VENANGO CO., Pa. — Venango and Forest County students head back to school on August 30 and 25, respectively. School staff have been busy making last-minute preparations in the week leading up to the first day back.

For more information on Venango and Forest County school districts, visit the links below.

• Cranberry Area
• Forest Area
• Franklin Area
• Oil City Area
• Penncrest
• Titusville Area
• Valley Grove

The first high school football games of the season start on August 26. For a full schedule, visit d9sports.com.

The following information refers to national statistics in regards to students’ and teachers’ return to the classroom:

Back-to-School Shopping

$8.8 billion

• The estimated sales at family clothing stores in August 2015. The sales at bookstores in August 2015 were estimated at $1.6 billion.

28,138

• The number of family clothing stores in 2014. For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments were plenty: In 2014, there were 7,351 children and infants clothing stores; 25,214 shoe stores; 6,823 office supply and stationery stores; 6,888 bookstores; and 7,898 department stores.

$83.5 billion

• The estimated dollar value of private and public educational construction in 2015.

$2.9 billion

• The third quarter 2015 after tax profit estimates for apparel and leather product manufacturing corporations, up $1.2 billion from after tax profits in the second quarter of 2015.

$17.7 million

• In 2015, the dollar value of U.S. imports of rubber erasers. The majority of this amount ($10.3 million) was for rubber erasers imported from China.

$2.6 million

• The dollar value of rubber erasers exported in 2015. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $1.5 million worth.

$256.9 million

• The dollar value of binders and folders imported in 2015. China was the principal importer, importing a value of $128.9 million.

$41.5 million

• The dollar value of binders and folders exported in 2015. Canada was the majority exporter, purchasing more than any other country, $28.5 million.

Students

77.2 million

• The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2014 — from nursery school to college. They comprised 25.6 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.

Pre-K through 12 Enrollment

48.3 million

• Fall enrollment for elementary and secondary public school systems in 2013.

$11,009

• The amount of current spending per pupil for elementary and secondary public school systems in the United States in 2014.

79.3%

• The percentage of children 3 to 6 years old who were enrolled in school as of October 2014.

80.5%

• The percentage of children ages 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2014.

25.6%

• The percentage of elementary through high school students who had at least one foreign-born parent in October 2014.

Languages

11.8 million

• Number of school-age children (5 to 17) who spoke a language other than English at home; 8.5 million of these children spoke Spanish at home.

Colleges

4,688

• The number of colleges, universities and professional schools in the United States in 2014. There were 1,083 junior colleges.

14.7%

• The percentage of college and graduate school students age 35 and older in October 2014. They made up 34.5 percent of those attending school part time.

40.0%

• The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college or graduate school in 2014.

Work Status

52.1%

• The percentage of students enrolled in college who worked less than full time, year-round in 2011; 20 percent worked full time, year-round.

3.1 million

• The number of enrolled high school students who worked less than full time, year-round in 2011; 146,000 students in high school worked full time, year-round.

Field of Degree

13.1 million

• The number of people age 25 and over who held a bachelor’s degree in business in 2014. Business degrees were reported by 20.4 percent of the population with a bachelor’s degree, followed by education (13.0 percent); science and engineering related fields (9.2 percent); engineering (7.8 percent); social sciences (7.7 percent); biological, agricultural and environmental sciences (6.1 percent); and liberal arts and history (5.0 percent).

74.3%

• The percentage of those in 2012 who had a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or math — commonly referred to as STEM — and were not employed in STEM occupations.

Rewards of Staying in School

$83,417

• Average earnings of full-time, year-round workers age 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2014. Workers whose highest degree was a bachelor’s had mean earnings of $72,896. Mean earnings for full-time, year-round workers with a high school diploma (includes GED certificate) was $42,094, while workers with less than a ninth grade education had $31,288 average earnings.

(Photo courtesy of Franklin Area High School)