Humanities in high schools: a new study shows an increase in courses and credits. From the study:

As the total number of credits taken by high school students has increased since 1990, so have the number of credits taken in key humanities subjects and the share of students earning credits in these subjects.

Findings and Trends
  • 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. 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….
  • 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. 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).

For other posts by Humanities Indicators, see here.

H/t Rob Townsend (Twitter @rbthisted)