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Crime bill- structuring
better Reform
[email protected]
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
DropoutiRates in the United States ols, and High School Dropout Rates
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-4.html
Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995
Immigration, Participation in U.S. Schools, and
High School Dropout Rates
The dropout rates for Hispanic youth have remained at levels consistently higher than the dropout rates
experienced by their white and black peers since the early 1970s (tables 1 and 5). Although a number of
factors may contribute to the dropout rates observed for Hispanic youth, previous analyses have shown
even higher dropout rates for foreign-born Hispanic youths\36\. What is not clear is what portion of the
dropout rate observed for Hispanic youth is attributable to dropouts from U.S. schools, as opposed to
immigrants who come to the U.S. without a high school credential and never enter U.S. schools. In
addition, questions persist over the role that language limitations may play in determining participation
and success in U.S. schools. In 1995, data on country of birth, participation in U.S. schools, and
language use and ability may help provide answers to some of these questions.
Table 15-Rate, number, and distribution of status dropouts, ages 16-24, by race-ethnicity and
place of birth: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Percent
dropout
dropouts
Population
of all
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dropouts
Total
12.0
3,876
32,379
100.0
Born in U.S.
9.9
2,875
28,935
74.2
Foreign-born
29.1
1,001
3,444
25.8
White, non-Hispanic
8.6
1,887
21,991
48.7
Born in U.S.
8.6
1,831
21,242
47.2
Foreign-born
7.5
56
749
1.4
Black, non-Hispanic
12.1
571
4,732
14.7
Born in U.S.
12.2
552
4,519
14.2
Foreign-born
8.8
19
213
0.5
Hispanic
30.0
1,345
4,485
34.7
Born in U.S.
17.9
458
2,562
11.8
Foreign-born
46.2
887
1,923
22.9
Other
6.2
73
1,171
1.9
Born in U.S.
5.6
34
611
0.9
Foreign-born
6.9
39
559
1.0
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
Immigration
Among all youth 16 through 24 years of age, immigrants are more likely to be status dropouts than the
native-born. The status dropout rate of 29.1 percent for immigrants ages 16 through 24 is nearly three
times the rate of 9.9 percent for native-born youths (table 15). Consequently, although immigrants
comprise about one-tenth of the U.S. population ages 16 through 24, they account for one-quarter of the
status dropouts in this age group.
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Among the different race-ethnicity groups, only Hispanic foreign-born are at greater risk of dropping out
than native-born youths. For Hispanics, the dropout rate of 46.2 percent for immigrants is two and
one-half times the dropout rate of 17.9 percent for Hispanic young adults born in the U.S.
A closer look at the immigrant population shows that Hispanic young adults account for 56 percent of all
foreign-born 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S., but close to 90 percent of all status dropouts in the
immigrant population (table 16).
Table 16-Rate, number, and distribution of foreign-born status dropouts, ages 16-24, by
enrollment in U.S. schools and race-ethnicity: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Percent
dropout
dropouts
Population
of all
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dropouts
Total
29.1
1,001
3,444
100.0
Ever enrolled in U.S.
13.2
326
2,469
32.6
Never enrolled in U.S.
69.3
675
975
67.4
Hispanic
46.2-
887
1,923
88.6
Ever enrolled in U.S.
23.7
261
1,105
26.1
Never enrolled in U.S.
76.5
626
818
62.5
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
Recall that the 1995 status dropout rate for all Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S. was 30.0
percent. This rate reflects the educational attainment of all Hispanic young adults in the U.S., regardless
of their immigration status. However, since only four out of five Hispanic young adults ever enrolled in
U.S. schools (table 17), dropout rates that include young Hispanics who have not participated in U.S.
schools fail to give an accurate view of the success of Hispanic students in U.S. schools.
In fact, the status dropout rate for Hispanic students ever enrolled in U.S. schools is 19.6 percent, a rate
appreciably lower than the aggregate rate of 30.0 percent (table 17). Furthermore, the dropout rate for
foreign-born Hispanics who enrolled in U.S. schools is 23.7 percent. Thus, the dropout rate from U.S.
schools for Hispanic youths born in the U.S. and the rate for foreign-born Hispanic youths are similar
(17.9 percent for U.S. born and 23.7 percent for foreign-born). These rates are still higher than the rates
registered for white and black young adults in the same age range (8.6 percent for whites and 12.1
percent for blacks) (table 15). Nevertheless, a third of the 30.0 percent dropout rate registered for all
Hispanic youths is due to the large proportion of young Hispanic immigrants who come to this country
without a high school education and are not subsequently enrolled in U.S. schools. Some of the young
Hispanic immigrants who do not enroll in school in the U.S. may have entered the U.S. beyond what is
considered "normal" high school age, and some may have come to the U.S. in search of employment
rather than education. However, for some of these youths, language may be a barrier to participation in
U.S. schools.
Educational Attainment, Participation in U.S. Schools, and Dropout Rates
Experience and anecdotal evidence both suggest that some number of these Hispanic "dropouts" never
enrolled in U.S. schools. Undoubtedly, some young Hispanics arrive in the U.S. in search of
employment rather than schooling. But others must find the barriers imposed by language limitations,
crowded schools, limited openings in special programs, personal and economic exigencies, cultural
differences, and limited first hand exposure to the intrinsic and extrinsic value of high school or
post-secondary education so insurmountable that they prevent entry to U.S. schools. For example, in
1995, approximately 43 percent of Hispanic immigrants ages 16 through 24 had not enrolled in school in
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the U.S. (figure 5). Only ten percent of Hispanic immigrants came to the U.S. with a high school
education and never enrolled. One-third never enrolled and did not have a high school education and are
counted as dropouts.
Figure 5-Hispanic immigrants, ages 16-24, by high school education status
Total: 1, 923,000
13.6%
Dropped out of U.S. school
Ever enrolled
in
U.S.:
43.8%
Currently enrolled or completed
57.4%
high school in U.S.
Nev er enrolled
in
32.6%
Less than high school ("dropouts")
U.S.:
426%
10.0%
Foreign high school cred ential
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
(Readers please note this figure is based on the foreign-born Hispanic population age
Recall that the 1995 status dropout rate for all Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S. was 30.0
percent. This rate reflects the educational attainment of all Hispanic young adults in the U.S., regardless
of their immigration status. However, since only four out of five Hispanic young adults ever enrolled in
U.S. schools (table 17), dropout rates that include young Hispanics who have not participated in U.S.
schools fail to give an accurate view of the success of Hispanic students in U.S. schools.
In fact, the status dropout rate for Hispanic students ever enrolled in U.S. schools is 19.6 percent, a rate
appreciably lower than the aggregate rate of 30.0 percent (table 17). Furthermore, the dropout rate for
foreign-born Hispanics who enrolled in U.S. schools is 23.7 percent. Thus, the dropout rate from U.S.
schools for Hispanic youths born in the U.S. and the rate for foreign-born Hispanic youths are similar
(17.9 percent for U.S. born and 23.7 percent for foreign-born). These rates are still higher than the rates
registered for white and black young adults in the same age range (8.6 percent for whites and 12.1
percent for blacks) (table 15). Nevertheless, a third of the 30.0 percent dropout rate registered for all
Hispanic youths is due to the large proportion of young Hispanic immigrants who come to this country
without a high school education and are not subsequently enrolled in U.S. schools. Some of the young
Hispanic immigrants who do not enroll in school in the U.S. may have entered the U.S. beyond what is
considered "normal" high school age, and some may have come to the U.S. in search of employment
rather than education. However, for some of these youths, language may be a barrier to participation in
U.S. schools.
Table 17-Rate, number, and distribution of Hispanics, ages 16-24, by enrollment in U.S. schools,
dropout status, and place of birth: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Percent
Per
dropout
dropouts
Population
of all
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dropouts
popu
Total
30.0
1,345
4,485
100.0
10
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Never enrolled in
U.S. schools
76.5
626
818
46.5
1
Dropouts
100.0
626
626
46.5
1
Graduates
-
-
192
-
Ever enrolled in
U.S. schools
19.6
719
3,667
53.5
8
Born in U.S.
17.9
458
2,562
34.1
5
Foreign-born
23:7
261
1,105
19.4
2
-Not applicable
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
October 1995, unpublished data.
Language Usage and Hispanic Dropout Rates
In 1995, four out of five Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S. were reported as speaking
Spanish at home (table 18)\37\. And, 22 percent of these youths that spoke Spanish at home never
attended school in the U.S. (table 19)\38\. In contrast, 96 percent of the Hispanic young adults who
spoke only English at home did attend school in the U.S.
Table 18-Rate, number, and distribution of Hispanic status dropouts, ages 16-24, by language
spoken at home: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Percent
Language
dropout
dropouts
Population
of all
spoken
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dropouts
Total
30.0
1,345
4,485
100.0
Speaks only English
20.4
188
921
14.0
Speaks Spanish
32.5
1,157
3,564
86.0
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
Among Hispanic youths who attended school in the U.S., dropout rates are similar, regardless of the
language spoken at home: 20.3 percent of Hispanics who spoke Spanish at home were status dropouts in
1995 and 17.5 percent of Hispanics who spoke only English at home were status dropouts in 1995. Thus,
while a larger percentage of Hispanic youth who spoke Spanish at home never entered U.S. schools (22
percent versus 4 percent), once enrolled; Hispanic students who spoke Spanish at home are as likely to
remain in school as their peers who only spoke English at home. However, among the Hispanic students
who spoke Spanish at home, English speaking ability is related to their success in school.
Table 19-Rate, number, and distribution of Hispanics, ages 16-24, by language spoken at home,
enrollment in U.S. schools, dropout status, and school completion status: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Perce
dropout
dropouts
Population
of a
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dropo
Total
30.0
1,345
4,485
100.
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Speaks only English
20.4
188
921
100.
Ever enrolled in U.S.
17.5
154
883
82.
Never enrolled in U.S.
88.1
34
38
17.
Dropout
100.0
34
34
Completed
-
-
-
Speaks Spanish
32.5
1,157
3,564
100.
Ever enrolled in U.S.
20.3
565
2,784
48.
Never enrolled in U.S.
75.9
592
780
51.
Dropout
100.0
592
592
Completed
-
-
188
-Not applicable
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
English Speaking Ability
Three-quarters (76.3 percent) of the Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds who spoke Spanish at home were
also reported as speaking English "well" or "very well" (table 20).\39\ For these young adults, speaking
Spanish at home is not an indication of limited English speaking ability. Nearly this entire group
attended school in the U.S. (94 percent or 2,560,000 out of 2,718,000). And the dropout rate of 19.2
percent for this group is on a par with the dropout rate of 17.5 percent observed for enrolled Hispanic
young adults who spoke only English at home.
The situation is reversed among Hispanic young adults who reported limited English speaking ability.
Only one-quarter of this group attended school in the U.S. (224,000 out of 846,000) and a third of those
who did attend dropped out. What is more, eighty-one percent of the group who reported speaking
English "not well" or "not at all," and also never enrolled in U.S. schools, lacked a high school
education.
Table 20-Rate, number, and distribution of Hispanic status dropouts who speak Spanish at home,
ages 16-24, by enrollment in U.S. schools and English language ability: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Percen
dropout
dropouts
Population
of al
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dropou
Total
32.5
1,157
3,564
100.0
Speaks English well\1\
21.4
581
2,718
50.3
Speaks English not well\2\
68.0
576
846
49.7
Ever enrolled in U.S. schools
20.3
565
2,784
100.0
Speaks English well
19.2
491
2,560
86.9
Very well
17.4
362
2,081
64.1
Well
27.0
129
479
22.8
Speaks English not well
32.9
74
224
13.1
Not enrolled in U.S. schools
75.9
592
780
100.0
Speaks English well
57.4
90
158
15.3
Speaks English not well
80.7
502
622
84.7
1/Consists of those who speak English very well or well.
