School age population, secondary education, both sexes in United States
United States: School age population, secondary education, both sexes was 26.41 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
26.41 million
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
6th
of 220 countries
All-time high
26.69 million
in 2024
All-time low
19.87 million
in 1990
Years of data
55
1970–2025
School age population, secondary education, both sexes in United States, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
United States recorded 26.41 million for school age population, secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, secondary education, both sexes in United States peaked at 26.69 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19.87 million, in 1990.
That places United States 6th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
School age population, secondary education, both sexes in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 24.18 million | — |
| 1971 | 24.69 million | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 25.13 million | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 25.44 million | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 25.70 million | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 25.77 million | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 25.67 million | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 25.45 million | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 24.99 million | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 24.35 million | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 23.58 million | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 22.89 million | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 22.44 million | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 22.19 million | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 22.02 million | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 21.70 million | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 21.37 million | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 21.05 million | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 20.64 million | -2.0% |
| 1989 | 20.10 million | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 19.87 million | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 20.15 million | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 20.65 million | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 21.24 million | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 21.83 million | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 22.43 million | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 22.84 million | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 23.23 million | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 23.55 million | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 23.80 million | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 24.02 million | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 24.26 million | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 24.58 million | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 25.10 million | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 25.43 million | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 25.70 million | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 25.92 million | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 26.01 million | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 26.00 million | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 25.75 million | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 25.51 million | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 25.22 million | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 25.06 million | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 25.05 million | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 25.00 million | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 25.00 million | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 25.02 million | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 25.05 million | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 25.05 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 25.00 million | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 25.06 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 25.13 million | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 25.85 million | +2.9% |
| 2024 | 26.69 million | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 26.41 million | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25.14 million | 24.18 million | 25.77 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.80 million | 20.10 million | 23.58 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.96 million | 19.87 million | 23.80 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.28 million | 24.02 million | 26.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.10 million | 25.00 million | 25.51 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.83 million | 25.06 million | 26.69 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More education data for United States
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11.56 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.6653 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.0343 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12.27 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0364 units per person (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 25.35 million (2023)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 0.5778 % change on previous year (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1.78 million (2023)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.3162 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, secondary education, both sexes in United States?
- School age population, secondary education, both sexes in United States was 26.41 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 26.69 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.87 million in 1990.
- How does United States rank for school age population, secondary education, both sexes?
- United States ranks 6th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. 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, published as part of School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release