
| Table 12. Average number of Carnegie units earned by public high school graduates, by subject area, sex, and race/ethnicity: 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 | |||||||
| Sex and race/ethnicity of students | Total1 | English | History/social studies | Mathematics | Science | Foreign languages | Vocational education |
| 1990 graduates | |||||||
| Total | 23.5 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 4.2 |
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 23.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 4.3 |
| Female | 23.7 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 4.1 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 23.5 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 4.2 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 23.4 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 4.4 |
| Hispanic | 23.8 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 4.1 |
| 24.1 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | |
| 1994 graduates | |||||||
| Total | 24.2 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 4.0 |
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 24.0 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 4.1 |
| Female | 24.3 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 3.8 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 24.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 4.0 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 23.6 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 4.3 |
| Hispanic | 24.1 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 3.9 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 24.5 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| 1998 graduates | |||||||
| Total | 25.1 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 4.0 |
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 24.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 4.3 |
| Female | 25.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 3.8 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 25.2 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 4.0 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 24.8 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 4.3 |
| Hispanic | 25.1 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 4.0 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 25.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
| 2000 graduates | |||||||
| Total | 26.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 4.2 |
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 25.9 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 4.6 |
| Female | 26.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 3.8 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 26.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 4.3 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 25.8 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 4.3 |
| Hispanic | 25.5 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 3.8 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 26.2 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 2.8 |
| 1Total includes other subjects not separately shown. Total also includes other race/ethnicity categories not separately shown. | |||||||
| NOTE: The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents one credit for the completion of a one-year course. | |||||||
| SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2002, based on High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study (HS&B); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), 'Second Follow-up'; and High School Transcript Study, various years. | |||||||