In October 2000, a total of more
than 72 million people, more than
one out of four persons in the
United States, was currently
enrolled in school. While most of
these students were in elementary
school, high school, or college,
there were 8.2 million children
enrolled in nursery school or
kindergarten. The college student
figures, about 15.3 million overall,
include 2.5 million people who are
over the age of 34, and thus
beyond the traditional school
enrollment age range. These
groups at the enrollment age
extremes have seen the largest
proportional increases in school
attendance in the past several
decades.1