11 Facts about Education in America

1. A high school dropout will earn about $260,000 less than high school graduates and $800,000 less than college graduates in their lifetime.
2. High school dropouts have a life expectancy 9.2 years shorter than high school graduates.
3. A one-year increase in average years of schooling for dropouts would reduce murder and assault rates by almost 30%, motor vehicle theft by 20%, arson by 13%, and burglary and larceny by about 6%.
4. There will be a shortfall of seven million college-educated workers in America by 2012.
5. College graduates are three times more likely to vote than high school dropouts, and those who earn more are far more likely to be affiliated with a political organization.
6. Californians spend about $80 billion to construct public and private schools and institutions. Despite having a bountiful of classrooms, there is a lack of teachers. In 2010 alone, about 22,000 Californian teachers and school employees received pink slips.
7. According to the 2010 Census, there are currently about 16.3 million public school students in grades 9 to 12 in the United States.
8. About a quarter of public schools report at least one type of onsite building in less than adequate condition, and four out of ten reported at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition.
9. Approximately one-fifth of schools have less than adequate conditions for life safety features, roofs and electrical power.
10. Three-quarters of the nation's schools, or 59,400, report needing repairs, renovations or modernization in order to reach good condition.
11. The average amount of repair or modernization needed per school is $2.2 million, or $3,800 per student.

Sources:

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-education-america