Friday, June 16 — It’s time for caps and gowns, carnations, diplomas and lots of pictures. This is the season for graduations — with ceremonies being held all over the country for students from kindergarten to graduate school. Nationwide, there are more than 77 million students at all levels of schooling — some 41.4 million from nursery through elementary school, almost 17 million in high school, and more than 19 million in college.
Monroe College Graduation — President Stephen Jerome confers a degree to a graduating student.
High school graduation rates have grown steadily through the years, so that now, around 8 out of 10 young adults have a diploma. The rate for college graduates has also grown. In 1940, just 5 percent of Americans had a bachelor’s degree or higher — today, that figure is about 33 percent, or more than 72 million people.
Profile America is in its 21st year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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