The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS:72) is a large, diverse, nationally representative cohort study that began with a random sample of American high school seniors in 1972. Follow-up surveys were conducted between 1973 and 1986. The current follow-up began in 2024, with participants then in their seventies. Read more about NLS:72.
High School and Beyond (HS&B:80) is a large, diverse, nationally representative cohort study that began with a random sample of American high school sophomores and seniors in 1980. Follow-up surveys were conducted between 1982 and 2015. The most recent follow-up was in 2021, with participants then approaching age 60. Read more about HS&B:80.
Designed to understand how the U.S. educational system shapes peoples’ lives, the NLS:72 and HS&B:80 cohorts—about a decade apart in age and harmonized by design—include:
- Large, population-representative samples of individuals followed from high school through late life.
- Rich information about educational contexts, opportunities, and outcomes.
- High-quality measures of later-life cognition, physical health, mortality, economic circumstances, and more.
- Extensive measures of biological, social, economic, and other factors that mediate and moderate the effects of education on healthy aging and cognition.
- Oversamples of key subpopulations.
HS&B:80/21 and NLS:72/25 Comparisons
| HS&B:80 2021 (Age ~60) | NLS:72 2025 (Age ~70) | |
|---|---|---|
| Main Purpose: How does education shape... | ...cognitive functioning and aging | ...cognitive functioning and aging |
| Questionnaire Mode | Phone or Web (backup paper) | In-Person or Phone (backup web, paper) |
| Neurocognitive Assessments | Yes | Yes |
| Physical Measures | Yes | Yes |
| Biomarkers | Blood, saliva | Blood, saliva, MRI |
| Administrative Records | Mortality, Voting, Consumer Credit, Pharmacy | Mortality, Voting, Consumer Credit, Pharmacy, Lab |
| Spatial Location | Yes | Yes |
- Discover the neurocognitive assessments administered in HS&B:80/21 and NLS:72/25.
Explore the blood- and saliva-derived assays analyzed in HS&B:80/21. These assays provide valuable insights into the biological pathways and mechanisms that influence health outcomes.