straightaway. University transfer degrees are generally associate of arts or associate of science. Not likely to be transferrable are the associate of applied science degrees and certificates of completion.

Community college graduates most commonly transfer to four-year colleges or universities to complete their degree. Because they can transfer the credits they earned while attending community college, they can complete their bachelor’s degree program in two or more additional years. Many also offer ESL or intensive English language programs, which will prepare students for university-level courses.

If you do not plan to earn a higher degree than the associate’s, you should find out if an associate’s degree will qualify you for a job in your home country.

4. Institute of Technology

An institute of technology is a school that provides at least four years of study in science and technology. Some have graduate programs, while others offer short-term courses.

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K-12 education in the United States - statistics and facts

Public school politics, inequalities in education, key insights.

Detailed statistics

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Expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1970-2021

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Educational Institutions & Market

Share of Americans who are concerned about select issues in public schools U.S. 2023

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U.S. states restricting schools from teaching race, sex, or inequality 2021-2023

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Basic Statistic Number of elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. 2020/21, by type
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. public schools 2021/22, by enrollment size and school type
Basic Statistic School enrollment in public and private institutions in the U.S. 2022
Basic Statistic Enrollment in public and private elementary schools 1960-2022
Basic Statistic High school enrollment in public and private institutions U.S. 1965-2031
Premium Statistic Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 2022, by state
Basic Statistic Primary and secondary school enrollment rates in the U.S. in 2022, by age group
Basic Statistic Share of students enrolled in U.S. public K-12 schools 2021, by ethnicity and state
Basic Statistic U.S. public school enrollment numbers 2000-2021, by ethnicity

Number of elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. 2020/21, by type

Number of elementary and secondary schools in the United States in 2020/21, by school type*

Share of U.S. public schools 2021/22, by enrollment size and school type

Share of public schools in the United States in 2021/22, by enrollment size and school type

Enrollment in public and private schools in the United States in 2022 (in millions)

Enrollment in public and private elementary schools 1960-2022

Enrollment in public and private elementary schools in the United States from 1960 to 2022 (in millions)

High school enrollment in public and private institutions U.S. 1965-2031

High school enrollment for public and private schools in the U.S. from 1965 to 2020, with projections up to 2031 (in 1,000s)

Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 2022, by state

Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in 2022, by state (in 1,000s)

Primary and secondary school enrollment rates in the U.S. in 2022, by age group

Share of population enrolled in primary and secondary education in the United States in 2022, by age group

Share of students enrolled in U.S. public K-12 schools 2021, by ethnicity and state

Share of students enrolled in K-12 public schools in the United States in 2021, by ethnicity and state

U.S. public school enrollment numbers 2000-2021, by ethnicity

K-12 public school enrollment numbers in the United States from 2000 to 2021 by ethnicity (in 1,000s)

Revenue and expenditure

Basic Statistic School expenditure on public and private institutions 1970-2020
Basic Statistic Expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1970-2021
Premium Statistic U.S. per pupil public school expenditure FY 2023, by state
Basic Statistic U.S. public schools - average expenditure per pupil 1980-2020
Basic Statistic U.S. education - total expenditure per pupil in public schools 1990-2021
Basic Statistic Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1980-2020
Premium Statistic Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools U.S. 2024, by state
Premium Statistic Estimated average salary of public school teachers U.S. 2021/22, by state

School expenditure on public and private institutions 1970-2020

School expenditure in public and private institutions in the United States from 1970 to 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)

School expenditure on public and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1970 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

U.S. per pupil public school expenditure FY 2023, by state

Per pupil public elementary and secondary school expenditure in the United States in the fiscal year of 2023, by state (in U.S. dollars)

U.S. public schools - average expenditure per pupil 1980-2020

Average expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance in public elementary and secondary schools from academic years 1980 to 2020 (in U.S. dollars)

U.S. education - total expenditure per pupil in public schools 1990-2021

Total expenditure per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1990 to 2021 (in constant 2022-23 U.S. dollars)

Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1980-2020

Revenue of public elementary and secondary schools in the United States from the academic years 1980 to 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools U.S. 2024, by state

Average annual tuition for private K-12 schools in the United States in 2024, by state (in U.S. dollars)

Estimated average salary of public school teachers U.S. 2021/22, by state

Estimated average salary of public school teachers in the United States in 2021-2022, by state (in constant 2020-21 U.S. dollars)

State laws and book bans

Premium Statistic U.S. states restricting schools from teaching race, sex, or inequality 2021-2023
Premium Statistic Proposed bans on sex or gender identity in K-12 schools U.S. 2023, by grade level
Premium Statistic Share of transgender youth subject to bans on school sport participation U.S 2024
Premium Statistic Share of U.S. transgender population subject to bathroom bills 2024
Premium Statistic Instances of book bans in U.S. public schools 2022/23, by ban status
Basic Statistic Books banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by state
Premium Statistic Book titles banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by subject matter
Premium Statistic Topics that K-12 librarians would ban from their school libraries U.S. 2023

Legal action taken to restrict teaching critical race theory or limit how teachers can discuss racism, sexism, and systemic inequality in the United States from 2021 to 2023, by state

