Credits Earned by Graduating High School Seniors
- Throughout the 1990–2019 time period, English was the most studied subject among high school students in the U.S. In 2019, graduating seniors had taken an average of 4.5 credits in English over the course of their secondary school careers (Indicator I-10a). Math and social studies (including history) were not far behind, with students earning approximately four credits in each of these subjects.
- Among all broad subject areas, the biggest percentage increase in credits taken, 53%, was in visual and performing arts. Another large increase, 38%, was seen in the humanities subject of languages other than English (LOTE). The number of credits rose from an average of 1.6 per student in 1990 to 2.2 credits in 2019, though all of that increase occurred by 2009. The subsequent decade saw no further rise in young people’s engagement with LOTE in the high school classroom.
- Starting from somewhat higher baselines than LOTE, the average number of natural sciences credits taken rose by 34%, and earned math credits increased 30%.
- The share of high school students taking social studies courses grew from 1990 to 2019, driven largely by a substantial increase in the proportion of students taking world history (Indicator I-10b). The share of students graduating with at least some credit in this subject increased 21 percentage points from 1990 to 2019, so that 94% of the students who graduated from high school in 2019 had taken world history, almost as large a share as had taken U.S. history (96%). The proportion of students who earned at least some credit in civics, politics, or government also grew considerably (from 78% in 1990 to 90% in 2019).
* Includes civics/government/politics, economics, psychology, sociology, U.S. and world history, and world geography.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), "2019 NAEP High School Transcript Study Results: Coursetaking—Academic Course Credits,” https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/hstsreport/#coursetaking_0_2_el (accessed 4/19/2022). Data presented by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities Indicators (www.humanitiesindicators.org).
This indicator focuses on trends in course-taking in public and private high schools. To ensure that the estimates are consistent over time and across institutions, credits are reported in Carnegie units (one of which is equal to 120 hours of classroom instruction).
Social studies, as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics (the collector of the data on which this indicator is based), includes history, as well as several subjects that are not treated as part of the humanities for the purposes of the Humanities Indicators. (For an explanation of the way in which the “humanities” is conceptualized by the Humanities Indicators, please see the scope statement.)
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), National Assessment of Educational Progress, High School Transcript Study. These estimates were prepared by Brian Cramer (NCES) and Rob Perkins (Westat) at the request of the Humanities Indicators (HI). The HI thanks them for their generous assistance. Data presented by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Humanities Indicators (www.humanitiesindicators.org).
Social studies, as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics (the collector of the data on which this indicator is based), includes history, as well as several subjects that are not treated as part of the humanities for the purposes of the Humanities Indicators. (For an explanation of the way in which the “humanities” is conceptualized by the Humanities Indicators, please see the scope statement.)
