Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in United States
United States: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 13.5% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in United States, 2014–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in United States stood at 13.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.9% on the previous year and up 39.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in United States peaked at 15.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2016.
United States ranks 90th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 9.5% | 8.8% | 10.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 9.0% | 15.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.1% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 97.0% (2022)
- Primary education, teachers 1.78 million (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 1.62 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 97.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in United States?
- Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in United States was 13.5% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 2016.
- How does United States rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
- United States ranks 90th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.