According to the US Department of State, chess is gaining popularity again in US schools.

Formerly the refuge of nerds, dweebs, wonks and misfits, chess has become one of the hottest activities in schools across the United States.  The chess programs, however, are not designed to turn out more grand masters or produce a new American world chess champion.  Educators promote chess for the impressive academic gains it brings to students.

…

No one has firm numbers on how many kids have taken up the game in recent years, but one academic has said that there has been “a veritable explosion of young chess players” across the United States.

Unfortuneately, the article is pretty short on actual numbers.

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