2/Consists of those who speak English not well or not at all.
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
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SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
Participation in English as a Second Language Instruction
Programs in bilingual education and English as a Second Language (ESL) are intended to broaden the
educational and employment opportunities available to youths with limited English ability. In 1995, 12.4
percent of the Hispanic young adults spoke Spanish at home, had participated in ESL instruction, and
were reported as speaking English "well" or "very well" (table 21). The 22.3 percent status dropout rate
for this group is on a par with the rate of 21.2 percent experienced by the group of Hispanic young adults
who spoke Spanish at home and were reported as speaking English "well" or "very well" without any
ESL instruction. And both of these rates are similar to the status dropout rate of 20.4 percent
experienced by Hispanic youths that spoke only English at home. Taken together, these three groups of
Hispanic youths make up approximately 80 percent of all Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S.
in 1995: 12.4 percent spoke Spanish at home and spoke English "well" or "very well" with ESL
instruction, 48.2 percent spoke Spanish at home and spoke English "well" or "very well" without ESL
instruction, and 20.5 percent spoke only English at home.
Table 21-Rate, number, and distribution of Hispanics, ages 16-24, by language spoken at home,
English language ability, and enrollment in ESL classes: October 1995
Number of
Status
status
Per
dropout
dropouts
Population
of
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dro
Total
30.0
1,345
4,485
10
Speaks only English
20.4
188
921
1
Speaks Spanish
32.5
1,157
3,564
8
Speaks English well
21.4
581
2,718
4
Ever enrolled in ESL classes
22.3
124
556
Never enrolled in ESL classes
21.2
457
2,162
3
Speaks English not well
68.0
576
846
4
Ever enrolled in ESL classes
57.1
131
229
Never enrolled in ESL classes
72.1
445
617
3
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
The remaining 20 percent of Hispanic young adults ages 16 through 24 were reported as either speaking
English "not well" or "not at all." Twenty-seven percent of these youths reported some prior
participation in ESL (57 percent of this group dropped out of school), but the majority (73 percent)
reported no ESL instruction (with a status dropout rate of 72 percent) (table 21). In 1995, two-thirds (68
percent) of the Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S. who reported limited English speaking
ability did not have a high school credential and were not enrolled in school.\40 Since the majority of
these youths are not enrolled in U.S. schools, ESL training offered outside of traditional school settings
(for example, community organizations, churches, and adult education programs) may be more likely to
reach this group of young Hispanics.
Table 22-Rate, number, and distribution of Hispanics who speak Spanish at home, ages 16-24,
with limited English speaking ability, by enrollment in ESL classes and enrollment in U.S. schools:
October 1995
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Number of
Status
status
Per
dropout
dropouts
Population
of
Characteristics
rate
(in thousands)
(in thousands)
dro
Total
68.0
576
846
10
Ever enrolled in ESL
57.1
131
229
2
Ever enrolled in U.S. schools
40:7
47
115
Not enrolled in U.S. schools
73.7
84
114
1
Never enrolled in ESL
72.1
445
617
7
Ever enrolled in U.S. schools
24.8
27
109
Not enrolled in U.S. schools
82.2
418
508
7
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
unpublished data.
Educational Attainment Levels of Hispanic Young Adults
The life chances of young Hispanic immigrants without a high school education may be further
hampered by the amount of schooling they have completed. This is especially the case for those without
a high school credential who never enrolled in U.S. schools. For example, at least 90 percent of high
school dropouts in the 16 through 24 age group who attended school in the U.S. completed a seventh or
eighth grade education-this holds for all Hispanic dropouts born in the U.S. (98.0 percent) and for
foreign-born Hispanics who enrolled and then dropped out of U.S. schools (91.6 percent) (table 23). In
contrast, only one-half of foreign-born Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds who did not enroll in school in
the U.S. completed a seventh or eighth grade education.
Table 23-Percentage of status dropouts, ages 16-24, completing various grades of school: October
1995
Hispanics
Foreign-born
Total
Born
Enrolled in U.S.
Never
Percent completing
U.S. Born
in U.S.
Total
schools
in U.S
Grades 5 or 6
98.9
99.1
86.9
98.0
8
Grades 7 or 8
98.0
98.0
63.4
91.6
5
Grade 9
86.9
88.4
48.4
71.7
3
Grade 10
69.9
70.4
30.5
56.4
1
Grade 11
43.1
47.2
21.6
36.8
1
Grade 12, no diploma
9.5
15.1
10.0
16.3
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
1995, unpublished data.
Many students who drop out of school in the U.S. do so between the ninth and eleventh grades. About
87 percent of the dropouts who were born in the U.S. completed the ninth grade and nearly 70 percent
completed the tenth grade, but less than 50 percent completed the eleventh grade. The data for Hispanic
youth born in the U.S. are very similar to the data for all U.S. born 16- through 24-year-olds, with about
88 percent completing the ninth grade, 70 percent completing the tenth grade, and 47 percent completing
the eleventh grade. The data for foreign-born Hispanic youth who attend schools in the U.S. mirror the
same pattern; with about 72 percent completing the ninth grade, 56 percent completing the tenth grade,
and 37 percent completing the eleventh grade. \41\
The pattern is different for foreign-born Hispanics who did not enroll in U.S. schools. In this group, only
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39 percent completed the ninth grade and only 20 percent had a tenth grade education. The net effect of
these differences is that Hispanic dropouts have more grades to make up to reach parity with their white
and black peers. A large share of Hispanic youths drop out of school in the U.S., and on average, those
who do not attend U.S. schools have completed fewer years of schooling than their peers.
Summary
These data on country of birth and participation in U.S. schools show that the inclusion of immigrant
young adults in the aggregate dropout rate for Hispanics has resulted in a substantial increase in the
reported dropout rate for Hispanics in the U.S. In 1995, for example, nearly one-half of the Hispanic
dropouts were immigrants who never enrolled in U.S. schools. The Hispanic status dropout rate with
these immigrants included is 30.0 percent; when they are excluded, the dropout rate for Hispanic 16-
through 24-year-olds falls to 19.6 percent. Still, this rate is higher than the status dropout rates registered
by black and white youths in this age group (12.1 percent for blacks and 8.6 percent for whites).
Data on language usage show that eighty percent of the Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds spoke
Spanish at home and about one out of every five of these youths never attended school in the U.S.
However, among the Hispanic youths that attended school in the U.S., the dropout rates were similar,
regardless of whether the youth spoke only English at home (17.5 percent) or spoke Spanish at home
(20.3 percent).
For those youths that spoke Spanish at home, English speaking ability was related to their success in
school. The status dropout rate for young Hispanics reported to speak English "well" or "very well" who
attended U.S. schools was 19.2 percent, a rate similar to the 17.5 percent status dropout rate observed for
enrolled Hispanic youths that spoke only English at home. In contrast, only one-fourth of the Hispanic
youths who reported limited English speaking ability attended school in the U.S. and one-third of those
who attended dropped out.
Hispanic young adults who received ESL instruction and reported speaking English "well" or "very
well" had a dropout rate of 22.3 percent comparable to the rate of 20.4 percent observed for Hispanic 16-
through 24-year-olds who spoke only English at home. Youth who were reported with limited English
speaking ability did not fare as well. About one-quarter of the Hispanic youths with limited English
speaking ability had received some ESL instruction, but 57 percent of these youths were dropouts. And,
72 percent of the youths with limited English speaking ability and no ESL instruction were dropouts.
This suggests that ESL instruction offered in nonschool settings may be more likely to reach these
youths.
Many of the youths with limited English speaking ability (74 percent) are immigrants who never
enrolled in U.S. schools, and a number of these youths have completed fewer years of schooling than
Hispanic dropouts born in the U.S. or Hispanic dropouts who migrated to the U.S. and attended U.S.
schools. As a result, many Hispanic dropouts have more work to do to complete a high school education.
Footnotes:
36/ See for example, F. Bennici and W. Strang. An Analysis of Language Minority and Limited English
Proficient Students from NELS:88, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Education and
Minority Language Affairs, August 1995; W.Strang, M. Winglee, and J. Stunkard. Characteristics of
Secondary-School-Age Language Minority and Limited English Proficient Youth, U.S. Department of
Education, 1993; and P. Kaufman and M. McMillen. Dropout Rates in the United States: 1990.
Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. NCES
91-053.
37/ These data, like all CPS data in this report, are based on the report of a household respondent rather
than reports from each individual in the household.
38/ Five percent of the Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds who spoke Spanish at home completed their
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high school programs outside of the U.S. These youths have a high school credential, but are reported as
never enrolling in U.S. schools.
39/ The question on English speaking ability was only asked of persons who spoke a language other
than English at home, thus the data do not include the English speaking ability of Hispanic youths who
reported only speaking English at home.
40/ Recall from table 20, that 81 percent of the youths with limited English speaking ability and who
never enrolled in U.S. schools did not have a high school credential.
41/ When the percent of Hispanic dropouts who complete each grade is compared for youths born in the
U.S. and foreign-born youths who enrolled in U.S. schools, the apparent differences are not statistically
significant.
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High School Completion Rates
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Grade Retention
9 of 9
3/23/2000 9:33 AM
CompletionRete
Enrollent
Higher Education Completion Rate
Y yr. 3A
All Institutions
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
U.S. Residents
White
82.6
81.9
81.4
80.7
80.2
79.3
Total Minority
15.4
15.9
16.1
16.6
17
17.9
Black
9.4
9.4
9.2
8.9
8.8
8.7
Hispanic
3.5
3.7
3.9
4.2
4.4
4.9
All Four Year Institutions
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
U.S. Residents
White
84.4
83.7
82.9
82.5
81.8
81
Total Minority
13.1
13.5
13.9
14
14.6
15.3
Black
8.5
8.5
8.4
8
8
7.9
Hispanic
2.4
2.6
2.9
3
3.2
3.6
All Two Year Institutions
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
U.S. Residents
White
79.3
78.6
78.7
77.9
77.6
76.6
Total Minority
19.6
20.1
19.9
20.8
21.2
22.3
Black
11.1
11
10.4
10.3
10.1
10
Hispanic
5.4
5.6
5.6
6.1
6.4
7.3
Drop?