Proposed bans on sex or gender identity in K-12 schools U.S. 2023, by grade level

Number of proposed bans on instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity in K-12 schools in the United States in 2023*, by grade level of ban

Share of transgender youth subject to bans on school sport participation U.S 2024

Share of transgender youth aged 13 to 17 living in states that restrict transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity in the United States as of March 14, 2024

Share of U.S. transgender population subject to bathroom bills 2024

Share of transgender population aged 13 and over living in states that ban transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in the United States as of August 26, 2024

Instances of book bans in U.S. public schools 2022/23, by ban status

Total number of instances of books banned from K-12 public libraries and classrooms in the United States in the 2022/23 school year, by ban status

Books banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by state

Number of books banned in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, by state

Book titles banned in schools in the U.S. H2 2022, by subject matter

Share of book titles banned in school classrooms and libraries in the United States from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, by subject matter

Topics that K-12 librarians would ban from their school libraries U.S. 2023

Share of library staff working in K-12 schools and districts who believe that libraries in their district or school should not include any books that depict certain topics in the United States in 2023

Premium Statistic Share of K-12 public students attending predominately same-race schools U.S 2021
Premium Statistic Share of public schools who feel understaffed U.S. 2024, by students of color
Premium Statistic Estimated average months of learning lost due to COVID-19 by ethnicity U.S. 2020
Premium Statistic NAEP reading scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race
Premium Statistic NAEP math scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race
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Basic Statistic Share of teachers afraid of school shootings U.S. 2022, by location and student race

Share of K-12 public students attending predominately same-race schools U.S 2021

Share of students attending K-12 public schools in which 75 percent or more of the students are of their own race or ethnicity in the United States in the 2020-21 school year

Share of public schools who feel understaffed U.S. 2024, by students of color

Share of public schools who feel that their school is understaffed in the United States entering the 2023-24 school year, by students of color

Estimated average months of learning lost due to COVID-19 by ethnicity U.S. 2020

Estimated average months of learning lost compared with in-classroom learning due to COVID-19 in the United States in 2020, by ethnicity

NAEP reading scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race

Reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress for nine year old students in the United States from 2020 to 2022, by race

NAEP math scores for nine year olds U.S. 2022, by race

Mathematics scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress for nine year old students in the United States from 2020 to 2022, by race

Share of K-12 students who feel their school respects who they are U.S. 2023, by race

Share of K-12 students who feel that their school respects who they are, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or identity in the United States in 2023, by race

Schools in the U.S.: victims of threats/injuries by weapons, by ethnicity 2021

Percentage of U.S. students in grades 9–12 who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon at school in 2021, by ethnicity

Share of students who have experienced school shootings U.S. 1999-2024, by race

Share of students who have experienced school shootings in the United States from 1999 to 2024*, by race

Share of teachers afraid of school shootings U.S. 2022, by location and student race

Share of K-12 teachers who reported feeling afraid that they or their students would be a victim of attack or harm at school in the United States in 2022, by school locale and student racial composition

K-12 teachers

Basic Statistic Teachers in elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1955-2031
Basic Statistic U.S. elementary and secondary schools: pupil-teacher ratio 1955-2031
Premium Statistic Impacts of restricting race, sex, and identity topics for K-12 teachers U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic Share of public K-12 teachers who limit political or social topics in class U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic Top reasons K-12 public school teachers limit political or social topics U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic K-12 teachers' views on how gender identity should be taught at school U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic K-12 teachers' support for parents to opt children out of race/gender topics U.S 2023
Premium Statistic Top three reasons K-12 public school teachers fear for their safety U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic Share of school staff who received concerns from parents on K-12 curriculum 2023

Teachers in elementary and secondary schools U.S. 1955-2031

Number of teachers in public and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1955 to 2031 (in 1,000s)

U.S. elementary and secondary schools: pupil-teacher ratio 1955-2031

Pupil-teacher ratio in public and private elementary and secondary schools in the United States from 1955 to 2031

Impacts of restricting race, sex, and identity topics for K-12 teachers U.S. 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers who say that current debates on how public K-12 schools should be teaching certain topics like race and gender identity has impacted their ability to do their job in the United States in 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers who limit political or social topics in class U.S. 2023

Have you ever decided on your own, without being directed by school or district leaders, to limit discussion of political and social issues in class?

Top reasons K-12 public school teachers limit political or social topics U.S. 2023

What are the top three reasons you decided, on your own, to limit discussion of political and social topics in your classroom?

K-12 teachers' views on how gender identity should be taught at school U.S. 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers with various beliefs on what students should learn about gender identity at school in the United States in 2023, by grade level

K-12 teachers' support for parents to opt children out of race/gender topics U.S 2023

Share of public K-12 teachers who believe parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about racism and racial inequality or sexual orientation and gender identity if the way they are taught conflicts with the parents' personal beliefs in the United States in 2023, by party

What are the top three reasons you fear for your physical safety when you are at school?

Share of school staff who received concerns from parents on K-12 curriculum 2023

About which topics have parents expressed concerns to you?

