The United States lags far behind other nations in the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school, according to the National Center for Education Statistics' Condition of Education 2018.
Among 33 countries who are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States ranked 30th in the percentage of 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in school.
Only 54 percent of U.S. children that age were enrolled in school, compared with an average of 80 percent among all 33 OECD nations.
The Condition of Education reports notes that the numbers do not include child care programs that are not primarily designed to provide educational experiences, such as daycare programs.
The nation reporting the highest percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in school was the United KIngdom—its enrollment of children aged 3 and 4—103 percent— actually exceeds the number of U.K. children that age. (The report notes that if a country enrolls many residents of other countries, its total population in the specified age group may be smaller than the total number enrolled.)
Here are the 10 OECD nations with the highest percentage of 3- and 4-year-old enrolled in school.
