Americans Use Just 37 Percent Of Information Learned In School, Survey Finds (2023)

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Anyone who has ever sat in calculus class, thinking, "When am I ever going to use this?" may actually have a point. A new survey says the average American uses just 37 percent of the information they learn in school.

The survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by H&R Block found that 84 percent of people learned things in school that they've never used after graduation. The average respondent also said that over half of the skills they use in the workforce were learned on the job, rather than in school.

Forced to choose between taking a traditional calculus class and a tax preparation course, just 13 percent they would take calculus. Another 17 percent said they would prefer to take algebra over a household repairs class.

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"It's clear from the results that a lot of Americans aren't as confident as they'd like to be when it comes to many day-to-day life skills, including how to file their own taxes," says Heather Watts, senior vice president and general manager of digital at H&R Block, in a statement.

The survey also found that 57 percent surveyed believe a money management class would have been helpful, and another 44 percent would have like a class on how to properly file taxes.

The top five skills that respondents wanted to learn in school were money management and budgeting, how to do taxes, how to manage your well-being, understanding loans and how to negotiate.

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The five most useless things learned in school were the Pythagorean Theory, knowing PI is 3.14, the periodic table, types of rocks and the difference between protons, neutrons and electrons,

Overall, 89 percent say life would be easier if they had learned such practical skills in school, while the average person surveyed said they didn't truly grasp "adult" skills until 29 years old.

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FAQs

Americans Use Just 37 Percent Of Information Learned In School, Survey Finds? ›

A new survey says the average American uses just 37 percent of the information they learn in school. The survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by H&R Block found that 84 percent of people learned things in school that they've never used after graduation.

Does the average American use just 37% of what they learned in school in their daily lives? ›

Researchers found the average educated American forgets about 40% of what they learned, and uses just 37% of the knowledge and skills in their every day lives on average.

Is it true that 98% of what you learn is a waste in school? ›

some things that were useful immediately and some things that were not useful until years after they were learned. What we learn from our everyday interactions is just as important as what we learn in a classroom. Looking at it from that perspective – it is NOT true that 98% of what we learn is a waste.

What percentage of students learn better with technology? ›

McGraw Hill surveyed 3,300 US college students, and the vast majority of them strongly agreed that technologies are most helpful in their education. 81% of students feel that digital technologies improve their grades and efficiency.

How much information do students retain? ›

To summarize the Learning Pyramid - learners retain approximately: 5% of what they learn when they've learned from lecture. 10% of what they learn when they've learned from reading. 20% of what they learn from audio-visual.

Do we actually use what we learn in school? ›

A new survey says the average American uses just 37 percent of the information they learn in school. The survey of 2,000 adults commissioned by H&R Block found that 84 percent of people learned things in school that they've never used after graduation.

Do people use what they learned in school? ›

Incredibly, the average American estimates they've forgotten nearly half (40 percent) of everything they learned in school growing up and only actually use 37 percent.

Is school useless or useful? ›

Not only do they argue that school provides training for social skills, but also for a variety of skills that are important for our adult lives that can't be found elsewhere, such as critical thinking, working in a team, time management, and how to concentrate for several hours at a time.

Do we learn useless things in school? ›

Schools teach many useless things because they teach on a just-in-case basis. You learn a bit of everything just in case it becomes useful.

What percentage of students like school? ›

Approximately two-thirds of the students reported liking school overall, and one-third reported disliking school. While the percentage of school likers decreased between Grades 7 and 9, dislike is also reported by most students as a relatively recent phenomenon.

Does technology help or hurt education? ›

Numerous studies have found that implementing instructional technology improves overall student motivation and engagement in learning. More specifically, technology engages students behaviorally, emotionally, and cognitively.

How technology has impacted education? ›

Technology is transforming learning and instruction for the better. Big data and artificial intelligence (AI) are helping educators improve their effectiveness and learning outcomes, while gamification (adding gamelike elements to a task) and immersive learning are making learning more experiential, fun, and engaging.

Does technology help students learn? ›

Technology in schools provides handy tools and opportunities for students, teachers, and parents. Students get information and enjoy personalized content from anywhere. It also adds fun to learning, encourages collaboration, and improves teamwork. Teachers can use edtech tools to enhance classroom learning.

Why students do not retain information? ›

Often with students, they are not engaged enough to move information firmly into long-term memory, or they don't use and re-use the information to establish it in that portion of the brain.

Why do we forget what we learned in school? ›

Losing the Source of a Memory. One reason we think we forget most of what we learned in school is that we underestimate what we actually remember. Other times, we know we remember something, but we don't recognize that we learned it in school.

What is 90% of what you learn? ›

According to research, learners retain approximately 90% of what they learn when they explain/teach the concept to someone else, or use it immediately. When you share, you remember better.

How much of the average person's life is spent in school? ›

On average, only about 5 percent of an American's lifetime is spent in the classroom, and only a small fraction of that is dedicated to science instruction.

How many Americans don't know basic life skills? ›

One in Six American Adults Lacks Basic Skills: The PIAAC Results and Implications.

How many hours do we spend in school in a lifetime? ›

There is roughly around 180 days of school. Then you multiply that by 7 hours of school in a day. Your equation will set up like this 13×(180×7)= . Your total would be 16,380 hours worth of school.

Why do students forget what they have learned? ›

There are a few different reasons why the brain forgets, but the two main causes are decay and disuse. Decay refers to the gradual loss of information over time. When we first learn something, it is stored in our short-term memory, which is relatively small and can only hold a limited amount of information.

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