Parent perceptions

Premium Statistic Main reasons why parents enroll their children in private or public schools U.S. 2024
Premium Statistic Share of Americans with various views on what school type has the best education 2023
Premium Statistic Share of parents with select views on what school type is best U.S 2024, by gender
Premium Statistic Parents' beliefs on how gender identity is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party
Premium Statistic Parents with select beliefs on how slavery is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party
Premium Statistic Perceptions on the influence of K-12 parents or school boards U.S 2022, by party
Premium Statistic Parents who believe teachers should lead students in prayers U.S. 2022, by party
Premium Statistic Share of K-12 parents concerned about a violent intruder at school U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic K-12 parents' concerns on the effects of AI on their child's learning U.S. 2023

Main reasons why parents enroll their children in private or public schools U.S. 2024

Share of parents with various reasons why they chose to enroll their youngest child in a private or public school in the United States in 2024

Share of Americans with various views on what school type has the best education 2023

If it were your decision and you could select any type of school, and financial costs and transportation were of no concern, what type of school would you select in order to obtain the best education for your child?

Share of parents with select views on what school type is best U.S 2024, by gender

If given the option, what type of school would you select in order to obtain the best education for your child?

Parents' beliefs on how gender identity is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party

Share of parents of K-12 students with select beliefs on what children should learn about gender identity in school in the United States in 2022, by party

Parents with select beliefs on how slavery is taught in school U.S. 2022, by party

Share of parents of K-12 students with select beliefs on what children should learn about slavery in school in the United States in 2022, by party

Perceptions on the influence of K-12 parents or school boards U.S 2022, by party

Share of parents who believe that parents or the local school board have too much influence on what public K-12 schools are teaching in the United States in 2022, by political party

Parents who believe teachers should lead students in prayers U.S. 2022, by party

Share of parents who believe that public school teachers should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers in the United States in 2022, by party

Share of K-12 parents concerned about a violent intruder at school U.S. 2023

Share of K-12 parents who were extremely concerned or very concerned about a violent intruder, such as a mass shooter, entering their child's/children's school in the United States in 2023, by grade of child

K-12 parents' concerns on the effects of AI on their child's learning U.S. 2023

How concerned are you about the effects of artificial intelligence, or AI, on your youngest/oldest child's learning this school year?

U.S. opinion

Premium Statistic Share of Americans who are concerned about select issues in public schools U.S. 2023
Premium Statistic U.S. views on who should influence LGBTQ-related school policies 2023
Premium Statistic U.S. views on how slavery and racism should be taught in schools 2023
Premium Statistic U.S. preferences for race-related curricula in K-12 schools 2023, by race
Premium Statistic U.S. views on whether teachers should use students' preferred pronouns 2023
Premium Statistic U.S. teens' comfortability with race and LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom 2023
Premium Statistic Share of LBGTQ+ students with various reasons to drop out of high school U.S. 2021-22
Premium Statistic Adults’ opinion on how K–12 schools should handle AI advances U.S. 2023-24

How concerned are you about the following issues in public schools in your local area?

U.S. views on who should influence LGBTQ-related school policies 2023

Share of adults who believe select groups should have a great deal of influence in deciding how to set school policy concerning discussion of LGBTQ people in the United States in 2023

U.S. views on how slavery and racism should be taught in schools 2023

Which of the following statements comes closest to your views?

U.S. preferences for race-related curricula in K-12 schools 2023, by race

Share of adults who believe various race-related curricula should be taught in K-12 schools in the United States in 2023, by race and ethnicity

U.S. views on whether teachers should use students' preferred pronouns 2023

If a teenager asks a teacher to use a particular pronoun – he, she or they – which do you think is the best policy?

U.S. teens' comfortability with race and LGBTQ+ topics in the classroom 2023

Share of teenagers who say they feel comfortable or uncomfortable when topics related to racism, racial inequality, sexual orientation, or gender identity come up in class in the United States in 2023

Share of LBGTQ+ students with various reasons to drop out of high school U.S. 2021-22

Share of LGBTQ+ students with various reasons why they do not plan to graduate high school or are unsure if they will graduate in the United States during the 2021-22 academic year

Adults’ opinion on how K–12 schools should handle AI advances U.S. 2023-24

Which of the following comes closest to your view on how K-12 schools should respond to advances in artificial intelligence (AI)?

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High school teachers are more likely than elementary and middle school teachers to hold negative views about AI tools in education.

Most Americans think U.S. K-12 STEM education isn’t above average, but test results paint a mixed picture

Just 28% of U.S. adults say America is the best in the world or above average in K-12 STEM education compared with other wealthy nations.

About 1 in 4 U.S. teachers say their school went into a gun-related lockdown in the last school year

59% of public K-12 teachers say they are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting ever happening at their school.

About half of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction

A majority of those who say it’s headed in the wrong direction say a major reason is that schools are not spending enough time on core academic subjects.

What Public K-12 Teachers Want Americans To Know About Teaching

Many public K-12 teachers say people should know that teaching is hard job, and that teachers care about students and deserve respect.

What’s It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today?

Public K-12 teachers express low job satisfaction and few are optimistic about the future of U.S. education.

