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Digest of Education Statistics
2010 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 160. Average number of Carnegie units and percentage distribution of high school graduates by number of units earned in advanced mathematics and advanced science and engineering courses, by selected student and school characteristics: 1990, 2000, and 2005
Selected student and school characteristic Advanced1  mathematics courses Advanced1  science and engineering courses
Average number of Carnegie units Percentage distribution of graduates Average number of Carnegie units Percentage distribution of graduates
0 units 0.1 to 1.0 units 1.1 to 2.0 units 2.1 to 3.0 units More than 3.0 units 0 units 0.1 to 1.0 units 1.1 to 2.0 units 2.1 to 3.0 units More than 3.0 units
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
                                                 
1990 graduates 0.9 (0.02) 44.1 (1.13) 27.4 (0.72) 20.5 (0.60) 7.2 (0.50) 0.8 (0.12) 1.0 (0.03) 40.6 (1.32) 27.9 (0.91) 19.8 (0.70) 8.3 (0.43) 3.3 (0.46)
                                                 
Sex                                                
Male 0.9 (0.03) 45.5 (1.38) 25.2 (0.88) 20.6 (0.73) 8.0 (0.63) 0.8 (0.14) 1.0 (0.03) 41.3 (1.47) 26.3 (1.03) 20.2 (0.80) 8.5 (0.49) 3.7 (0.51)
Female 0.9 (0.02) 42.8 (1.19) 29.5 (0.81) 20.4 (0.73) 6.6 (0.45) 0.7 (0.13) 1.0 (0.03) 40.1 (1.38) 29.4 (0.97) 19.5 (0.83) 8.2 (0.50) 2.9 (0.44)
                                                 
Race/ethnicity                                                
White 1.0 (0.02) 40.8 (1.15) 27.6 (0.79) 22.7 (0.63) 8.1 (0.57) 0.8 (0.13) 1.1 (0.03) 37.7 (1.51) 28.2 (1.01) 21.2 (0.79) 9.1 (0.45) 3.8 (0.58)
Black 0.6 (0.05) 55.7 (2.78) 27.3 (1.64) 13.2 (1.68) 3.2 (0.53) 0.5 (0.33) 0.8 (0.06) 49.5 (2.93) 28.6 (2.05) 15.2 (1.37) 5.4 (1.10) 1.3 (0.30)
Hispanic 0.5 (0.04) 59.5 (2.62) 26.2 (2.02) 11.2 (0.96) 2.7 (0.45) 0.3 (0.23) 0.6 (0.05) 56.9 (2.47) 24.4 (2.08) 13.6 (1.53) 3.5 (0.71) 1.6 (0.42)
Asian/Pacific
Islander
1.3 (0.13) 28.9 (6.03) 25.9 (2.17) 28.2 (3.30) 15.9 (2.40) 1.1 (0.54) 1.3 (0.14) 30.3 (5.02) 28.6 (2.62) 24.0 (1.48) 12.4 (3.48) 4.7 (1.48)
Other 0.7 (0.07) 49.0 (4.10) 31.5 (3.40) 14.2 (3.08) 5.3 (2.30) # (†) 0.8 (0.08) 56.3 (3.79) 18.6 (3.02) 13.8 (2.82) 9.1 (2.24) 2.2 (1.37)
                                                 
School poverty rate2                                                 
Very low 1.1 (0.04) 32.7 (1.96) 27.9 (1.29) 29.3 (1.36) 9.2 (0.74) 0.9 (0.25) 1.2 (0.07) 32.9 (2.41) 28.3 (1.50) 23.3 (1.45) 9.9 (0.96) 5.6 (1.47)
Low 0.9 (0.03) 46.2 (1.53) 27.0 (1.13) 18.4 (0.82) 7.6 (0.86) 0.8 (0.25) 1.0 (0.04) 41.3 (1.69) 27.1 (1.32) 19.2 (1.00) 9.1 (0.74) 3.3 (0.57)
Medium 0.7 (0.06) 55.3 (2.73) 26.6 (2.10) 12.3 (0.96) 4.9 (1.24) 1.0 (0.66) 0.7 (0.07) 50.5 (3.85) 28.4 (2.91) 14.7 (1.66) 5.2 (1.06) 1.2 (0.45)
High 0.6 (0.08) 57.8 (4.44) 27.5 (2.46) 13.1 (3.56) 1.4 (0.64) 0.2 (0.15) 0.7 (0.12) 51.2 (7.42) 31.2 (4.77) 13.3 (2.86) 3.1 (1.42) 1.1 (0.88)
                                                 
