I think a far more relevant set of statistics would be post graduate outcomes for students, such as university achievement (including graduation rates)[0]
By this metric, United States is doing very well. Over 50% of Americans aged 25-34 have completed tertiary education, putting us at the 5th position within OECD, well ahead of countries like Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, Denmark, or Poland.
I don't think it's a meaningful metric, though, because most tertiary degrees are a waste of time, and higher university graduation rate can be worse if that translates to more people getting useless degrees.
[0]: https://www.ijbmcnet.com/images/Vol3No3/2.pdf