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From preschool to high school and beyond, governments of all levels invest in education. Learn more about government spending on teacher salaries and Pell Grants here. Compare how many Americans have associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, or advanced degrees, or look at math and reading proficiency for various grade levels.

Learn more about education in the US .

K-12 Education

Preprimary enrollment.

4.39 million

K-12 enrollment

56.28 million

Public School Staff

6.63 million

Full-time teachers

3.65 million

Average public school teacher salary

Student-to-teacher ratio, private schools, student-to-teacher ratio, public schools, high school status completion rate, high school dropout rate, high school graduates.

3.67 million

Charter school enrollment

3.29 million

Charter schools

Average sat score: critical reading, average sat score: mathematics, public high school adjusted cohort graduation rate, grade 4, reading: percent of students at or above proficient, grade 4, math: percent of students at or above proficient, grade 8, reading: percent of students at or above proficient, grade 8, math: percent of students at or above proficient, grade 12, reading: percent of students at or above proficient, grade 12, math: percent of students at or above proficient, spending per student in k-12 public schools, higher education, college enrollment.

18.99 million

College enrollment rate

College graduation rate at two-year institutions, within three years of start, college graduation rate at four-year institutions, within six years of start, bachelor's degrees conferred.

2.04 million

Master's degrees conferred

Doctor's degrees conferred, instructional faculty.

1.54 million

Average full-time instructional faculty salary

Inflation-adjusted median annual earnings of full-time workers aged 25-34, average student loan awarded, stem degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions, pell grants & head start, average pell grant award, maximum pell grant award, pell grant funding.

$28.67 billion

Pell Grant applicants

15.59 million

Head Start enrollment

Head start funding.

$10.61 billion

Post-Secondary Education Finances

Public institutions revenues.

$390.78 billion

Public institutions expenditures

$401.13 billion

Private nonprofit institutions revenues

$242.12 billion

Private nonprofit institutions expenditures

$206.78 billion

Private for-profit institutions revenues

$13.87 billion

Private for-profit institutions expenditures

$12.36 billion

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What was education like in ancient Athens?

How does social class affect education attainment, when did education become compulsory, what are alternative forms of education, do school vouchers offer students access to better education.

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World History Encyclopedia - Education in the Elizabethan Era
Academia - Return on Education Using the Concept of Opportunity Cost
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Table Of Contents

What does education mean?

Education refers to the discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments, as opposed to various nonformal and informal means of socialization .

Beginning approximately at the end of the 7th or during the 6th century, Athens became the first city-state in ancient Greece to renounce education that was oriented toward the future duties of soldiers. The evolution of Athenian education reflected that of the city itself, which was moving toward increasing democratization.

Research has found that education is the strongest determinant of individuals’ occupational status and chances of success in adult life. However, the correlation between family socioeconomic status and school success or failure appears to have increased worldwide. Long-term trends suggest that as societies industrialize and modernize, social class becomes increasingly important in determining educational outcomes and occupational attainment.

While education is not compulsory in practice everywhere in the world, the right of individuals to an educational program that respects their personality, talents, abilities, and cultural heritage has been upheld in various international agreements, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948; the Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1959; and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966.

Alternative forms of education have developed since the late 20th century, such as distance learning , homeschooling , and many parallel or supplementary systems of education often designated as “nonformal” and “popular.” Religious institutions also instruct the young and old alike in sacred knowledge as well as in the values and skills required for participation in local, national, and transnational societies.

School vouchers have been a hotly debated topic in the United States. Some parents of voucher recipients reported high levels of satisfaction, and studies have found increased voucher student graduation rates. Some studies have found, however, that students using vouchers to attend private schools instead of public ones did not show significantly higher levels of academic achievement. Learn more at ProCon.org.

Should corporal punishment be used in elementary education settings?

Whether corporal punishment should be used in elementary education settings is widely debated. Some say it is the appropriate discipline for certain children when used in moderation because it sets clear boundaries and motivates children to behave in school. Others say can inflict long-lasting physical and mental harm on students while creating an unsafe and violent school environment. For more on the corporal punishment debate, visit ProCon.org .

Should dress codes be implemented and enforced in education settings?

Whether dress codes should be implemented and enforced in education settings is hotly debated. Some argue dress codes enforce decorum and a serious, professional atmosphere conducive to success, as well as promote safety. Others argue dress codes reinforce racist standards of beauty and dress and are are seldom uniformly mandated, often discriminating against women and marginalized groups. For more on the dress code debate, visit ProCon.org .

Recent News

education , discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments as opposed to various nonformal and informal means of socialization (e.g., rural development projects and education through parent-child relationships).

(Read Arne Duncan’s Britannica essay on “Education: The Great Equalizer.”)

Education can be thought of as the transmission of the values and accumulated knowledge of a society. In this sense, it is equivalent to what social scientists term socialization or enculturation. Children—whether conceived among New Guinea tribespeople, the Renaissance Florentines, or the middle classes of Manhattan—are born without culture . Education is designed to guide them in learning a culture , molding their behaviour in the ways of adulthood , and directing them toward their eventual role in society. In the most primitive cultures , there is often little formal learning—little of what one would ordinarily call school or classes or teachers . Instead, the entire environment and all activities are frequently viewed as school and classes, and many or all adults act as teachers. As societies grow more complex, however, the quantity of knowledge to be passed on from one generation to the next becomes more than any one person can know, and, hence, there must evolve more selective and efficient means of cultural transmission. The outcome is formal education—the school and the specialist called the teacher.