1995
72.3
24.5
10.3
7.7
1995
74.3
21.5
9.7
5.5
1995
69.1
29.3
11.3
11.1
1994
73
23.8
10.1
7.3
1994
75
20.8
9.5
5.3
1994
69.8
28.5
11.1
10.5
1993
74.1
22.7
9.9
6.9
1993
76
19.8
9.3
4.9
1993
71.2
27.2
10.8
10
75.1
19
6
1992
21.8
9.6
6.6
1992
76.9
4.7
1992
72.2
26.2
10.5
9.5
1991
76.5
20.6
9.3
9
1991
78
18.1
8.7
4.4
1991
74.3
24.4
10.2
8.6
6
1990
77.6
19.6
5.7
1990
78.9
17.3
8.4
4.2
1990
75.5
23.3
10
8.1
1988
78.8
18.4
8.7
5.2
1988
80.5
15.8
8
3.6
1988
76
22.7
9.7
7.9
98-013 / Condition of Education 19 ethnicity of student: Fall 1976-95
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9851d02.html
The Condition of Education 1998, Supplemental Table 51-2
Table 51-2 Percentage distribution of total enrollment in institutions of higher education,
by control and type of institution and race/ethnicity of student Fall 1976-95
Control and type of institution
and race/ethnicity of student
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
All institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
82.6
81.9
81.4
80.7
80.2
79.3
78.8
77.6
76.5
75.1
74,1
72.3
Total minority
15.4
15.9
16.1
16.6
17.0
17.9
18.4
19.6
20.6
21.8
22.7
24.5
Black
9.4
9.4
9.2
8.9
8.8
8.7
8.7
9.0
9.3
9.6
9.9
10.3
Hispanic
3.5
3.7
3.9
4.2
4.4
4.9
5.2
5.7
6.0
6.6
6.9
7.7
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.8
2.1
2.4
2.8
3.2
3.6
3.8
4.1
4.4
4.8
5.1
5.6
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.7
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.9
Nonresident alien
2.0
2.3
2.5
2.7
2.7
2.8
2.8
2.8
2.9
3.1
3.2
3.2
Public institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
82.1
81.4
81.0
80.3
79.8
78.8
78.4
77.3
76.2
74.6
73.5
Total minority
16.2
16.7
16.9
17.5
17.9
18.9
19.2
20.3
21.3
22.8
23.8
Black
9.6
9.6
9.3
9.0
8.9
8.8
8.7
9.0
9.3
9.7
10.0
Hispanic
3.9
4.1
4.3
4.6
4.8
5.5
5.8
6.2
6.6
7.2
7.6
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.9
2.2
2.5
3.1
3.4
3.8
4.0
4.3
4.6
5.0
5.2
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.9
0.9
1.0
Nonresident alien
1.7
1.9
2.2
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.4
2.4
2.6
2.7
Private institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
84.5
83.6
82.8
82.1
81.8
81.3
80.3
78.6
77.6
76.8
76,2
Total minority
12.4
13.0
13.4
13.7
14.0
14.4
15.4
17.0
17.7
18.4
18.9
Black
8.6
8.7
8.8
8.5
8.4
8.2
8.6
9.1
9.2
9.4
9.6
Hispanic
2.0
2.2
2.5
2.7
2.8
3.1
3.2
3.7
4.1
4.3
4,4
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.4
1.6
1.8
2.0
2.4
2.8
3.2
3.8
4.0
4.2
4,4
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.5
0.5
Nonresident alien
3.1
3.5
3.8
4.2
4.2
4.3
4.3
4.4
4.6
4.8
4.9
All 4-year institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
1995
U.S. residents²
White
84.4
83.7
82.9
82.5
81.8
81.0
80.5
78.9
78.0
76.9
76.0
74.3
Total minority
13.1
13.5
13.9
14.0
14.6
15.3
15.8
17.3
18.1
19.0
19.8
21.5
Black
8.5
8.5
8.4
8.0
8.0
7.9
8.0
8.4
8.7
9.0
9.3
9.7
Hispanic
2.4
2.6
2.9
3.0
3.2
3.6
3.6
4.2
4.4
4.7
4.9
5.5
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.7
1.9
2.1
2.5
2.9
3.3
3.6
4.2
4.4
4.6
4.9
5.5
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.7
0.7
Nonresident alien
2.5
2.8
3.2
3.5
3.7
3.7
3.7
3.8
3.9
4.1
4,2
4.2
Public 4-year institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
84.2
83.4
82.7
82.3
81.4
80.7
80.4
78.8
77.9
76.8
75.8
Total minority
13.6
14.1
14.5
14.6
15.3
16.0
16.4
17.9
18.7
19.6
20.6
Black
8.6
8.7
8.5
8.1
8.2
8.0
8.1
8.5
8.7
9.1
9,4
Hispanic
2.6
2.9
3.0
3.2
3.4
3.9
3.9
4.5
4.7
5.0
5.3
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.8
2.0
2.3
2.7
3.1
3.5
3.8
4.3
4.5
4.8
5.1
1 of 3
3/24/2000 9:38 AM
98-013 / Condition of Education 19 ethnicity of student: Fall 1976-95
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9851d02.html
Table 51-2 Percentage distribution of total enrollment in institutions of higher education,
by control and type of institution and race/ethnicity of student Fall 1976-95- Continued
Control and type of institution
and race/ethnicity of student
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1991
1992
199
3
Private 4-year institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
84.9
84.2
83.3
82.8
82.5
81.7
80.8
79.2
78.3
77.2
76
Total minority
11.9
12.3
12.7
12.8
13.1
13.7
14.6
16.1
16.8
17.7
18
Black
8.2
8.1
8.0
7.8
7.6
7.6
7.9
8.4
8.6
8.9
9
Hispanic
2.0
2.2
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.9
3.0
3.5
3.7
4.0
4
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.4
1.7
1.8
2.1
2.5
2.9
3.3
3.9
4.1
4.4
4
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.4
0
Nonresident alien
3.2
3.5
4.0
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.6
4.7
4.9
5.0
5
1995
All 2-year institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
79.3
78.6
78.7
77.9
77.6
76.6
76.0
75.5
74.3
72.2
71,2
69.1
Total minority
19.6
20.1
19.9
20.8
21.2
22.3
22.7
23.3
24.4
26.2
27.2
29.3
Black
11.1
11.0
10.4
10.3
10.1
10.0
9.7
10.0
10.2
10.5
10.8
11.3
Hispanic
5.4
5.6
5.6
6.1
6.4
7.3
7.9
8.1
8.6
9.5
10.0
11.1
Asian/Pacific Islander
2.0
2.4
2.8
3.3
3.7
4.0
4.1
4.1
4.5
5.1
5.3
5.7
American Indian/Alaskan Native
1.1
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.1
1,1
1.2
Nonresident alien
1.1
1.3
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.3
1.6
1.6
1.6
Public 2-year institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
79.3
78.8
78.8
78.0
77.8
76.6
76.1
75.6
74.5
72.2
71
Total minority
19.6
20.0
19.8
20.7
21.1
22.3
22.7
23.1
24.2
26.2
27
Black
10.9
10.7
10.1
10.0
9.8
9.7
9.4
9.6
9.9
10.3
10
Hispanic
5.5
5.7
5.8
6.2
6.5
7.4
8.0
8.2
8.6
9.6
10
Asian/Pacific Islander
2.1
2.5
2.8
3.4
3.8
4.1
4.2
4.2
4.6
5.2
5
American Indian/Alaskan Native
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.1
1
Nonresident alien
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.3
1.6
1
Private 2-year institutions
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100
U.S. residents²
White
78.6
74.8
75.1
75.0
75.9
77.1
75.4
71.7
70.4
71.5
73
Total minority
19.1
22.6
22.8
23.2
22.9
21.4
23.4
27.0
28.0
27.0
25
Black
15.3
18.1
18.1
16.8
15.4
13.9
16.0
17.6
16.4
15.4
14
Hispanic
2.3
3.2
2.6
4.1
4.5
5.3
5.1
6.1
8.2
7.5
7
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.8
0.6
1.0
1.4
1.9
1.5
1.6
2.0
2.3
2.3
2
American Indian/Alaskan Native
1.5
1.3
1.0
1.4
1.5
1.1
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.7
1
Nonresident alien
2.3
2.6
2.1
1.8
1.5
1.5
1.2
1.6
1.5
1.6
1
1 Estimates based on preliminary data.
2 Includes U.S. citizens and resident aliens.
NOTE: Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics,
1997, table 202 (based on the IPEDS/HEGIS "Fall Enrollment" surveys).
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98-013 / Condition of Education 19 ethnicity of student: Fall 1976-95
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9851d02.htm
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Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / High School Completion Rates
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-3.html
Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995
High School Completion Rates
Concerns over high school dropouts stem from an increased understanding of the importance of having
an educated workforce. Technological advances in the workplace have increased the demand for skilled
labor to the point where today a high school education serves more as a minimum requirement for entry
to the labor force. This increased emphasis on educational requirements makes the completion of a high
school program more essential than ever.
In fact, youths entering adulthood today face more challenging educational requirements than their
parents or grandparents 20 to 50 years earlier. When the grandparents of today's high school students
entered adulthood, a high school education was viewed as an asset in the labor force; and for their
children, a high school education still served as an entryway to a number of promising career paths. For
example, in 1950, when grandparents of many of today's high school students were new to the
workforce, only about one-half of the population ages 25 to 29 had completed a high school program
(Digest of Education Statistics 1995). In contrast, during the 1970s, when the parents of many of today's
high schoolers entered the labor force, about 83 to 84 percent of the population ages 18 through 24 not
enrolled in high school had a high school education (figure 4 and table A39).
Figure 4: Completion rates for persons ages 18-24 not currently enrolled in high
school or below, by race-ethnicity: October 1972 through October 1995
Percent
100
White, non-Hispanic
90
80
Total
Black, non-Hispanic
70
60
Hispanic
50
40
30
20
10
0
1972
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
Year
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
October (various years), unpublished data.
If the population is considered as a whole, the net increase in high school completion observed over the
1 of 7
3/24/2000 9:07 AM
Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / High School Completion Rates
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-3.html
last 20 years is less than 2 percent. By 1995 about 85 percent of the 18- through 24-year-olds who were
not still in high school had completed a high school program. The picture is somewhat different when
the experiences of individual racial-ethnic groups are considered separately (Table 11). The percent of
white young adults with a high school education during the 1970s was between 86 and 87 percent 3/4 by
1995 89.8 percent of this group held high school credentials. During the 1970s, between 70 and 74
percent of black young adults had completed a high school program; by 1995, the number was up to 84.5
percent. A lower percentage of Hispanic youths complete high school programs, and the pattern for
Hispanics has continued relatively unchanged during the 1970s the percentage of Hispanic 18- through
24-year-olds with a high school education fluctuated between 56 and 62 percent; in the 1.990s it ranged
from about 59 to 64 percent, and in 1995 the rate was 62.8 percent.
Table 11: High school completion rates and method of completion of 18- through 24-year-olds not
currently enrolled in high school or below, by race-ethnicity: October 1990 through October 1995
Year
Completion method
1990
1991
1992²
1993²
19942,3
19952,3
(percent)
Totall
Completed
85.6
84.9
86.4
86.2
85.8
85.3
Diploma
81.0
80.9
81.5
81.3
79.4
77.9
Alternative
4.6
4.0
4.9
4.9
6.4
7.4
White, non-Hispanic
Completed
89.6
89.4
90.7
90.1
90.7
89.8
Diploma
85.0
85.2
85.7
85.4
84.6
82.9
Alternative
4.6
4.2
5.0
4.7
6.1
6.9
Black, non-Hispanic
Completed
83.2
82.5
82
81.9
83.3
84.5
Diploma
78.0
77.4
76.8
75.9
75.7
75.9
Alternative
5.2
5.1
5.2
6.0
7.6
8.5
Hispanic
Completed
59.1
56.5
62.1
64.4
61.8
62.8
Diploma
56.5
54.4
58.0
58.5
56.5
54.2
Alternative
2.6
2.1
4.1
5.9
5.3
8.6
1/ Due to relatively small sample sizes, American Indian/Alaskan Natives and
Asian/Pacific Islanders are included in the total but are not shown separately.
2/ Numbers for these years reflect new wording of the educational attainment item
in the CPS.
3/ Numbers in these years reflect changes in CPS due to newly instituted computer
assisted interviewing and/or due to the change in the population controls to the
1990 Cénsus-based estimates, with adjustment.
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
October (various years), unpublished data.
