Fast Facts: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (1102)

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Question:
For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month 2024, what data do you have on the learning experiences of AAPI students throughout their education careers and the characteristics of AAPI teachers and faculty?

Response:

Early Childhood

In 2022, some 63.2 percent of Asian 3- to 5-year-olds and 38.9 percent of Pacific Islander¹ 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in school (source).²

Elementary/Secondary Education

Students

Of the 49.6 million students enrolled in public schools in fall 2022, some 2.7 million (or 5.5 percent) were Asian and 182,000 (or 0.4 percent) were Pacific Islander (source).
In fall 2021, some 6.2 percent of students in private schools were Asian and 0.6 percent were Pacific Islander (source).³
In fall 2022, some 41.7 percent of Asian and 53.0 percent of Pacific Islander students attended public schools where students of color comprised at least 75 percent of total enrollment (source).
As a percentage of all preK–12 public school students in school year 2022–23, some 7.9 percent of Asian students and 11.7 percent of Pacific Islander students received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (source).
The average NAEP mathematics assessment score for Asian/Pacific Islander eighth-graders was 29 points higher in 2022 (304 points) than in 1990 (source). The average NAEP reading assessment score for Asian/Pacific Islander eighth-graders was 13 points higher in 2022 (281 points) than in 1992 (source).⁴
In school year 2021–22, the 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for Asian/Pacific Islander students ranged from 78 percent in Vermont to 97 percent in Texas (source).⁵

Teachers and Principals

In school year 2020–21, some 2.4 percent of all public school teachers and 2.5 percent of all private school teachers were Asian, while 0.2 percent of all public school teachers were Pacific Islander (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 4.1 percent of public school teachers in city schools were Asian compared with 2.6 percent in suburban schools, 0.8 percent in town schools, and 0.5 percent in rural schools. In addition, the percentage of Pacific Islander teachers ranged from 0.1 to 0.2 percent across locales (source).
In school year 2020–21, Asian public school teachers had a higher rate of post-master’s degree education (15 percent) than did public school teachers overall (10 percent) (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 1.0 percent of all public school principals and 2.4 percent of all of private school principals were Asian, while 0.3 percent of all public school principals were Pacific Islander (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 2.0 percent of public school principals in city schools were Asian, compared with 0.9 percent in suburban schools. In addition, the percentage of public school principals who were Pacific Islander ranged from 0.3 to 0.4 percent across locales (source).

Postsecondary Education

Students

In fall 2022, there were 1.4 million Asian students and 44,400 Pacific Islander students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions. Some 7.8 percent of U.S. resident students enrolled in degree-granting institutions were Asian, while 0.3 percent were Pacific Islander (source).
Some 78.0 percent of Asian students and 51.6 percent of Pacific Islander students who began seeking a bachelor’s degree full time at a 4-year institution in fall 2016 completed that degree at the same institution within 6 years (i.e., by 2022) (source).
In academic year 2021–22, postsecondary institutions awarded 97,622 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees/certificates to Asian students and 1,304 STEM degrees/certificates to Pacific Islander students (source).

Infocard with text “In 2021–22, postsecondary institutions awarded 97,622 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees/certificates to Asian students and 1,304 STEM degrees to Pacific Islander students.” Next to the text is a graphic of various STEM icons. At the bottom of the image is the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) logo.

In academic year 2021–22, some 14.2 percent of STEM bachelor’s degrees/certificates conferred to U.S. citizens and permanent residents were awarded to Asian students and 0.2 percent were awarded to Pacific Islander students (source).

Faculty

In fall 2022, there were 96,128 full-time Asian faculty members and 1,171 full-time Pacific Islander faculty members at degree-granting postsecondary institutions, representing 12.6 and 0.2 percent of all full-time faculty, respectively (source).⁶
In fall 2022, Asian males made up 7.0 percent of full-time faculty and Asian females made up 5.6 percent of full-time faculty at degree-granting institutions. Pacific Islander males and females each made up 0.1 percent of full-time faculty at degree-granting postsecondary institutions (source).⁷

Adult Outcomes

In 2023, some 98.6 percent of Asian 25- to 29-year-olds and 97.3 percent of Pacific Islander 25- to 29-year-olds had completed at least high school (source).

¹ Throughout this Fast Fact, Pacific Islander refers to persons who indicated that they were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
² Throughout this Fast Fact, all references to Asian or Pacific Islander exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
³ Includes enrollment in prekindergarten through grade 12 in schools that offer kindergarten or higher grade.
⁴ Accommodations were not permitted for assessments in 1990 or 1992.
⁵ The ACGR for Asian/Pacific Islander students was 95 percent or higher in West Virginia and Wyoming. These values have been “blurred” to protect student privacy.
⁶ Percentages are based on full-time faculty whose race/ethnicity was known. Race/ethnicity was not collected for U.S. nonresidents.
⁷ Percentages are based on full-time faculty whose race/ethnicity was known. Race/ethnicity was not collected for U.S. nonresidents.

Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)

Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)