As society becomes ever more complex and schools become ever more institutionalized, educational experience becomes less directly related to daily life, less a matter of showing and learning in the context of the workaday world, and more abstracted from practice, more a matter of distilling, telling, and learning things out of context. This concentration of learning in a formal atmosphere allows children to learn far more of their culture than they are able to do by merely observing and imitating. As society gradually attaches more and more importance to education, it also tries to formulate the overall objectives, content, organization, and strategies of education. Literature becomes laden with advice on the rearing of the younger generation. In short, there develop philosophies and theories of education.

This article discusses the history of education, tracing the evolution of the formal teaching of knowledge and skills from prehistoric and ancient times to the present, and considering the various philosophies that have inspired the resulting systems. Other aspects of education are treated in a number of articles. For a treatment of education as a discipline, including educational organization, teaching methods, and the functions and training of teachers, see teaching ; pedagogy ; and teacher education . For a description of education in various specialized fields, see historiography ; legal education ; medical education ; science, history of . For an analysis of educational philosophy , see education, philosophy of . For an examination of some of the more important aids in education and the dissemination of knowledge, see dictionary ; encyclopaedia ; library ; museum ; printing ; publishing, history of . Some restrictions on educational freedom are discussed in censorship . For an analysis of pupil attributes, see intelligence, human ; learning theory ; psychological testing .

Education in primitive and early civilized cultures

The term education can be applied to primitive cultures only in the sense of enculturation , which is the process of cultural transmission. A primitive person, whose culture is the totality of his universe, has a relatively fixed sense of cultural continuity and timelessness. The model of life is relatively static and absolute, and it is transmitted from one generation to another with little deviation. As for prehistoric education, it can only be inferred from educational practices in surviving primitive cultures.

The purpose of primitive education is thus to guide children to becoming good members of their tribe or band. There is a marked emphasis upon training for citizenship , because primitive people are highly concerned with the growth of individuals as tribal members and the thorough comprehension of their way of life during passage from prepuberty to postpuberty.

Because of the variety in the countless thousands of primitive cultures, it is difficult to describe any standard and uniform characteristics of prepuberty education. Nevertheless, certain things are practiced commonly within cultures. Children actually participate in the social processes of adult activities, and their participatory learning is based upon what the American anthropologist Margaret Mead called empathy , identification, and imitation . Primitive children, before reaching puberty, learn by doing and observing basic technical practices. Their teachers are not strangers but rather their immediate community .

In contrast to the spontaneous and rather unregulated imitations in prepuberty education, postpuberty education in some cultures is strictly standardized and regulated. The teaching personnel may consist of fully initiated men, often unknown to the initiate though they are his relatives in other clans. The initiation may begin with the initiate being abruptly separated from his familial group and sent to a secluded camp where he joins other initiates. The purpose of this separation is to deflect the initiate’s deep attachment away from his family and to establish his emotional and social anchorage in the wider web of his culture.

The initiation “curriculum” does not usually include practical subjects. Instead, it consists of a whole set of cultural values, tribal religion, myths , philosophy, history, rituals, and other knowledge. Primitive people in some cultures regard the body of knowledge constituting the initiation curriculum as most essential to their tribal membership. Within this essential curriculum, religious instruction takes the most prominent place.

The alarming state of the American student in 2022

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November 1, 2022

The pandemic was a wrecking ball for U.S. public education, bringing months of school closures, frantic moves to remote instruction, and trauma and isolation.

Kids may be back at school after three disrupted years, but a return to classrooms has not brought a return to normal. Recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed historic declines in American students’ knowledge and skills and widening gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students.

But even these sobering results do not tell us the whole story.

After nearly three years of tracking pandemic response by U.S. school systems and synthesizing knowledge about the impacts on students, we sought to establish a baseline understanding of the contours of the crisis: What happened and why, and where do we go from here?

This first annual “ State of the American Student ” report synthesizes nearly three years of research on the academic, mental health, and other impacts of the pandemic and school closures.

It outlines the contours of the crisis American students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and begins to chart a path to recovery and reinvention for all students—which includes building a new and better approach to public education that ensures an educational crisis of this magnitude cannot happen again.

The state of American students as we emerge from the pandemic is still coming into focus, but here’s what we’ve learned (and haven’t yet learned) about where COVID-19 left us:

1. Students lost critical opportunities to learn and thrive.

• The typical American student lost several months’ worth of learning in language arts and more in mathematics.

• Students suffered crushing increases in anxiety and depression. More than one in 360 U.S. children lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.

• Students poorly served before the pandemic were profoundly left behind during it, including many with disabilities whose parents reported they were cut off from essential school and life services.

This deeply traumatic period threatens to reverberate for decades. The academic, social, and mental-health needs are real, they are measurable, and they must be addressed quickly to avoid long-term consequences to individual students, the future workforce, and society.

