United States: Lower secondary school starting age (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, United States had the 30th highest value of the 209 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to United States in the 2025 ranking

• Tunisia — 135th of 209: 12
• Turks and Caicos Islands — 136th of 209: 12
• Tuvalu — 137th of 209: 12
• Uruguay — 139th of 209: 12
• Vanuatu — 140th of 209: 12
• Venezuela, RB — 141st of 209: 12

What this measures

Lower secondary school starting age is the age at which students would enter lower secondary education, assuming they had started at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, had studied full-time throughout and had progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade.

Limitations: The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.

All 56 values

Lower secondary school starting age (years) in nearby economies

• Bermuda — 11 (2025)
• Canada — 12 (2025)

More education data for United States

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 79.36% (2022)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.32 (2022)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 94.85% (2022)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 64.54% (2022)
• Educational attainment, at least completed lower secondary, population 25+, total (%) (cumulative) — 96.62% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is United States's lower secondary school starting age (years)?

12 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is unchanged at from 12 in 1970. The highest value was 12 in 1970 and the lowest 12 in 1970.

How does United States rank?

30th highest of 209 economies with data for 2025.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.AGES, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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