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Digest of Education Statistics
2008 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 324. Percentage distribution of 1990 high school sophomores, by highest level of education completed through 2000 and selected student characteristics: 2000
Student characteristic Total Less than high school completion High school completion Some post- secondary Certificate Associate's degree Bachelor's or higher degree
Total Bachelor's degree Master's degree Professional and doctor's degrees
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Total 100.0 (†) 8.8   (0.73) 17.8 (0.73) 30.2 (0.90) 7.9 (0.44) 6.6 (0.37) 28.7 (0.89) 25.5 (0.81) 2.8 (0.23) 0.4 (0.06)
Sex                                          
Male 100.0 (†) 8.5   (1.02) 19.7 (1.06) 32.6 (1.27) 6.8 (0.60) 6.6 (0.56) 25.8 (1.16) 23.2 (1.08) 2.2 (0.31) 0.4 (0.09)
Female 100.0 (†) 9.1   (1.00) 15.9 (0.99) 27.9 (1.12) 8.9 (0.67) 6.6 (0.46) 31.5 (1.12) 27.8 (1.03) 3.3 (0.31) 0.4 (0.09)
                                           
Race/ethnicity                                          
White 100.0 (†) 6.8   (0.75) 17.8 (0.75) 27.6 (0.85) 7.2 (0.44) 7.2 (0.46) 33.3 (0.98) 29.4 (0.91) 3.5 (0.30) 0.5 (0.08)
Black 100.0 (†) 11.1   (2.14) 17.9 (2.29) 38.5 (3.51) 12.0 (1.91) 4.1 (0.66) 16.4 (1.68) 15.4 (1.64) 0.8 (0.25) 0.2 (0.08)
Hispanic 100.0 (†) 16.3   (3.23) 18.5 (2.63) 37.8 (2.93) 8.5 (1.43) 7.3 (1.12) 11.6 (1.16) 10.7 (1.10) 0.8 (0.20) 0.1 (0.07)
Asian/Pacific Islander 100.0 (†) 6.5   (3.14) 6.2 (1.33) 32.2 (4.09) 5.7 (1.62) 3.5 (1.37) 46.1 (4.63) 41.0 (4.45) 3.6 (0.91) 1.5 (0.41)
American Indian/Alaska Native 100.0 (†) 21.6   (3.81) 40.1 (8.24) 23.0 (7.29) 6.4 (4.00) 3.0 (0.97) 5.9 (2.35) 5.3 (2.25) (†) (†)
                                           
Socioeconomic status in 19901                                           
Low quartile 100.0 (†) 19.9   (1.97) 31.7 (1.84) 25.4 (1.71) 10.6 (1.12) 5.4 (0.69) 6.9 (0.60) 6.5 (0.59) 0.3 (0.10) # (†)
Middle two quartiles 100.0 (†) 6.1   (0.79) 17.0 (0.90) 34.4 (1.16) 8.2 (0.61) 8.5 (0.60) 25.7 (1.02) 23.6 (1.00) 1.9 (0.26) 0.2 (0.06)
High quartile 100.0 (†) 0.3   (0.10) 5.2 (0.81) 25.5 (1.47) 4.5 (0.79) 4.6 (0.56) 59.8 (1.58) 51.2 (1.48) 7.3 (0.68) 1.4 (0.23)
                                           
Test score composite in 19902                                           
Low quartile 100.0 (†) 19.3   (1.99) 31.8 (2.00) 28.1 (1.93) 11.2 (1.27) 4.9 (0.76) 4.7 (0.50) 4.5 (0.50) 0.2 (0.08) 0.1 (0.05)
Middle two quartiles 100.0 (†) 4.9   (1.00) 17.0 (0.98) 34.4 (1.29) 8.9 (0.62) 9.2 (0.61) 25.5 (1.08) 23.6 (1.05) 1.8 (0.20) 0.1 (0.03)
High quartile 100.0 (†) 0.7   (0.09) 5.3 (0.72) 23.4 (1.23) 2.7 (0.59) 4.7 (0.57) 63.2 (1.44) 53.9 (1.43) 7.7 (0.75) 1.5 (0.24)
                                           