2. The average effects from COVID mask dire inequities and widely varied impact.

Some students are catching up, but time is running out for others. Every student experienced the pandemic differently, and there is tremendous variation from student to student, with certain populations—namely, Black, Hispanic, and low-income students, as well as other vulnerable populations—suffering the most severe impacts.

The effects were more severe where campuses stayed closed longer. American students are experiencing a K-shaped recovery, in which gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students, already growing before the pandemic, are widening into chasms. In the latest NAEP results released in September , national average scores fell five times as much in reading, and four times as much in math, for the lowest-scoring 10 percent of nine-year-olds as they had for the highest-scoring 10 percent.

At the pace of recovery we are seeing today, too many students of all races and income levels will graduate in the coming years without the skills and knowledge needed for college and careers.

3. What we know at this point is incomplete. The situation could be significantly worse than the early data suggest.

The data and stories we have to date are enough to warrant immediate action, but there are serious holes in our understanding of how the pandemic has affected various groups of students, especially those who are typically most likely to fall through the cracks in the American education system.

We know little about students with complex needs, such as those with disabilities and English learners. We still know too little about the learning impacts in non-tested subjects, such as science, civics, and foreign languages. And while psychologists , educators , and the federal government are sounding alarms about a youth mental health crisis, systematic measures of student wellbeing remain hard to come by.

We must acknowledge that what we know at this point is incomplete, since the pandemic closures and following recovery have been so unprecedented in recent times. It’s possible that as we continue to dig into the evidence on the pandemic’s impacts, some student groups or subjects may have not been so adversely affected. Alternatively, the situation could be significantly worse than the early data suggest. Some students are already bouncing back quickly. But for others, the impact could grow worse over time.

In subjects like math, where learning is cumulative, pandemic-related gaps in students’ learning that emerged during the pandemic could affect their ability to grasp future material. In some states, test scores fell dramatically for high schoolers nearing graduation. Shifts in these students’ academic trajectories could affect their college plans—and the rest of their lives. And elevated rates of chronic absenteeism suggest some students who disconnected from school during the pandemic have struggled to reconnect since.

4. The harms students experienced can be traced to a rigid and inequitable system that put adults, not students, first.

• Despite often heroic efforts by caring adults, students and families were cut off from essential support, offered radically diminished learning opportunities, and left to their own devices to support learning.

• Too often, partisan politics, not student needs , drove decision-making.

• Students with complexities and differences too often faced systems immobilized by fear and a commitment to sameness rather than prioritization and problem-solving.

So, what can we do to address the situation we’re in?

Diverse needs demand diverse solutions that are informed by pandemic experiences

Freed from the routines of rigid systems, some parents, communities, and educators found new ways to tailor learning experiences around students’ needs. They discovered learning can happen any time and anywhere. They discovered enriching activities outside class and troves of untapped adult talent.

Some of these breakthroughs happened in public schools—like virtual IEP meetings that leveled power dynamics between administrators and parents advocating for their children’s special education services. Others happened in learning pods or other new environments where families and community groups devised new ways to meet students’ needs. These were exceptions to an otherwise miserable rule, and they can inform the work ahead.

We must act quickly but we must also act differently. Important next steps include:

• Districts and states should immediately use their federal dollars to address the emergent needs of the COVID-19 generation of students via proven interventions, such as well-designed tutoring, extended learning time, credit recovery, additional mental health support, college and career guidance, and mentoring. The challenges ahead are too daunting for schools to shoulder alone. Partnerships and funding for families and community-driven solutions will be critical.

• By the end of the 2022–2023 academic year, states and districts must commit to an honest accounting of rebuilding efforts by defining, adopting, and reporting on their progress toward 5- and 10-year goals for long-term student recovery. States should invest in rigorous studies that document, analyze, and improve their approaches.

• Education leaders and researchers must adopt a national research and development agenda for school reinvention over the next five years. This effort must be anchored in the reality that the needs of students are so varied, so profound, and so multifaceted that a one-size-fits-all approach to education can’t possibly meet them all. Across the country, community organizations who previously operated summer or afterschool programs stepped up to support students during the school day. As they focus on recovery, school system leaders should look to these helpers not as peripheral players in education, but as critical contributors who can provide teaching , tutoring, or joyful learning environments for students and often have trusting relationships with their families.

• Recovery and rebuilding should ensure the system is more resilient and prepared for future crises. That means more thoughtful integration of online learning and stronger partnerships with organizations that support learning outside school walls. Every school system in America should have a plan to keep students safe and learning even when they can’t physically come to school, be equipped to deliver high-quality, individualized pathways for students, and build on practices that show promise.

Our “State of the American Student” report is the first in a series of annual reports the Center on Reinventing Public Education intends to produce through fall of 2027. We hope every state and community will produce similar, annual accounts and begin to define ambitious goals for recovery. The implications of these deeply traumatic years will reverberate for decades unless we find a path not only to normalcy but also to restitution for this generation and future generations of American students.

The road to recovery can lead somewhere new. In five years, we hope to report that out of the ashes of the pandemic, American public education emerged transformed: more flexible and resilient, more individualized and equitable, and—most of all— more joyful.

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Here’s where Trump and Harris stand on 6 education issues

Cory Turner

How the candidates differ on their views and policies on education

Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face off in a debate on Tuesday. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

As presidential candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump don’t have a lot in common when it comes to their views on education.