The race-ethnicity differences evident in these high school completion rates mirror the pattern of
differences observed in the status dropout rates. The same is true when high school completion rates are
examined within income levels and geographic regions.
Youths living in families at the highest income levels were the least likely to drop out of high school,
compared with young adults from families with low incomes who were eight times more likely to drop
out. Correspondingly, nearly 97 percent of the youngsters from families at high income levels complete
high school, compared with about 73 percent of the youths from low income families (table 12).
2 of 7
3/24/2000 9:07 AM
Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / High School Completion Rates
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-3.html
Table 12: Completion rates and number and distribution of completers, ages 18-24, not currently
enrolled in high school or below, by sex, race-ethnicity, income, and region: October 1995
Completion
Number
Percent
rate
of completers
of all
(percent)
(thousands)
completers
Total
85.3
20,102
100.0
Sex
Male
84.5
9,785
48.7
Female
86.0
10,317
51.3
Race-ethnicity¹
White, non-Hispanic
89.8
14,486
72.1
Black, non-Hispanic
84.5
2,738
13.6
Hispanic
62.87
2,112
10.5
Family income²
Low income level
73.2
3,840
19.1
Middle income level
85.8
11,464
57.0
High income level
96.6
4,798
23.9
Region
Northeast
89.6
3,863
19.2
Midwest
88.9
4,991
24.8
South
82.8
6,997
34.8
West
81.8
4,251
21.1
1/ Due to relatively small sample sizes, American Indian/Alaskan Natives and
Asian/Pacific Islanders are included in the total but are not shown separately.
2/ Low income is defined as the bottom 20 percent of all family incomes for 1994;
middle income is between 20 and 80 percent of all family incomes; and high
income is the top 20 percent of all family incomes.
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey,
October 1995, unpublished data.
The relatively low dropout rates observed in the Northeast and Midwest are reflected in high school
completion rates of nearly 90 percent in the Northeast and 89 percent in the Midwest.\ Similarly, the
higher dropout rates evident in the South and West translate into lower high school completion rates of
about 83 percent in the South and 82 percent in the West.
Completion Rates by State
Often interest in geographic comparisons extends beyond the regional level to state-specific data. One
obvious question, given the regional differences in high school completion rates, is whether the
completion rates are comparable or vary across states within each region. In order to consider data by
states, completion rates are computed based on data spanning a three year period, so that the data by
state presented in table 13 represent the averages experienced over the three year periods of 1990-92 and
1993-95.\2\ In looking at these data, it should be noted that the survey respondents may have attended
school in a different state from that in which they resided at the time of the interview.
Data for the most recent three years show that the state-by-state estimates in the Northeast range from
86.9 percent in New Hampshire to 94.7 percent in Connecticut, with Pennsylvania at a median of 89.5
percent. The rates in the Midwest range from 86.7 percent in Illinois to 96.6 percent in North Dakota,
and the median of 91.2 percent falls between the rates of 91.5 percent in South Dakota and 90.9 percent
in Kansas. In the South, the rates range from 79.5 percent in Texas to 93.6 percent in Maryland, with
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North Carolina at the median of 85.5 percent. Similarly, the Western rates range from 78.9 percent in
California to 93.6 percent in Utah, with Idaho at the median of 86.4 percent.
In some cases, the sample sizes for individual states make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. For
example, the highest and lowest rates observed in the Northeast are not significantly different from one
another, despite a 7.8 percentage point range. However, some interesting comparisons can made. In
particular, in the Midwest, South and West there are significant differences between the completion rates
of states with the highest and lowest rates within each region. The highest completion rates in each of
the four regions are on a par with one another and are all over 90 percent; the lowest rates in the South
and West are lower, however, than the lowest rates in the Midwest.
Table 13: High school completion rates of 18- through
24-year-olds not currently enrolled in high school or below,
by state: October 1990-92 and 1993-95
State
1990-92*
1993-95*
TOTAL
85.5
85.3
NORTHEAST
Connecticut
89.9
94.7
Maine
91.9
92.9
Massachusetts
89.8
92.5
New Hampshire
87.9
86.9
New Jersey
90.8
91.8
New York
88.0
87.1
Pennsylvania
90.2
89.5
Rhode Island
87.9
89.4
Vermont
87.0
88.1
MIDWEST
Illinois
86.0
86.7
Indiana
87.8
88.5
Iowa
94.6
93.2
Kansas
93.2
90.9
Michigan
87.2
88.7
Minnesota
92.5
93.3
Missouri
88.1
90.3
Nebraska
92.5
94.5
North Dakota
96.3
96.6
Ohio
90.0
88.4
South Dakota
89.1
91.5
Wisconsin
92.4
93.7
SOUTH
Alabama
85.2
84.0
Arkansas
87.5
88.4
Delaware
86.2
93.3
Florida
84.1
80.7
Georgia
85.1
80.3
Kentucky
81.1
82.4
Louisiana
83.9
80.5
Maryland
88.6
93.6
Mississippi
85.4
83.9
North Carolina
83.0
85.5
Oklahoma
84.3
87.0
South Carolina
85.0
88.0
Tennessee
76.7
84.6
Texas
80.0
79.5
Virginia
88.6
87.7
Washington, D.C.
84.0
87.7
West Virginia
83.3
86.8
WEST
Alaska
85.6
90.5
Arizona
81.7
84.0
California
77.3
78.9
Colorado
88.1
88.4
Hawaii
93.5
92.0
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Idaho
84.7
86.4
Montana
91.6
89.8
Nevada
82.1
81.9
New Mexico
84.1
82.4
Oregon
89.6
82.7
Utah
93.9
93.6
Washington
90.7
85.7
Wyoming
92.0
90.8
*
Numbers on this table reflect 3-year averages.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census,
Current Population Survey, October (various years),
unpublished data.
High school completion rates in table 11 and table 12 provide a measure of the relative size of the young
adult population who have attained a high school credential (85.3 percent in 1995). Most of these young
adults attended high school, completed the required secondary coursework, and graduated with a regular
diploma. (Strictly speaking, a high school graduation rate is based on students receiving regular high
school diplomas.) In 1995, 77.9 percent of the 18- through 24-year-olds who were not still enrolled in
high school were graduates holding regular high school diplomas (Table 14).
The path is not so direct for all young adults; as the dropout rates show, each year over the last decade
300 to 500 thousand 10th through 12th graders left school without a high school diploma. Some of them
return to school and earn a regular high school diploma. Others use the knowledge acquired while they
were in school, perhaps in combination with skills and knowledge from their post high school
experiences, or alternatively through special study programs, to take and pass a high school equivalency
examination. 131
In 1995, over 1.7 million young adults 18 through 24 years of age had earned high school credentials by
passing an equivalency exam such as the General Educational Development (GED) test.\4\ The young
adults who completed high school through this alternative account for 7.4 percent of the 18- through
24-year-olds who were not still enrolled in high school in 1995.
Table 14: High school completion rates and method of
completion of 18- through 24-year-olds not currently enrolled
in high school or below, by income level: October 1995
Method of completion
Family income
Completed
Diploma
Alternative
(percent)
Total*
85.3
77.9
7.4
Low income level
73.2
64.8
8.5
Middle income level
85.8
77.8
8.0
High income level
96.6
92.1
4.5
*
Low income is defined as the bottom 20 percent of all family
incomes for 1994; middle income is between 20 and 80 percent
of all family incomes; and high income is the top 20 percent
of all family incomes.
NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current
Population Survey, October (various years); unpublished data.
When these two methods of high school completion are examined across racial and ethnic groups, the
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differences observed in the aggregate high school completion measure are repeated for high school
graduates. The percentage of white young adults who complete high school with a regular diploma (82.9
percent) is larger than the percent for blacks (75.9 percent), and the percent for Hispanics (54.2 percent)
is even lower than the percent for either blacks or whites (table 11). In contrast, similar portions of each
group complete high school by passing an equivalency test (6.9 percent for whites, 8.5 percent for
blacks, and 8.6 percent for Hispanics).
These data have only been collected since 1990. A comparison of the 1995 data with those from 1990
suggests that the percent of young adults who earn a regular diploma is relatively stable within each
race-ethnicity group. Over the same time period, modest increases have been recorded in the size of the
group earning alternative high school credentials this increase is present in the aggregate rates (4.6
percent in 1990 and 7.4 percent in 1995) and in the rates for white young adults (4.6 percent in 1990 and
6.9 percent in 1995). While the apparent increases in the rates for black alternative completers are not
significant, the proportion of Hispanics graduating high school with alternative degrees increased (2.6
percent in 1990 and 8.6 percent in 1995).\5\
Recall that the income data in table 12 show that young adults from families with high incomes were the
most likely to complete high school (nearly 97 percent); over 90 percent of them graduated from high
school with a regular diploma and about 4 percent followed an equivalency test alternative (table 14). By
comparison, just over three-quarters of middle income youths and nearly two-thirds of low income
youths graduated from high school with regular diplomas, while an additional 8 percent within each of
these income groups passed equivalency exams to earn high school credentials.
Footnotes:
1/ The high school completion rate is based on the population of young adults ages 18 through 24 who
are not still enrolled in school; the status dropout rate is based on the population ages 16 through 24.
Thus, the age range of the status dropout rate is two years wider, and those 18- through 24-year-olds
who are still enrolled in a high school program are excluded from the calculation of the high school
completion rate. Because of these differences the status dropout rate and the high school completion rate
are not the simple inverse of each other.
2/ The sample sizes of the numbers of completers at the state level are, by definition, substantially
smaller than the counts of completers supporting the national estimates (but appreciably larger than the
counts of dropouts). To improve the stability of the state level estimates for high school completion
rates, the rates are displayed as three year moving averages (for example, the data for 1991 represent the
average of the data from 1990, 1991, and 1992 and the data for 1994 are based on averages of data from
1993, 1994, and 1995). Even with this, sampling variability is increased substantially, especially in
states with relatively smaller populations in the 18 through 24 age range.
3/ The General Educational Development (GED) test is the principal equivalency exam in use at this
time. In 1994, about 680,000 people age 16 or older took the GED test, and 73 percent or nearly one-half
million passed the exam to earn a high school credential. GED Testing Service. 1995. "Who took the
GED? 1994 GED statistical report." Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education.
4/ In the CPS data there may be some ambiguity concerning students who complete high school with a
certificate of attendance. While they are supposed to be counted as non-completers, some respondents
may report them as completers when asked about educational attainment.
5/ Part of the increase in these estimates may be due to changes in the CPS methodology. The CPS does
not specifically identify youths receiving certificates of attendance, but not earning a high school
credential. Since 1992, youths who completed the 12th grade without earning a high school credential
are not reported as high school completers; prior to 1992 students reported as attending and completing
the 12th grade were counted as high school completers. See the technical appendix for a discussion of
this issue.
