Education in the US

In the US, the 2015-16 school year was the first in which the majority of public school children were minorities, yet 79.3% of teachers are white. Additionally, the vast majority of teachers are women (76.5%). Being able to attract and retain teachers plays a huge role in the country’s increasing student teacher ratios as well as the lack of diversity in school staff. 14% of new teachers resign by the end of their first year, 33% leave within their first 3 years, and almost 50% leave by their 5th year.

Participation in and access to education in the US is tied closely to economic factors, with impacts throughout a person’s entire academic life. For example, 6.1% of children ages 3-18 lived in a household with no internet, limiting their ability to access resources like remote learning, a challenge that has become even more significant since the Covid-19 pandemic. The past 10 years have also seen a significant decline in college attendance, with the rising costs of tuition and the burdens associated with student loan debt creating a huge barrier for many people.

Use the tool below to view education-related indicators nationally or by state, as well as an overview of the more than 74,500 nonprofits organizations that work on addressing related issues in the US. You can also discover 399 products and services in our Tech for Good Directory related to student loan debt, K-12 and higher education, remote learning and other key areas of education.