Locus of control in 19903                                           
Low quartile 100.0 (†) 13.6   (1.91) 26.2 (1.85) 29.9 (1.82) 7.6 (0.93) 6.4 (0.84) 16.2 (1.29) 14.9 (1.26) 1.2 (0.24) 0.1 (0.05)
Middle two quartiles 100.0 (†) 6.8   (0.97) 15.6 (0.98) 30.6 (1.21) 8.0 (0.59) 7.2 (0.51) 31.8 (1.16) 28.5 (1.08) 2.7 (0.33) 0.5 (0.10)
High quartile 100.0 (†) 2.3   (0.60) 12.4 (1.24) 30.6 (1.73) 7.1 (1.05) 6.7 (0.76) 40.9 (1.74) 35.2 (1.60) 5.0 (0.62) 0.7 (0.17)
                                           
Self-concept in 19904                                           
Low quartile 100.0 (†) 8.7   (1.08) 20.6 (1.26) 31.9 (1.51) 7.1 (0.62) 6.9 (0.72) 24.8 (1.32) 22.2 (1.26) 2.5 (0.44) 0.2 (0.08)
Middle two quartiles 100.0 (†) 7.9   (1.20) 18.3 (1.16) 28.6 (1.12) 7.6 (0.59) 7.7 (0.58) 29.9 (1.19) 26.5 (1.12) 2.9 (0.30) 0.5 (0.10)
High quartile 100.0 (†) 5.3   (1.20) 13.3 (1.39) 32.4 (2.26) 8.3 (1.16) 5.2 (0.66) 35.5 (1.81) 31.4 (1.66) 3.4 (0.54) 0.7 (0.15)
                                           
High school completion timing                                          
Dropout (never completed) 100.0 (†) 100.0   (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†)
Early (before January 1992) 100.0 (†) 1.3 5  (0.71) 38.2 (5.06) 29.1 (3.87) 11.9 (2.68) 12.1 (4.28) 7.3 (1.78) 6.0 (1.43) (†) (†)
Normal (from January 1992 through August 1992) 100.0 (†) #   (†) 16.2 (0.80) 32.7 (0.99) 7.9 (0.47) 7.4 (0.41) 35.7 (1.00) 31.7 (0.92) 3.4 (0.28) 0.5 (0.08)
Late (after August 1992) 100.0 (†) 0.1   (0.08) 42.0 (3.00) 39.2 (3.14) 13.0 (2.35) 4.0 (0.95) 1.9 (0.52) 1.9 (0.52) (†) (†)
                                           
Control of school attended in 1992                                          
Public 100.0 (†) 7.9   (0.70) 19.0 (0.78) 31.0 (1.00) 8.0 (0.48) 7.0 (0.40) 27.2 (0.91) 24.2 (0.83) 2.6 (0.24) 0.4 (0.07)
Private 100.0 (†) 3.3   (0.99) 3.2 (0.56) 25.3 (2.37) 4.2 (1.10) 4.1 (0.77) 60.0 (2.69) 52.4 (2.64) 6.5 (0.99) 1.1 (0.28)
                                           
Postsecondary expectations in 1992                                          
None 100.0 (†) 11.7   (5.67) 52.6 (5.00) 23.3 (4.45) 7.4 (1.43) 1.7 (0.60) 3.3 (0.79) 3.3 (0.79) (†) (†)
Some postsecondary 100.0 (†) 3.9   (1.14) 31.1 (1.82) 34.2 (1.89) 15.2 (1.26) 10.7 (0.98) 4.9 (0.71) 4.5 (0.69) 0.3 (0.18) (†)
Bachelor's degree 100.0 (†) 0.6   (0.33) 6.7 (0.71) 36.5 (1.47) 6.5 (0.92) 7.6 (0.62) 42.1 (1.48) 38.9 (1.42) 3.0 (0.44) 0.2 (0.08)
Master's degree 100.0 (†) 0.2   (0.09) 5.9 (0.93) 26.6 (1.64) 3.0 (0.51) 6.1 (1.01) 58.2 (1.87) 50.8 (1.86) 6.7 (0.67) 0.8 (0.23)
First-professional or doctor's degree 100.0 (†) 0.9   (0.42) 2.2 (0.44) 28.2 (2.51) 4.7 (0.91) 5.6 (0.96) 58.4 (2.44) 48.4 (2.29) 7.8 (1.19) 2.2 (0.40)
                                           
