School is a pivotal part of any child’s early development. A great schooling environment from an early age will provide students with a solid foundation in learning, comprehension, decision making skills, introduce them to responsibility and help them form friendships and respect for their fellow classmates and teachers. Although not everyone will like school, only 2.4% of all children will experience Didaskaleinophobia, or a fear of going to school. I bet you didn’t know that fact about schools, but it may come in handy if you are ever on Jeopardy! Read on for six more school facts:
6 Interesting U.S. School Facts
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- The oldest school in the US is the Boston School System. (source) Opening in 1635, it was the first public school to include a kindergarten. It was originally just for boys but opened to girls after 337 years.
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- In 2020 there was 130,930 public Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology K-12 schools in the US. (source) That averages out to around 2,618 schools per state with some larger and smaller states like California and Alaska having more or less than average.
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- Recess has been proven to improve children’s performance in school and make them happier. (source)
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- Currently only FIVE states require daily recess. (source) Some states like Texas keep denying bills that require recess for school children.
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- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA is the highest rated high school in the country. (source) This is based on a six-factor ranking system based on performance, state assessments and graduation rates.
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- In 2019, the per student spending average for children Pre-K through 12th grade in the US increased by 5.0% from $12,599 in 2018 to $13,187. (source) The New York City School District spent the most per student at $28,004.
