Some Back to School Fun Facts

Students in the returned for the 2012-2013 academic year on Thursday. Here's a look at some fun facts about the back to school season from the United States Census Bureau:

• $7.7 billion was spent at family clothing stores in August 2011. The only time spending on clothing was higher was during the November and December holiday shopping season.
• 79 million children and adults were enrolled in schools ranging from nursery school to college in October 2010. That figure represents 27 percent of the entire U.S. population.
• 27 percent of students between the ages of 12 and 17 were in a "gifted" class in 2009.
• 70 percent of students between the ages of 6 and 17 said they liked being in school, were interested in school and were working hard in school in 2009.
• 11.8 million school-aged children in 2010 spoke a language other than English at home. Of those, 8.5 million said they spoke Spanish at home.

For local students who intend to attend college, statistics show there is a financial reward. The U.S. Census Bureau found that the median yearly income of an adult with at least a bachelor's degree was $56,000 compared to $33,000 for adults who only held a high school diploma.

How much money have you spent for your child's new school year? Did or do you have a budget?

Is your child part of the 70 percent excited about school?

Let us know in the comments what you are doing to get your child ready for school this year.