Trump has said America’s public schools “have been taken over by the radical Left maniacs,” and that he wants to close the U.S. Department of Education.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Friday in Johnstown, Pa.

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Harris has vowed to keep the department open.

Democrats are for free, universal preschool for all 4-year-olds.

Republicans are for universal school choice, where parents have the power — and the public dollars — to enroll their children in any school they want, whether it’s public or private.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Vice President Kamala Harris are interviewed by CNN’s Dana Bash at Kim’s Cafe in Savannah, Georgia, on August 29, 2024. This is the first time Harris has sat with a journalist for an in-depth, on-the-record conversation since President Joe Biden ended his presidential bid in July. (Will Lanzoni/CNN)

6 takeaways from Harris' interview on CNN

The list goes on.

Ahead of the candidates’ only scheduled debate, in Philadelphia on Tuesday, we’ve put together a handy primer of their education views.

1. On closing the U.S. Department of Education

Trump, in an interview on X , told Elon Musk that, if elected, “I want to close up the Department of Education, move education back to the states.”

Harris didn’t talk much about education in her DNC speech , but she did parry Trump’s plan: “We are not going to let him eliminate the Department of Education that funds our public schools.”

A quick explanatory comma about that funding: Most public school funding comes from states and local communities. But the department does administer two large funding streams, now more than $30 billion, that Congress codified into law decades ago to help schools educate 1.) children with disabilities and 2.) kids living in low-income communities.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign event in Potterville, Mich., on Thursday.

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It’s not clear if Trump’s desire to close the department would also mean disrupting this funding.

Project 2025, a blueprint for the next Republican presidency that included input from Trump loyalists, recommends closing the department, turning both funding streams into no-strings-attached grants and phasing out the low-income support dollars within 10 years.

But the Trump campaign has disavowed Project 2025. NPR asked the campaign to clarify its position on funding for children with disabilities and kids living in low-income communities, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded: “ President Trump will ensure a great education for every child by returning our education system to the states where it belongs.”

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The Education Department debate isn’t just financial. It’s also symbolic.

Trump and some Republicans believe, fundamentally, that education should only be a local and state concern, as there’s no mention of a federal role in education in the U.S. Constitution. To them the department is the poster child for government overreach, which is why Republicans have been calling for the department’s dissolution ever since it was created in 1979.

Where Republicans see local control of education as an inherently good thing, allowing schools to better reflect the values of their communities, Harris and many Democrats also see inequity in some districts’ inability (and sometimes unwillingness) to serve marginalized students.

Congress created those funding streams to help level the playing field and to give the department the ability to hold districts accountable when they fall short on civil rights. Harris has previously backed increasing funding for low-income students and children with disabilities.

Disagreements aside, can the department be shut down?

How schools (but not necessarily education) became central to the Republican primary

Not by the president, no. It was created by Congress, and only Congress can close it. Some House Republicans have tried , but there’s simply not enough support, not just among Democrats but Republicans, too. Public surveys show even a majority of Republicans believe the U.S. government should be spending more, not less, on education.

Keep in mind, eight years ago then-presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested he might try to close the Education Department. He then got his chance as president — with Republican control of Congress — but never forced the issue.

2. On sex-based discrimination in schools, aka Title IX

In April, the Biden-Harris administration expanded protections against sex discrimination in schools to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Meaning, among other things, it believes students should be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

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This is not a change in federal law. That requires Congress. It’s a change in interpretation of the law, known as Title IX, courtesy of new regulations from the U.S. Department of Education.

Trump and many Republicans see this expanded interpretation of Title IX as Democrats imposing liberalism on schools. In a recent call with reporters, representatives of the Trump campaign and the RNC repeatedly derided what they called Harris’ “radical gender ideology.”

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If this sounds all-too-familiar, that’s because this is an old fight. In 2016, the Obama administration issued guidance to schools , telling them that students should be allowed to use the bathroom facilities that correspond with their gender identity.

In early 2017, the nascent Trump administration quickly moved in the opposite direction, abandoning that interpretation of the law.

Protesting these latest Biden administration provisions, roughly half of all states have sued the department, and the courts have blocked the Education Department from enforcing the regulations in those states. Trump has said, if re-elected, he would roll back the rule, just as he did the old Obama-era guidance.

3. On school choice

We’re using “choice” here broadly because many of Trump’s education proposals shoot from the same root: That parents should have total or near-total control over their child’s education.

First, he’s calling for universal school choice. This would, in theory, take public dollars normally spent on a child’s public education and give them directly to parents to spend at whatever school they want, whether it’s public, private or homeschooling at the kitchen table.

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He has also called for a Parental Bill of Rights and for school principals to be hired — and fired — by parents. “If any principal is not getting the job done, the parents should be able to vote to fire them and select someone who will. This will be the ultimate form of local control,” Trump said in July.

Trump also wants to make it easier to fire “bad” teachers, by ending tenure protections, and to reward strong teachers with merit pay. “If we have pink-haired Communists teaching our kids, we have a major problem. When I am president, we will put PARENTS back in charge and give them the final say,” he said.

