It’s time for gowns, carnations, diplomas, and lots of pictures. This is the season for graduations — with ceremonies being held all over the country for students from kindergarten to graduate school. In the U.S., there are nearly 78 million students at all levels of schooling — some 41.7 million from nursery through elementary school, almost 17 million in high school, and about 19 and a half million in college. High school graduation rates have grown steadily through the years, so that now, around eight-out-of-10 young adults have a diploma. The rate for college graduates has also grown. In 1980, 17 percent of Americans had a bachelor’s degree or higher — today, that figure is nearly 31 percent, or over 70 million people. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.