<P> The country has a reading literacy rate of 99% of the population over age 15, while ranking below average in science and mathematics understanding compared to other developed countries . In 2014, a record high of 82% of high school seniors graduated, although one of the reasons for that success might be a decline in academic standards . </P> <P> The poor performance has pushed public and private efforts such as the No Child Left Behind Act . In addition, the ratio of college - educated adults entering the workforce to general population (33%) is slightly below the mean of other developed countries (35%) and rate of participation of the labor force in continuing education is high . A 2000s (decade) study by Jon Miller of Michigan State University concluded that "A slightly higher proportion of American adults qualify as scientifically literate than European or Japanese adults". </P> <P> In 2006, there were roughly 600,000 homeless students in the United States, but after the Great Recession this number more than doubled to approximately 1.36 million . </P> <P> Formal education in the U.S. is divided into a number of distinct educational stages . Most children enter the public education system around ages five or six . Children are assigned into year groups known as grades . </P>

How is public education (kindergarten through high school or k-12) funded in the united states