It’s difficult to imagine how a second Trump administration could implement these ideas around school choice or principal and teacher retention, though, as the U.S. government has limited power to influence state and school district policy.

Democrats, on the other hand, made clear in their 2024 platform that they’re against any effort that could weaken the nation’s public schools. “We oppose the use of private-school vouchers, tuition tax credits, opportunity scholarships, and other schemes that divert taxpayer-funded resources away from public education. Public tax dollars should never be used to discriminate.”

That’s likely a reference to the fact that, in some state voucher programs, a private school is allowed to reject children with disabilities if it doesn’t believe it has the staff or resources to meet their needs. Federal law requires that schools that receive federal funding provide kids with disabilities a free and appropriate public education.

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In a letter to Harris , some two-dozen grassroots education groups urged her not to choose Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be her running mate, because of his previous support for private-school vouchers . She ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former public school teacher and coach.

Harris has been an outspoken supporter of public education and has been courting educators’ support. In a speech to the American Federation of Teachers, she told the crowd, “We need you so desperately right now,” and called it “the most noble of work, teaching other people’s children.”

As part of her presidential bid in 2019, Harris proposed a $300 billion plan to raise teacher pay. Though she has not revived the plan, she did tell the AFT, “God knows we don’t pay you enough.”

4. On early childhood education and support

Harris and Democrats have talked as much, if not more, about early childhood education and childcare than they have about K-12 policies. Harris has proposed expanding the Child Tax Credit after a brief, pandemic-era expansion dramatically cut child poverty , and she pitched an even larger boost of up to $6,000 for newborns.

The Democrats’ 2024 platform also includes support for free, universal preschool for 4-year-olds, something the Biden-Harris administration had previously championed but was forced to abandon in negotiations with Congress.

Finally, there’s Head Start, the federally-funded program that provides child care and early learning for children from low-income families. The Biden-Harris administration has been a staunch supporter of Head Start, which serves children from birth to age 5. In her DNC speech , Harris promised not to let Trump “end programs like Head Start that provide preschool and child care.”

Harris was likely referring, again, to Project 2025 , which alleges Head Start is “fraught with scandal and abuse” and recommends eliminating it entirely. Congressional funding for Head Start rose during the Trump administration, in spite of the White House calling for modest cuts .

NPR asked the Trump campaign to clarify its position on Head Start funding. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded: “By returning our education system back to the states, our early childhood education system will thrive because parents will have more say in their child’s education and good teachers will be rewarded.”

5. On banning books and “divisive concepts”

Between July and December 2023, PEN America recorded more than 4,300 instances of school book bans, a big uptick from the previous year.

Of the books that were targeted in the 2021-’22 and ‘22-’23 school years, the nonprofit found that 37% grappled with race and racism and included characters of color, and 36% included LGBTQ+ characters and themes.

Trump has been an unabashed champion of efforts to limit how schools approach issues of race and gender. In 2020, he created the 1776 Commission , which lamented that “many students are now taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but rather villains.”

Since then, some states have passed laws curtailing what teachers can and cannot say in the classroom when it comes to matters of race and gender. And in July, as part of his Plan To Save American Education , Trump pledged to “cut federal funding for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content,” though it’s not clear how or if he could do that.

Kamala Harris used her speech before the American Federation of Teachers to blast Trump.

“While you teach students about our nation’s past,” she told the crowd of teachers, “these extremists attack the freedom to learn and acknowledge our nation’s true and full history, including book bans. Book bans in this year of our Lord 2024.”

6. On college affordability

The Biden-Harris administration went all-in on federal student loan forgiveness. Some of its plans worked , but the administration has so far failed to convince the courts that its most ambitious efforts at loan forgiveness are legal.

That may explain why, on the campaign trail, Harris isn’t talking much about future loan forgiveness, or making new promises. Instead, she’s largely backward-looking.

“Our administration has forgiven student loan debt for nearly 5 million Americans,” Harris told the American Federation of Teachers gathering, emphasizing that many of those Americans are teachers who received Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

As a senator and vice president, Harris has also supported efforts to make community college free, a commitment echoed in the 2024 Democratic party platform .

As for Trump, as president he previously tried to eliminate PSLF , and he and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have both spoken out against broad loan forgiveness.

In 2023, after the Supreme Court blocked Biden’s first big effort, Trump celebrated : “President Biden is not allowed to wipe out hundreds and hundreds of billions, probably trillions, of dollars in student loan debt, which would have been very unfair to the millions and millions of people who have paid their debt through hard work and diligence.”

The 2024 Republican party platform pledges , “to reduce the cost of Higher Education, Republicans will support the creation of additional, drastically more affordable alternatives to a traditional four-year College degree.”

Last year, Trump unveiled plans for an online college alternative he’s calling The American Academy: “We will take the billions and billions of dollars that we will collect by taxing, fining, and suing excessively large private university endowments, and we will then use that money to endow a new institution… Its mission will be to make a truly world-class education available to every American, free of charge, and do it without adding a single dime to the federal debt.”

Considering more than 70 million American students are enrolled in school, from K-12 to college , let’s hope the candidates get a chance to debate their ideas and their differences on Tuesday.

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