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Event, Status, and Cohort Dropout Rates]
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98-013 / Condition of Education 19 ethnicity of student: Fall 1976-95
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9851d01.html
The Condition of Education 1998, Supplemental Table 51-1
Table 51-1 Total enrollment in institutions of higher education, by control and type of insti
race/ethnicity of student Fall 1976-95
Control and type of institution
and race/ethnicity of student
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1991
Number (in thousands)
All institutions
10,986
11,231
12,087
12,388
12,233
12,504
13,043
13,819
14,359
1
U.S. residents²
White
9,076
9,194
9,833
9,997
9,815
9,921
10,283
10,722
10,990
1
Total minority
1,691
1,785
1,949
2,059
2,084
2,238
2,399
2,705
2,953
Black
1,033
1,054
1,107
1,101
1,076
1,082
1,130
1,247
1,335
Hispanic
384
417
472
519
535
618
680
782
867
Asian/Pacific Islander
198
235
286
351
390
448
497
572
637
American Indian/Alaskan Native
76
78
84
88
84
90
93
103
114
Nonresident alien
219
253
305
331
335
345
361
391
416
Public institutions
8,641
8,770
9,456
9,695
9,458
9,714
10,156
10,845
11,310
1
U.S. residents²
White
7,095
7,136
7,656
7,785
7,543
7,654
7,964
8,386
8,622
Total minority
1,401
1,466
1,596
1,692
1,696
1,836
1,955
2,199
2,412
Black
831
840
876
873
844
854
881
976
1,053
Hispanic
337
363
406
446
456
532
587
672
742
Asian/Pacific Islander
166
195
240
296
323
371
406
461
51.6
American Indian/Alaskan Native
68
68
74
77
72
79
81
90
100
Nonresident alien
145
167
204
219
219
224
238
260
275
Private institutions
2,345
2,461
2,630
2,693
2,777
2,790
2,887
2,974
3,049
U.S. residents²
White
1,982
2,058
2,177
2,212
2,272
2,267
2,319
2,338
2,368
Total minority
290
319
353
368
389
403
444
506
541
Black
202
215
231
228
232
228
248
271
282
Hispanic
47
55
66
74
79
86
93
111
125
Asian/Pacific Islander
32
40
47
55
67
77
91
112
121
American Indian/Alaskan Native
9
9
10
10
11
11
11
13
14
Nonresident alien
73
85
101
113
116
120
123
132
141
All 4-year institutions
7,107
7,203
7,565
7,648
7,706
7,824
8,175
8,579
8,707
U.S. residents²
White
5,999
6,027
6,275
6,306
6,300
6,337
6,582
6,768
6,791
Total minority
931
975
1,050
1,073
1,124
1,195
1,292
1,486
1,573
Black
604
612
634
612
617
615
656
723
758
Hispanic
174
190
217
229
246
278
296
358
383
Asian/Pacific Islander
119
138
162
193
223
262
297
357
381
American Indian/Alaskan Native
35
35
37
39
38
40
42
48
51
Nonresident alien
177
201
241
270
282
292
302
324
343
Public 4-year institutions
4,893
4,896
5,128
5,176
5,196
5,300
5,544
5,848
5,905
U.S. residents
White
4,120
4,085
4,243
4,258
4,230
4,275
4,455
4,606
4,597
Total minority
667
691
741
756
796
850
908
1,046
1,102
Black
422
425
438
421
427
424
449
495
516
Hispanic
129
140
156
164
179
206
216
263
279
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Table 51-1 Total enrollment in institutions of higher education, by control and type of instit
race/ethnicity of student Fall 1976-95 Continued
Control and type of institution
and race/ethnicity of student
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1991
Number (in thousands)
Private 4-year institutions
2,214
2,306
2,438
2,473
2,510
2,524
2,631
2,730
2,802
U.S. residents²
White
1,879
1,942
2,032
2,048
2,071
2,062
2,127
2,163
2,194
Total minority
264
283
309
317
328
345
384
440
472
Black
182
187
196
192
190
191
208
228
242
Hispanic
44
50
60
65
67
73
80
96
104
Asian/Pacific Islander
31
39
45
53
62
74
87
107
115
American Indian/Alaskan Native
7
8
8
8
8
8
9
10
11
Nonresident alien
71
81
97
108
112
117
120
128
137
All 2-year institutions
3,879
4,028
4,521
4,740
4,527
4,680
4,868
5,240
5,652
U.S. residents²
White
3,077
3,167
3,558
3,692
3,514
3,584
3,702
3,954
4,199
Total minority
760
810
899
987
960
1,043
1,107
1,219
1,380
Black
429
443
472
489
459
467
473
524
578
Hispanic
210
227
255
291
289
340
384
424
484
Asian/Pacific Islander
79
97
124
158
167
186
199
215
256
American Indian/Alaskan Native
41
43
47
49
45
51
50
55
63
Nonresident alien
42
52
64
61
52
53
60
67
74
Public 2-year institutions
3,748
3,874
4,329
4,520
4,260
4,414
4,612
4,997
5,405
U.S. residents²
White
2,974
3,051
3,413
3,527
3,313
3,379
3,509
3,780
4,025
Total minority
735
775
855
936
899
986
1,047
1,153
1,310
Black
410
415
438
452
417
430
433
481
537
Hispanic
208
222
250
282
277
326
371
409
463
Asian/Pacific Islander
78
96
123
155
162
183
196
210
250
American Indian/Alaskan Native
39
41
45
46
42
47
48
52
60
Nonresident alien
39
48
60
57
49
49
56
64
70
Private 2-year institutions
131
155
193
220
266
266
256
244
247
U.S. residents²
White
103
116
145
165
202
205
193
175
174
Total minority
25
35
44
51
61
57
60
66
69
Black
20
28
35
37
41
37
41
43
40
Hispanic
3
5
5
9
12
14
13
15
20
Asian/Pacific Islander
1
I
2
3
5
4
4
5
6
American Indian/Alaskan Native
2
2
2
3
4
3
3
3
3
Nonresident alien
3
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
1
Estimates based on preliminary data.
2 Includes U.S. citizens and resident aliens.
NOTE: Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
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SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics,
1997, table 202 (based on the IPEDS/HEGIS "Fall Enrollment" surveys).
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Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / Executive Summary
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-0.html
Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / Executive Summary
Executive Summary
This is the eighth in a series of reports to Congress by the National Center for Education Statistics. It
presents data on dropout rates in 1995, the most recent year for which data are available, and includes
time series data on high school dropout and completion rates for the period 1972 through 1995. In
addition to extending time series data reported in earlier reports, this report uses data on country of birth
and enrollment in U.S. schools to examine dropout rates among Hispanic young adults who attend U.S.
schools. This report uses these and other data available for 1995 to focus on three specific
sub-populations that are at particular risk of dropping out of school: foreign-born persons attending U.S.
schools, young adults who have been retained a grade or more while enrolled, and individuals who have
some type of learning, physical, or other disability.
Event Dropout Rates
Event dropout rates for 1995 describe the proportion of youths ages 15-24 years who dropped out of
school in the 12 months preceding October 1995. Demographic data collected as part of the CPS study
permit event dropout rates to be calculated across a variety of individual characteristics, including race,
sex, region of residence, and income level.
One-half million of the 9.5 million 15- through 24-year-olds enrolled in 1994 left school by
October of 1995 without successfully completing a high school program. This amounts to 5.7
percent of this group of young adults. This estimate is on a par with those reported over the last 24
years (figure A).
Hispanic students are more likely than white students to leave school short of completing a high
school program. Although the estimated rate for black students (6.4 percent) falls between the
rates for Hispanics and whites, the differences are not significant (table 1).
In 1995, young adults living in families with incomes in the lowest 20 percent of all family
incomes were six times as likely as their peers from families in the top 20 percent of the income
distribution to drop out (table 1).
Students who remain in school after the majority of their age cohort has left are more likely to
drop out than their younger peers (table 2).
Youths 15 through 18 years of age account for two-thirds of all those who dropped out during the
preceding year; moreover, nearly 40 percent of the 1995 dropouts were 15 through 17 years of age
(table 2).
Figure A: Event dropout rates for grades 10-12, ages 15-24, by race-ethnicity: October 1972
through October 1995
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Percent
14
12
Hispanic
10
8
Black,
non-Hispanic
Total
6
4
White, non-Hispanic
2
0
1972
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
1995
Year
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population
Survey, October (various years), unpublished data.
Status Rates
Over the last decade, 300 to 500 thousand 10th through 12th graders left school each year without
successfully completing a high school program. Each year some of these young adults return to school
or an alternative certification program, and others pass out of this age group. Status rates describe the
proportion of young adults ages 16-24 years who are considered dropouts in October 1995.
In October of 1995 nearly 3.9 million young adults were not enrolled in a high school program
and had not completed high school. These youths account for 12 percent of the 32.4 million 16-
through 24-year-olds in the United States in 1995 (figure B).
While there are still differences in the levels of the status dropout rates of whites, blacks, and
Hispanics, the gap between the rates for blacks and whites is closing (figure B).
In addition to higher dropout rates, many Hispanic dropouts do not progress as far in school as
black and white students who drop out. In 1995, over half of the Hispanic dropouts reported less
than a tenth grade education, compared with 31 percent of the white dropouts and 27 percent of
the black dropouts (table 6).
Youths from families with the lowest incomes are eight times more likely to be dropouts than
those from families with high incomes (table 5).
Status dropout rates are highest in the Southern and Western regions of the country, where rates
are at least one and one-half times those in the Northeast and Midwest (table 5).
Figure B: Status dropout rates for persons ages 16-24, by race-ethnicity: October 1972 through
October 1995
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Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / Executive Summary
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Per cent
40
35
30
Hispanic
25
20
Black, non-Hispanic
15
Total
10
White, non-Hispanic
5
0
1972
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
1995
Year
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population
Survey, October (various years), unpublished data.
High School Completion Rates
By definition, the completion rate includes everyone reporting a high school diploma or the equivalent,
regardless of the type of credential. The data on high school completions discussed here are reported for
all 18- through 24-year-olds who held some type of high school certificate in October 1995.
In 1995, about 85 percent of all 18- through 24-year-olds, not still enrolled, had completed a high
school program (figure C).
Whites are most likely to complete high school (90 percent) followed by blacks (85 percent) and
Hispanics (63 percent) (table 11).
The relatively low dropout rates observed in the Northeast and Midwest are reflected in high
school completion rates of nearly 90 percent in the Northeast and 89 percent in the Midwest (table
12).
Young adults who completed high school with a GED account for over 7 percent of the 18-
through 24-year-olds who were not enrolled in high school in 1995 (table 11).
Figure C: Completion rates for persons ages 18-24, by race-ethnicity: October 1972 through
October 1995
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Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / Executive Summary
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-0.html
Per cent
100
White, non-Hispanic
90
80
Total
Black, non-Hispanic
70
60
Hispanic
50
40
30
20
10
0
1972
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1993
1995
Year
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population
Survey, October (various years), unpublished data.
Immigration, Participation in U.S. Schools, and High School Dropout Rates
The status dropout rates for Hispanic youths have remained at levels consistently higher than the dropout
rates experienced by their white and black peers since the early 1970s. Although a number of factors
may contribute to these elevated dropout rates, immigrants who come to the U.S. seeking employment
without a high school education and never enroll in U.S. schools have traditionally been counted as
dropouts. This may lead to an inaccurate view of Hispanic dropout experiences in U.S. schools.
The Hispanic dropout rate of 30.0 percent includes young immigrants who came to the U.S.
without high school credentials and did not enroll in school in the U.S. The status dropout rate for
Hispanic immigrants ages 16 through 24 is 46.2 percent (table 16). The comparable rate for
Hispanics born in the U.S. is 17:9 percent (table 17).
The dropout rate for all Hispanic students who have ever enrolled in U.S. schools, regardless of
country of birth, is 19.6 percent (table 17).
Eighty percent of all Hispanic 16- through 24-year-olds in the U.S. speak Spanish at home. The
majority of these young adults (76 percent) were reported as speaking English ìwellî or ìvery wellî
(table 20).
Hispanic young adults who spoke Spanish at home and also spoke English ìwellî or ìvery wellî
were as likely to remain in school as their peers who spoke only English at home (table 19 and
table 20).
Two-thirds of the Hispanic young adults who reported limited English speaking ability did not
have a high school credential and were not enrolled in school in 1995 (table 20).