Type of start in postsecondary education                                          
Fall 1992 full-time 4-year 100.0 (†)   (†) 0.6 (0.13) 22.7 (1.11) 2.2 (0.30) 3.7 (0.43) 70.7 (1.20) 61.4 (1.22) 8.0 (0.64) 1.3 (0.19)
Fall 1992 full-time public 2-year 100.0 (†)   (†) 2.1 (0.60) 41.7 (2.34) 13.4 (1.61) 19.3 (1.54) 23.4 (1.79) 22.1 (1.75) 1.2 (0.36) (†)
Fall 1992 part-time 4-year 100.0 (†)   (†) (†) 57.1 (7.33) 3.7 (1.91) 3.3 (1.70) 31.9 (6.33) 29.5 (6.17) 2.4 (1.80) (†)
Fall 1992 part-time public 2-year 100.0 (†) 2.7   (2.04) 2.8 (2.24) 57.6 (4.97) 15.1 (3.78) 9.7 (2.47) 12.2 (3.16) 12.0 (3.15)   (†) (†)
Other enrollment 100.0 (†) 2.2   (1.36) 12.4 (3.60) 35.3 (4.82) 15.3 (4.64) 8.2 (1.67) 26.5 (4.43) 24.6 (4.39) 1.6 (0.62) (†)
Never enrolled 100.0 (†) 18.0   (1.39) 35.4 (1.34) 28.8 (1.37) 8.8 (0.66) 4.5 (0.48) 4.5 (0.47) 4.3 (0.46) 0.1 (0.06) (†)
                                           
Parents' educational attainment
in 1990
                                         
No high school diploma 100.0 (†) 25.9   (3.46) 26.7 (2.51) 26.8 (2.81) 11.0 (1.77) 3.7 (0.64) 5.9 (0.99) 5.5 (0.97) 0.4 (0.17) (†)
High school graduate 100.0 (†) 12.7   (1.75) 30.6 (2.12) 26.1 (1.60) 8.3 (0.83) 9.0 (1.10) 13.3 (1.01) 12.1 (1.01) 1.0 (0.20) 0.1 (0.06)
Vocational/some college 100.0 (†) 4.6   (0.53) 17.3 (0.94) 35.1 (1.20) 9.1 (0.81) 8.1 (0.60) 25.7 (1.09) 23.7 (1.08) 1.9 (0.24) 0.2 (0.06)
Bachelor's degree 100.0 (†) 2.9   (1.35) 7.4 (1.24) 29.7 (2.15) 5.6 (0.91) 5.1 (0.64) 49.4 (2.10) 43.6 (2.02) 5.0 (0.74) 0.7 (0.22)
Master's degree 100.0 (†) 0.8   (0.46) 2.5 (0.74) 23.3 (2.49) 4.6 (1.18) 3.4 (0.62) 65.4 (2.50) 55.3 (2.46) 8.6 (1.39) 1.5 (0.39)
First-professional or doctor's degree 100.0 (†) 0.6   (0.38) 1.8 (0.70) 18.3 (4.50) 2.0 (1.20) 4.1 (2.00) 73.3 (4.66) 61.1 (4.47) 9.3 (2.24) 2.9 (0.78)
† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
1 Socioeconomic status (SES) was measured by a composite score on parental education and occupations, and family income.
2 Standardized quartile of composite of student assessments in mathematics and reading.
3 Locus of control measures whether students attribute the events that happened to them, such as performing well on a test, to being under their own control (i.e., internal locus of control) or to being under the control of others or the environment (external locus of control). Higher scores (highest quartile) means greater internal control and lower scores (lowest quartile) means greater external control.
4 Self-concept measures the degree to which students like and feel positively about themselves and perceive themselves as a person of worth. The NELS:88 variable is the general self-concept scale from Herbert Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ) II (Marsh 1990).
5 These students' responses to the educational attainment question were not consistent with their transcript data.
NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/2000), "Fourth Follow-up, Student Survey, 2000." (This table was prepared December 2005.)

2008 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest