But the Puritans were a minority in early America. The economic heart of early America is the Cheseapeake and south, and there was not much public education there. It wasn't until the 1830s that it became common for some primary schooling in the south, and even then it was only 1-2 years for basic literacy and arithmetic. Only the richest went to academies or seminaries (in the original meaning of the word). Literacy became much more common by the mid 1800s. Not sure when near universal literacy took place but I'd say 19th century over 18th for sure.

Wide spread college attendance is really only in the 2nd half of the 20th century.