About three-quarters of the Hispanic young adults with limited English speaking ability reported
no English as a Second Language instruction (table 21).
Eighty percent of Hispanic immigrants ages 16 through 24 who did not enroll in U.S. schools
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Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / Executive Summary
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completed the fifth or sixth grade, compared to 50 percent who completed grades seven or eight,
and 20 percent who completed the tenth grade (table 23).
Grade Retention
Students judged by their teachers as not ready for grade promotion are often held back a year to master
missed coursework or acquire developmentally appropriate social skills. While not able to disentangle
the causal effects of retention on dropout rates, 1992 and 1995 CPS data provide the opportunity to
examine, on a national scale, the proportion of young adults who were retained in school. They also
allow for the examination of the association between grade retention and dropping out.
Students who are retained in school are at higher risk of dropping out of school (table 25).
Although males were more likely to have been retained, the dropout rate for male students who
were retained is lower than the dropout rate for female students who were retained (table 26).
While black students are more likely to be retained, the dropout rates for retained students were
comparable for black, white, and Hispanic students (table 26).
Despite differences in dropout rates across income levels, within each income level, students who
had been retained were more likely to drop out than their peers who were not retained (table 26).
Youths whose last grade retention occurred in their early elementary grades are less at risk of
dropping out than those retained in the later grades (table 27).
Individuals held back for two or more years of school were nearly four times as likely to be status
dropouts as those who had never been retained (table 28).
Dropping Out and Disabilities
Although they are often held to the same standard as the general population, disabled students must
overcome serious obstacles that can interfere with their education. To graduate from high school,
disabled students may need to work harder, study longer, or possess greater academic ability than their
peers without a corresponding physical, emotional, or learning handicap. The added work and frustration
associated with a disability can take its toll over time: national and local studies reveal that disabled
youths drop out of school at higher rates than the general population.
In 1995, the dropout rate of 14.6 percent for youths with disabilities was larger than the 11.8
percent rate experienced by youths without disabilities (table 29).
Young adults reported with mental or emotional disabilities were at an increased risk of dropping
out (table 29).
Dropout rates for male and female 16- through 24-year-olds are comparable, and this relationship
holds for students with disabilities as well as those without (table 30).
Race-ethnicity differences evident between black and white young adults in the general population
are repeated among students with disabilities, with black disabled students at an increased risk of
dropping out (table 31).
Disabled youths who are retained in school are at no greater risk of being status dropouts than
non-disabled youths who repeated a grade in school (table 32).
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98013 / The Condition of Education by control and type of institution
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9850a01.html
:
The Condition of Education 1998, Indicator 50
College and university enrollment, by control and type of
institution
Colleges and universities offering 2- and 4-year programs under public and private control address
different student needs. When selecting a higher education institution, students' choices are affected by
the various kinds of services that institutions offer, the cost of attendance, and the availability of student
financial aid. Fluctuations in enrollment among the different types of institutions may indicate a shift in
student needs and interests.
Between 1985 and 1992, enrollment in all higher education institutions increased. However,
in 1993, enrollment decreased slightly and remained fairly stable through 1995 (see
supplemental table 50-1).
The distribution of total enrollment between public and private institutions changed little
over the last two decades. Public institutions continue to enroll nearly 8 out of every 10
students.
Between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s, enrollment in both public 2-year and 4-year
institutions increased annually, then fell slightly between 1992 and 1995.
Enrollment in private 4-year institutions increased steadily between 1985 and 1995. On the
other hand, enrollment in private 2-year institutions fluctuated between 1985 and 1990, and
then decreased between 1991 and 1995 (see supplemental table 50-1).
Chart 1: Index of total enrollment in higher education institutions, by control and type of institution: Fall
1972-95
Chart 2: Percentage distribution of total en enrollment in higher education institutions, by control and
type of institution: Fall 1972-95
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98013 / The Condition of Education by control and type of institution
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Index and percentage distribution of total enrollment in higher education, by control and
type of institution: Fall 1972-95
Index of total enrollment (1981=100)
Percentage distribution of total enrollment
Fall of
All
Public
Public
Private
Private
All
Public
Public
Private
Private
1
year
institutions
4-year
2-year
4-year
2-year
institutions
4-year
2-year
4-year
2-year
1972
74.5
85.7
58.9
81.5
48.9
100.0
48.1
28.7
22.0
1.3
1974
82.6
91.0
73.3
85.0
50.3
100.0
46.0
32.1
20.7
1.2
1976
89.0
94.9
83.7
89.5
55.9
100.0
44.5
34.1
20.2
1.2
1978
91.0
95.1
86.5
93.2
65.7
100.0
43.6
34.4
20.6
1.4
1980
97.8
99.3
96.6
98.1
83.9
100.0
42.4
35.8
20.2
1.6
1981
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
41.8
36.2
20.1
1.9
1982
100.4
100.2
100.9
99.5
107.0
100.0
41.7
36.4
19.9
2.0
1984
99.0
100.6
95.5
101.0
106.9
100.0
42.5
35.0
20.5
2.1
1986
101.1
102.6
98.5
101.4
112.9
100.0
42.4
35.3
20.2
2.1
1988
105.5
107.3
103.0
105.8
110.3
100.0
42.5
35.4
20.2
2.0
1990
111.7
113.2
111.5
109.7
103.4
100.0
42.3
36.2
19.8
1.8
1991
116.1
114.3
120.6
112.6
104.9
100.0
41.1
37.6
19.5
1.7
1992
117.1
114.2
122.4
115.1
101.0
100:0
40.7
37.9
19.8
1.6
1993
115.6
113.3
119.1
116.0
97.0
100.0
40.9
37.3
20.2
1.6
1994
115.4
112.8
118.5
117.5
93.9
100.0
40.8
37.2
20.5
1.5
1995
2
115.3
112.5
117.8
118.7
91.2
100.0
40.8
37.0
20.7
1.5
1
Data for 1982-94 are revised from previously published figures.
2
Preliminary data.
NOTE: The index of total enrollment in higher education is calculated as the number of students enrolled in higher education
institutions in a given year divided by the number of students enrolled in higher education institutions for the year 1981. A valid
greater than 100 indicates that more students were enrolled in higher education institutions that year than in 1981, while a V<
less than 100 indicates that fewer students were enrolled that year relative to 1981. Details may not add to totals due to rout
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics,
1997 (based on IPEDS/HEGIS "Fall Enrollment" surveys).
Table 50-1: Total and full-time-equivalent (FTE) enrollment in higher education, by control and type of
institution: Fall 1972-95
Table 50-2: Index of total and full-time-equivalent (FTE) enrollment (1981=100) in higher education, by
control and type of institution: Fall 1972-95
Table 50-3: Percentage distribution of total and full-time-equivalent (FTE) enrollment in higher
education, by control and type of institution: Fall 1972-95
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Percentages of 25-to 29-year olds who have completed high school, by race ethnicity, and sex
(High school diploma or equivalency certificate)
All
White
Black
Hispanic
March Total
M
F
Total
M
F
Total
M
F
Total
M
F
1971
77.7
79.1
76.5
81.7
83.0
80.5
58.8
56.7
60.5
48.3
51.3
45.7
1972
79.8
80.5
79.2
83.4
84.1
82.7
64.1
61.7
66.0
47.6
47.1
47.9
1973
80.2
80.6
79.8
84.0
84.2
83.9
64.1
63.2
64.9
52.3
54.2
50.6
1974
81.9
83.1
80.8
85.5
86.0
85.0
68.4
71.5
65.8
54.1
55.9
52.5
1975
83.1
84.5
81.7
86.6
88.0
85.2
71.1
72.3
70.1
53.1
52.2
53.9
1976
84.7
86.0
83.5
87.7
89.0
86.4
74.0
72.8
74.9
58.1
57.6
58.4
1977
85.4
86.6
84.2
88.6
89.2
88.0
74.5
77.5
72.0
58.0
61.9
54.6
1978
85.3
86.0
84.6
88.5
88.8
88.2
77.4
78.7
76.3
56.5
58.5
54.6
1979
85.6
86.3
84.9
89.2
89.8
88.5
74.7
74.0
75.3
57.1
55.5
58.6
1980
85.4
85.4
85.5
89.2
89.1
89.2
76.7
74.8
78.3
57.9
57.0
58.8
1981
86.3
86.5
86.1
89.8
89.7
89.9
77.6
78.8
76.6
59.8
59.1
60.4
1982
86.2
86.3
86.1
89.1
89.1
89.1
81.0
80.4
81.5
61.0
60.6
61.2
1983
86.0
86.0
86.0
89.3
89.3
89.3
79.5
79.0
79.9
58.4
57.8
58.9
1984
85.9
85.6
86.3
89.4
89.4
89.4
79.1
75.9
81.7
58.6
56.7
60.1
1985
86.2
85.9
86.4
89.5
89.2
89.9
80.5
80.6
80.5
61.0
58.6
63.1
1986
86.1
85.9
86.4
89.6
88.7
90.4
83.5
86.4
81.0
59.1
58.2
60.0
1987
86.0
85.5
86.4
89.4
88.9
90.0
83.5
84.5
82.6
59.8
58.6
61.0
1988
85.9
84.7
87.1
89.7
88.4
90.9
80.9
80.9
80.9
62.3
59.9
64.8
1989
85.5
84.4
86.5
89.3
88.2
90.4
82.3
80.5
83.8
61.0
61.0
61.1
1990
85.7
84.4
87.0
90.1
88.6
91.6
81.8
81.4
82.0
58.2
56.6
59.9
1991
85.4
84.9
85.8
89.8
89.2
90.5
81.8
83.6
80.1
56.7
56.4
57.2
1992
86.3
86.1
86.5
90.6
90.3
91.1
80.9
82.7
79.3
60.9
61.1
60.6
1993
86.7
86.0
87.4
91.2
90.7
91.8
82.7
84.8
80.8
60.9
58.2
63.9
1994
86.1
84.5
87.6
91.1
90.0
92.3
84.1
82.8
85.3
60.3
58.0
63.0
1995
86.9
86.3
87.4
92.5
92.0
93:0
86.8
88.4
85.3
57.2
55.7
58.7
1996
87.3
86.5
88.1
92.6
92.0
93.1
86.0
87.9
84.5
61.1
59.7
62.9
98013 / The Condition of Education c distribution of college students
http://nices.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9851a01.htm
The Condition of Education 1998, Indicator 51
Racial and ethnic distribution of college students
Colleges and universities seek diversity in their student bodies; variety in the backgrounds and interests
of students enhances the learning environment. The racial/ethnic mix of college students is one aspect of
a diverse student body. Variations in the racial/ethnic composition of college enrollment suggest
differences in the needs, interests, and backgrounds of the student population.
The student body at the Nation's colleges and universities has become increasingly
hetérogeneous since the mid-1970s. The percentage of minority students increased from 15
percent of all students in fall 1976 to 25 percent of all students in fall 1995. This increase was
due primarily to the growth in the enrollment of Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander
students, whose enrollment as a percentage of all college students increased about 4
percentage points for each group.
Black students accounted for 10 percent of the total enrollment at colleges and universities
in fall 1995. Hispanics made up 8 percent of enrolled students; Asian/Pacific Islanders, 6
percent; and American Indian/Alaskan Natives, 1 percent.
In fall 1995, minority students made up a greater proportion of the student body at 2-year
than at 4-year institutions (29 versus 22 percent).
The percentages of public 2-year college students who were black and Hispanic were
similar; however, the percentage of students enrolled in 4-year institutions who were black
was about twice that of Hispanics in fall 1995.
Chart 1: Percentage of minority and nonresident alien enrollment in higher education institutions
Chart 2: Percentage of minority and nonresident alien enrollment in higher education institutions
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98013 / The Condition of Education C distribution of college students
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/condition98/c9851a01.htm
Percentage distribution of total enrollment in higher education institutions, by race/
ethnicity, and control and type of institution: Fall 1976-95
U.S. residents¹
Minority
Asian/
American
Fall of year and control
Total
Pacific
Indian/
Nonresident
and type of institution
White
minority
Black Hispanic
Islander
Alaskan Native
alien
All institutions
1976
82.6
15.4
9.4
3.5
1.8
0.7
2.0
1978
81.9
15.9
9.4
3.7
2.1
0.7
2.3
1980
81.4
16.1
9.2
3.9
2.4
0.7
2.5
1982
80.7
16.6
8.9
4.2
2.8
0.7
2.7
1984
80.2
17.0
8.8
4.4
3.2
0.7
2.7
1986
79.3
17.9
8.7
4.9
3.6
0.7
2.8
1988
78.8
18.4
8,7
5.2
3.8
0.7
2.8
1990
77.6
19.6
9.0
5.7
4.1
0.7
2.8
1991
76.5
20.6
9.3
6.0
4.4
0.8
2.9
1992
75.1
21.8
9.6
6.6
4.8
0.8
3.1
1993
74.1
22.7
9.9
6.9
5.1
0.9
3.2
1994
73.0
23.8
10.1
7.3
5.4
0.9
3.2
1995
72.3
24.5
10.3
7.7
5.6
0.9
3.2
By control and type of institution: Fall 1995
Public
71.6
25.7
10.5
8.4
5.8
1.0
2.7
Private
74.6
20.4
9.9
4.9
5.0
0.6
5.0
4-year
74.3
21.5
9.7
5.5
5.5
0.7
4.2
Public
74.0
22.3
9.8
6.0
5.7
0.9
3.6
Private
74.9
19.8
9.5
4.7
5.2
0.5
5.2
2-year public
69.0
29.4
11.1
11.2
5.8
1.2
1.6
1
Estimates based on preliminary data.
2
Includes U.S. citizens and resident aliens.
NOTE: Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics,
1997 (based on the IPEDS/HEGIS "Fall Enrollment" surveys).
Table 51-1: Total enrollment in institutions of higher education; by control and type of institution and
race/ethnicity of student: Fall 1976-95
Table 51-2: Percentage distribution of total enrollment in institutions of higher education, by control and
type of institution and race/ethnicity of student: Fall 1976-95
Table 51-3: Percentage distribution of nonresident alien enrollment in institutions of higher education,
by control and type of institution: Fall 1976-95
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Indicator 52: High school dropouts ition of Education 1999 / 1999-022
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/condition99/Indicator-52.html
condition
Section V
ofeducation
Educational Participation
and Progress
Main Table
of Contents
High school dropouts, by race-ethnicity
Overview of the
and recency of migration
Condition of Education
I
Learner
Outcomes
As a whole, Hispanics drop out of high school at higher rates and
Quality of Education
attain lower levels of education than non-Hispanics. The relative
II
Environments
recency of migration among Hispanics may at least partially
(Elementary/Secondary)
account for this trend. Evidence of the undereducation of
Quality of Education
III
Hispanics has implications for developing retention strategies as
Environments
(Postsecondary)
well as for assessing the educational and training needs of the
population. The status dropout rate for an age group (the
IV
Social Support
for Learning
percentage of that age group that is not enrolled in school and
has not completed high school) is one measure of dropping out.
V
Education Participation
and Progress
Enrollments
In 1997, a greater percentage of Hispanics than non-Hispanics ages
Transitions
16-24 were born outside the United States (see supplemental table
Recent school dropouts
52-1). Among this group, the status dropout rate (39 percent) was
High school dropouts by
higher than it was among first- and later-generation Hispanics (15
race-ethnicity and regency
of migration
and 18 percent, respectively). First- and later-generation Hispanics
Immediate transition from
were two to three times more likely than their non-Hispanic peers to
high school to college
drop out.
Radal and ethnic
differences in the transition
to college
In 1997, the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who were dropouts
Persistence
was lower than it was in 1989 or 1979. Similar changes are occuring
Educational Attainment
for all groups. The gaps in dropout rates between non-U.S.-born,
and Degrees
first-generation, and later-generation Hispanics and comparable
non-Hispanics were generally similar in 1979, 1989, and 1997.
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3/23/2000 9:31 AM
Indicator 52: High school dropouts ition of Education 1999 / 1999-022
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/condition99/Indicator-52.html
Percentage of 16-to 24-year-olds who were not enrolled in school and had not
completed high school, by recency of migration and race-ethnicity: October
1997
Hisponic
Non-Hisparte
Asian/
Other
Pacific
Recency of migration
Total
Total
Mexicon
Hispanic
Total
while
Block
Islander
Total
11.0
25.3
27.5
21.3
8.6
7.6
13.4
6.9
Born outside 50 states/D.C.
23.5
38.6
44.3
29.6
7.8
5.4
9.2
9.4
First generation
10.0
15.4
17.0
7.9
5.0
5.6
6.2
2.5
tator generation
9.3
17.7
18.3
14.2
9.0
7.6
14.1
5.3
Percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who were not enrolled in school and had not
completed high school, by year and recency of migration and race-ethnicity:
November 1979 and 1989 and October 1997
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic
Asian
Year and reconcy
Other
Pacific
of maration
Total
Total
Medican
Hisponic
Total
White
Block
Islander
1979 Total*
14.9
45.4
51.2
24.6
13.0
11.5
24.1
-
Bom outside 50 states/D.C.
34.4
59.9
74.8
30.6
16.1
18.6
15.3
-
First generation
12.3
30.8
35.3
4.3
B.2
7.8
18.1
-
Later generation
13.5
29.9
32.8
18.3
13.1
11.5
24.4
-
1989 Total*
13.1
39.1
45.9
27.6
10.5
9.1
18.9
10.5
30m outside 50 states/D.C.
31.8
51.8
69.9
28.6
11.5
10.2
14.2
12.3
First generation
10.5
25.3
25.2
28.5
4.5
4.0
8.9
5.9
Later generation
11.2
23.0
23.7
19.7
10.8
9.4
19.3
3.9
1997 Total
11.9
38.5
46.2
27.8
7.7
6.6
12.2
9.3
Born autside 5D states/D.C.
30.8
49.5
60.0
34.2
10.3
7.6
16.7
10.7
First generation
9.5
16.4
22.8
3.2
5.8
5.7
9.9
3.9
Lator generation
8.1
24.0
26.8
12.5
7.5
6.6
11.9
3.2
- Not available.
* Total includes a small proportion for whom recency of migration is unknown.
NOTE: People born in Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories are considered born in other countries. Individuals
are classified as first generation if they were born in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., and at least one
of their parents was not. Later generation includes those who were born in one of the 50 states or Washington,
D.C., as were both of their parents.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, November
1979 and 1989, and October 1997.
2 of 4
3/23/2000 9:31 AM
Indicator 52: High school dropouts ition of Education 1999 / 1999-022
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/condition99/Indicator-52.html
High school dropouts, by race-ethnicity and recency of
migration
Percentage distribution of 16- to 24-year-olds according to recency of migration: 1997
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Non-Hispanic
while
Non-Hispanic
black
Hispanic
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
Born outside 50 states/D.C.
First generation
Later generation
Percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who were not enrolled and had not completed
high school: 1979. 1989, and 1997
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Non-Hispanic
white, total
Non-Hispanic
black, total
1979
1989
Hispanic, total
1997
Later-generation
Hispanic
First-generation
Hispanic
Born outside
50 states/D.C.
Hispanic
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
NOTE: People born in Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories are considered born in
other countries. Individuals are classified as first generation if they were born in
one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., and at least one of their parents was not.
Later generation includes those who were born in one of the 50 states or
Washington, D.C., as were both of their parents.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current
Population Survey, November 1979 and 1989, and October 1997.
Related Links
3/23/2000 9:31 AM
Indicator 52: High school dropouts ition of Education 1999 / 1999-022
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/condition99/Indicator-52.html
Table 52 1 Percentage distribution of 16 to 24 year olds, by recency of migration and
race-ethnicity: October 1997
Download this Table in PDF format (105k)
Table S52 (a) Standard errors for the first text table in Indicator 52
Download this Table in PDF format (96k)
Table S52 (b) Standard errors for the second text table in Indicator 52
Download this Table in PDF format (96k)
Table S52-1 Standard errors for table 52-1
Download this Table in PDF format (96k)
Download this Indicator in PDF format (235k)
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4 of 4
3/23/2000 9:31 AM
The Condition of Education 1996 / Indicator 25: Educational attainment
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/ce/c9625a01.html
The Condition of Education 1996, Indicator 25
Educational attainment
Changes in educational attainment over time indicate changes in the demand for skills and knowledge in
the work force, Also, changes in educational attainment can reflect the increasing emphasis society
places on graduating from high school and college: completing high school and college is an important
educational accomplishment that yields many benefits to those who achieve it. Better job opportunities
and higher earnings are examples of those benefits.
Educational attainment of 25- to 29-year-olds increased between 1971 and 1995. The
percentage of students completing high school rose 9 percentage points; the percentage of
high school graduates completing at least some college rose 19 percentage points; and the
percentage of high school graduates completing 4 or more years of college rose 6 percentage
points.
While fewer black 25- to 29-year-olds had completed high school than their white
counterparts in 1995, the gap between the percentage of blacks and whites completing high
school narrowed considerably between 1971 and 1995, decreasing from 23 to 6 percentage
points. Fifty-two percent of black high school graduates had completed at least some college
in 1995, compared to 65 percent of white high school graduates, and a smaller percentage of
black than white high school graduates had completed a bachelor's degree or higher (18
compared to 31 percent).
In 1995, fewer Hispanic 25- to 29-year-olds had completed high school than their white
counterparts. Fifty percent of Hispanic high school graduates had completed at least some
college and 16 percent had completed a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 65 and 31
percent, respectively, of their white counterparts. These gaps in educational attainment
between Hispanics and whites did not closed between 1971 and 1995.
Chart 1: Percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who have completed high school and percentage of high
school graduates who have completed 1 or more and 4 or more years of college, by race/ethnicity:
March 1971-95; High school graduates
Chart 2: Percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who have completed high school and percentage of high
school graduates who have completed 1 or more and 4 or more years of college, by race/ethnicity:
March 1971-95; High school graduates completing 1 or more years of college
Chart 3: Percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who have completed high school and percentage of high
school graduates who have completed 1 or more and 4 or more years of college, by race/ethnicity:
March 1971-95; High school graduates completing 4 or more years of college
Percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who have completed high school, and percentage
of high school graduates who have completed 1 or more and 4 or more years of
college, by race/ethnicity: Selected years March 1971-95
High school gradu
High school graduates\
1 or more years of college
March
Total
White
Black
Hispanic
Total
White
Black
Hispanic
1971
77.7
81.7
58.8
48.3
43.6
44.9
30.9
30.6
1973
80.2
84.0
64.1
52.3
45.3
46.6
33.5
31.6
1 of 2
3/23/2000 9:43 AM
The Condition of Education 1996 / Indicator 25: Educational attainment
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs/ce/c9625a01.html
1975
83.1
86.6
71.1
53.1
50.1
51.2
38.7
41.1
1977
85.4
88.6
74.5
58.0
53.2
54.8
41.7
41.1
1979
85.6
89.2
74.7
57.1
54.1
55.7
41.7
44.0
1981
86.3
89.8
77.6
59.8
50.1
51.2
42.5
39.6
1983
86.0
89.3
79.5
58.4
50.6
51.6
41.6
42.9
1985
86.2
89.5
80.5
61.0
50.8
51.8
42.7
44.2
1987
86.0
89.4
83.5
59.8
50.7
51.4
43.0
44.6
1989
85.5
89.3
82.3
61.0
51.3
52.8
42.1
44.3
1991
85.4
89.8
81.8
56.7
53.1
54.9
43.2
42.2
Diploma or equivalency certificate
Some college or more
1992
86.3
90.6
80.9
60.9
56.7
58.8
44.7
46.8
1993
86.7
91.2
82.7
60.9
58.9
61.0
48.4
48.8
1994
86.1
91.1
84.1
60.3
60.5
62.7
49.6
51.5
1995
86.9
92.5
86.8
57.2
62.2
64.6
52.0
50.3
Table reads: In 1995, 86.9 percent of those aged 25-29 had completed high school.
