Final answer:
Approximately two-thirds or more than 65% of U.S. high school graduates enroll in college after graduation, with many being immediate enrollers. There's a notable difference between this enrollment rate and the eventual completion rate of higher education degrees.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question regarding what percentage of young adults in the U.S. transition to college after high school can be answered by reviewing educational statistics. According to the most recent data reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES 2020) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2020), about two-thirds of high school graduates, which constitutes more than 65%, are enrolled in college between their teen years and age twenty-four. A significant proportion of these students are immediate enrollers who begin college in the first fall term after their high school graduation. However, it's important to note that notwithstanding a high college entry rate, only a fraction of the U.S. population ultimately earns a bachelor's or higher degree. The BLS statistics from 2019 show that while just over 90% of the U.S. population aged 25 and over had a high school diploma, only 36% had a bachelor's or higher degree, indicating a drop-off in college completion rates.