The U.S. ranks 72nd in girls going to grade school

According to the World Health Organization’s 2010 World Health Statistics, between 2000 and 2009, the United States had a net enrollment rate for girls in primary school of 92%, which makes the United States tied for seventy-second with several other countries, including the Bahamas, Brazil, Egypt, Latvia, Nicaragua, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Slovakia, Syria, and Turkey. Several countries tied for first, at 100% enrollment. Among these are Canada, Greece, Seychelles, Spain, and Sri Lanka.

One country, Afghanistan, reported 0% of girls attending primary school.

The U.S. ranks 85th in boys going to grade school

According to the World Health Organization, between 2000 and 2009, the United States had a net enrollment rate for males in primary school of 91%, which makes the United States tied for eighty-fifth in that category with several other countries–Albania, Croatia, Czech Republic, India, Samoa, Slovakia, Suriname, and Uzbekistan. Several other countries–Burundi, Georgia, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania–tied for first, with 100% of boys going to primary school.

The country with the lowest reported enrollment rate for boys in primary school is Sudan, at 43%.