*
12 years of school completed for 1971-91, and high school diploma or equivalency certificate for
1992-95.
NOTE: Beginning in 1992, the Current Population Survey (CPS) changed the questions used to obtain
the educational attainment of respondents. See the supplemental note to this indicator for further
discussion.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, March Current Population Surveys.
Table 25-1: Percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who have completed high school, by race/ethnicity and
sex: March 1971-95
Table 25-2: Percentage of 25- to 29-year-old high school graduates who have completed 1 or more years
of college, by race/ethnicity and sex: March 1971-95
Table 25-3: Percentage of 25- to 29-year-old high school graduates who have completed 4 or more years
of college, by race/ethnicity and sex: March 1971-95
Supplemental note for Indicator 25
Standard errors for text table in Indicator 25
Standard errors for supplemental table 25-1
Standard errors for supplemental table 25-2
Standard errors for supplemental table 25-3
Go
Back
[Indicator 24]
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Next
ndicator 26]
Sources of Data
Glossary
2 of 2
3/23/2000 9:43 AM
Total
Associate's
Bachelor's
% of total
Type
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976
1996
change
Hispanic
35,379
96,451
172.6
16,636
38,163
129.4
18,743
58,288
211.0
2.7
5.6
2.9
White
1,149,978
1,329,737
15.6
342,290
425,028
24.2
807,688
904,709
12.0
86.9
77.5
Black
91,795
142,838
55.6
33,159
51,672
55.8
58,636
91,166
55.5
6.9
8.3
1.4
1,277,152
1,569,026
392,085
514,863
885,067
1,054,163
-
Asian
20,837
87,450
319.7
7,044
23,091
227.8
13,793
64,359
366.6
1.6
5.1
3.5
American Indian
5,824
12,526
115.
2,498
5,556
122.4
3,326
6,970
109.6
0.4
0.7
0.3
NR alien
19,043
47,659
150.3
3,329
10,115
203.8
15,714
37,544
138.9
1.4
2.8
1.3
TOTAL
1,322,856
1,716,661
29.8
404,956
553,625
36.7
917,900
1,163,036
126.7
:0.0
100.0
0.0
% of total per
y
1976-77
1995-96
1976-77
1995-96
1976-77
1995-96
Hispanic
2.7
5.6
4.1
6.9
2.0
5.0
White
86.9
77.5
84.5
76.8
88.0
77.8
Black
6.9
8.3
8.2
9.3
6.4
7.8
Asian
1.6
5.1
1.7
4.2
1.5
5.5
American Indian
0.4
0.7
0.6
1.0
0.4
0.6
NR alien
1.4
2.8
0.8
1.8
1.7
3.2
Total
:0.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
:0.0
100.0
Source: Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Tables 261 and
264
Total
Master's
First Professional
Doctoral
% of total
Type
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976-77
1995-96
% Diff
1976
1996
change
may
Hispanic
7,669
18,887
146.3
6,071
14,412
137.4
1,076
3,476
$223.0
522
999
91.4
2.0
4.3
2.3
White
351,334
384,770
9.5
266,061
297,558
11.8
58,422
59,456
1.8
26,851
27,756
3.4
91.5
88.2
Black
24,827
32,453
30.7
21,037
25,801
22.6
2,537
5,016
97.7
1,253
1,636
30.6
6.5
7.4
1.0
383,830
436,110
293,169
337,771
62,035
67,948
28,626
30,391)
AD%
Asian
6,801
27,424
303.2
5,122
18,161
254.6
1,021
6,617
548
658
2,646
302:1
1.6
1.6
(0.0)
WITH
American Indian
1,258
2,399
90.7
967
1,778
83.9
196
463
136.2
95
158
66.3
0.3
0.1
(0.2)
NR alien
your
cames
21,792
60,874
179.3
17,344
47,811
175.7
701
1,613
130
3,747
11,450
205.6
5.3
3.5
(1.7)
of
-
TOTAL
413,681
526,807
27.3
316,602
405,521
28.1
63,953
76,641
19.8
33,126
44,645
34.8
107.2
105.3
-1.9
% of total per y
1976-77
1995-96
1976-77
1995-96
1976-77
1995-96
1976-77
1995-96
Hispanic
1.9
3.6
1.9
3.6
1.7
4.5
1.6
2.2
White
84.9
73.0
84.0
73.4
91.4
77.6
81.1
62.2
Black
6.0
6.2
6.6
6.4
4.0
6.5
3.8
3.7
Asian
1.6
5.2
1.6
4.5
1.6
8.6
2.0
5.9
American Indian
0.3
0.5
0.3
0.4
0.3
0.6
0.3
0.4
NR alien
5.3
11.6
5.5
11.8
1.1
2.1
11.3
25.6
Total
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
:0.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
Source: Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Tables 267, 270, 273
Completion
Total
4-year
2-year
degree
% of total
Type
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
change
Hispanic
380
1,152
203.2
174
508
192.0
206
644
212.6
3.6
8.9
5.3
55.9
White
9,076
10,226
12.7
5,999
6,483
8.1
3,077
3,743
21.6
86.5
79.4
(7.1)
Black
-
1,033
1,499
45.1
604
870
44.0
429
629
46.6
9.8
11.6
1.8
para
TOTAL
10,489
12,877
22.8
6,777
7,861
16.0
3,712
5,016
35.1
100.0
100.0
0.0
Total
1 ndergraduate
Graduate
Firs
t-Professional
% of total
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
-
Hispanic
384
1,153
200.3
353
1,066
202.0
26
73
180.8
5
14
180.0
3.7
White
9,077
10,226
12.7
7,741
8,731
12.8
1,116
1,274
14.2
220
221
0.5
86.5
Black
III
1,033
1,500
45.2
943
1,353
43.5
79
126
5915
11
21
90.9
9.8
236-571
1
TOTAL
10,494
12,879
22.7
9,037
11,150
23.4
1,221
1,473
20.6
236
256
18.5
100.0
"differences due to rounding
3.9
9.6
2.1
5.0
91.4
86.5
6.5
8.6
4-year
2-year
Type &
Total
public
private
public
private
Control
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
% Diff-
1976
1996
% Diff
1976
ITS
Hispanic
337
1,152
2418
129
360
179.
44
148
236.4
208
628
201.9
3
White
7,094
10,227
44.2
4,120
4,260
3.4
1,879
2,224
18.4
2,974
3,589
20.7
103
Black
832
1,499
80.2
422
580
37.4
182
290
59.3
410
597
45.6
20
TOTAL
8,263
12,878
55.9
4,671
5,200
11.3
2,105
2,662
26.5
3,592
4,814
34.0
126
% total enrol
ment- UnderG
aduate
1976
1996
Hispanic
91.9
92.5
White
85.3
85.4
Black
91.3
90.2
Source: Digest of Education Statistics, 1998, Table 207
1996
change
9.0
5.3
79.4
11.6
1.8
100.0
0.0
% of total
1996
% Diff
1976
1996
change
16
4333
4.1
8.9
4.9
154
49.5
85.9
79.4
32
60.0
10.1
11.6
1.6
202
60.3
100.0
100.0
0.0
Indicator
28. School Completion
Percent of 25- to 29-year-olds completing high school and college, by age and
race/ethnicity: 1940 to 1995
Highest level of education completed
Completed high school
Year
Less than 4 years
of high school
Total
4 years of high
4 years of high
4 or more
school and
school only
some college
years of college
All races
1940
61.9
38.1
-
-
5.9
1950
47.2
52.8
-
-
7.7
1960
39.3
60.7
37.5
12.2
11.0
1970
24.6
75.4
44.1
14.9
16.4
1980
14.6
85.4
40.7
22.2
22.5
1990
14.3
85.7
41.2
21.3
23.2
1992
13.7
86.3
37.4
25.3
23.6
1993
13.3
86.7
35.7
27.4
23.7
1994
13.9
86.1
34.0
28.8
23.3
1995
13.2
86.9
32.8
29.4
24.7
White 1
1940
58.8
41.2
-
-
6.4
1950
43.7
56.3
-
-
8.2
1960
36.3
63.7
39.1
12.8
11.8
1970
22.2
77.8
45.0
15.5
17.3
1980
13.1
86.9
40.7
22.5
23.7
1990
13.7
86.3
41.0
21.1
24.2
1992
12.9
87.1
36.8
25.3
25.0
1993
12.7
87.3
35.0
27.5
24.7
1994
13.5
86.5
33.3
29.0
24.2
1995
12.6
87.4
32.0
29.4
26.0
Black 1
19402
87.7
12.3
-
-
1.6
19502
76.4
23.6
-
-
2.8
19602
61.4
38.6
25.5
7.7
5.4
1970
43.8
56.2
39.0
9.9
7.3
1980
23.1
76.9
44.1
21.1
11.7
1990
18.4
81.6
45.7
22.6
13.4
1992
19.1
80.9
44.7
24.9
11.3
1993
17.3
82.7
42.5
27.0
13.2
1994
15.9
84.1
42.2
28.2
13.7
1995
13.5
86.5
41.7
29.6
15.3
Hispanic³
1980
42.1
57.9
34.8
15.4
7.7
1990
41.9
58.1
34.8
15.2
8.2
1992
39.1
60.9
32.3
19.1
9.5
1993
39.1
60.9
31.2
21.4
8.3
1994
39.7
60.3
29.3
23.0
8.0
1995
42.9
57.1
28.4
19.9
8.9
Data not available.
1 Includes Hispanics.
2 Includes other races.
3 Hispanics may be of any race.
NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not total 100 percent.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1960 Census of Population, vol. 1, part 1; Current
Population Reports, Series P-20, Educational Attainment in the United States, various years; and unpublished data.
70
Indicator 28. School Completion
Years of school completed by 25- to 29-year-olds: 1940 to 1995
Percent
70
60
50
Less than 4 years of high school
40
30
20
10
4 years of college or more
0
1940
1950
1960
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
Year
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, 1960 Census of Population, vol. 1, part 1; Current Popu-
lation Reports, Series P-20, Educational Attainment in the United States, various years; and unpublished data.
Young adults have completed more and more years of education over the past decades,
but increases in educational attainment since 1975 have been small. The proportion of
blacks completing high school has risen significantly. The proportion of 25- to 29-year-
old blacks who had completed high school rose from 77 percent in 1980 to 87 percent
in 1995. Hispanics complete less schooling than other groups; 9 percent completed 4 or
more years of college in 1995 compared with 26 percent of whites.
71