In 2000, 83% of Ohio residents age 25 and older were high school graduates; 21.1% had obtained a bachelor's degree or higher.
Ohio claims a number of "firsts" in US education: the first kindergarten, established by German settlers in Columbus in 1838; the first junior high school, also at Columbus, in 1909; the first municipal university, the University of Cincinnati, founded in 1870; and the first college to grant degrees to women, Oberlin, in 1837. The state's earliest school system was organized in Akron in 1847.
The total enrollment in Ohio's public schools for fall 1999 stood at 1,836,554. Of these, 1,296,450 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 540,104 attended high school. Minority students made up approximately 20% of the total enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in 2001. Total enrollment was estimated at 1,821,200 in fall 2000 and is expected to drop to 1,802,000 by fall 2005. Expenditures for public education in 2000/01 were estimated at $12,400,000. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2001 was 254,494.
As of fall 2000, there were 652,393 students enrolled in college or graduate school. In the same year Ohio had 175 degree-granting institutions. There are 12 state universities, including Ohio State University (Columbus), Ohio University (Athens), Miami University (Oxford), and other state universities at Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Kent, Toledo, Wilberforce, and Youngstown. The largest, Ohio State, was chartered in 1870 and also has campuses at Lima, Mansfield, Marion, Newark, and Wooster. Ohio has 37 public two-year colleges. Well-known private colleges and universities include Antioch (Yellow Springs), Case Western Reserve (Cleveland), Kenyon (Gambier), Muskingum (New Concord), Oberlin, Wittenberg (Springfield), and Wooster. The conservatories at both Oberlin and the Cleveland Institute of Music have national reputations. In 1997, minority students comprised 14.1% of total postsecondary enrollment.
Ohio residents enrolled as full-time students at an eligible institution within the state may apply for instructional grants from the Student Assistance Office of the Ohio Board of Regents. Guaranteed loans are provided through the Ohio Student Loan Commission.