2000 graduates 1.4 (0.03) 25.6 (0.90) 30.5 (0.85) 25.4 (0.72) 14.0 (0.65) 4.4 (0.65) 1.5 (0.05) 23.8 (1.25) 28.3 (0.96) 24.6 (0.75) 14.7 (0.77) 8.6 (0.80)
                                                 
Sex                                                
Male 1.3 (0.04) 29.5 (1.02) 29.0 (0.89) 23.1 (0.73) 13.7 (0.75) 4.7 (0.68) 1.5 (0.05) 26.8 (1.39) 27.2 (0.97) 24.3 (0.87) 13.4 (0.75) 8.3 (0.81)
Female 1.4 (0.03) 22.2 (1.05) 31.8 (1.05) 27.5 (1.04) 14.3 (0.68) 4.1 (0.66) 1.6 (0.05) 21.2 (1.31) 29.3 (1.14) 24.8 (0.83) 15.8 (0.92) 8.9 (0.85)
                                                 
Race/ethnicity                                                
White 1.4 (0.04) 24.6 (0.86) 28.3 (1.01) 27.1 (0.92) 15.0 (0.68) 4.9 (0.88) 1.6 (0.05) 23.0 (1.26) 27.2 (1.06) 24.7 (0.92) 16.1 (0.91) 9.0 (0.92)
Black 1.1 (0.05) 29.3 (2.02) 39.7 (1.97) 20.8 (1.23) 8.5 (1.12) 1.7 (0.44) 1.3 (0.07) 25.8 (2.27) 34.7 (1.73) 24.4 (1.42) 10.0 (0.82) 5.2 (1.23)
Hispanic 1.0 (0.07) 32.5 (4.07) 39.3 (2.46) 19.8 (2.07) 6.5 (0.92) 1.9 (0.44) 1.2 (0.12) 31.3 (4.45) 30.9 (1.72) 23.8 (2.14) 9.2 (1.69) 4.8 (1.25)
Asian/Pacific
Islander
2.0 (0.11) 12.6 (1.52) 19.3 (1.66) 26.3 (2.81) 30.5 (3.14) 11.3 (1.91) 2.3 (0.15) 14.2 (2.13) 19.0 (1.69) 24.4 (1.76) 20.3 (1.72) 22.1 (2.65)
Other 1.3 (0.19) 30.0 (4.31) 25.6 (4.13) 22.6 (3.63) 14.4 (4.09) 7.4 (4.97) 1.5 (0.25) 22.7 (6.43) 32.7 (3.47) 24.3 (3.17) 11.8 (3.27) 8.6 (3.30)
                                                 
School poverty rate2                                                 
Very low 1.7 (0.10) 16.1 (2.37) 26.1 (2.19) 32.7 (1.99) 19.2 (2.04) 5.9 (1.68) 1.9 (0.14) 15.8 (3.37) 25.6 (1.49) 28.3 (2.51) 16.5 (1.74) 13.8 (2.55)
Low 1.2 (0.05) 29.0 (1.69) 32.5 (1.61) 21.9 (1.22) 13.2 (1.24) 3.4 (0.65) 1.3 (0.07) 28.7 (2.20) 29.0 (2.08) 23.8 (1.34) 12.9 (1.15) 5.6 (0.90)
Medium 1.2 (0.05) 30.8 (1.73) 30.4 (1.61) 23.4 (1.42) 12.1 (1.04) 3.2 (0.76) 1.5 (0.06) 22.5 (2.40) 32.1 (2.19) 22.0 (1.24) 14.8 (1.24) 8.7 (1.14)
High 1.1 (0.08) 28.1 (4.33) 41.5 (3.16) 20.5 (1.75) 8.5 (1.49) 1.4 (0.38) 1.4 (0.13) 25.0 (4.09) 33.3 (1.47) 24.1 (1.99) 11.6 (1.74) 6.1 (1.59)
                                                 
2005 graduates 1.5 (0.02) 22.0 (0.55) 29.0 (0.66) 27.3 (0.53) 15.2 (0.47) 6.5 (0.50) 1.6 (0.03) 22.7 (0.80) 28.5 (0.71) 24.4 (0.72) 14.7 (0.53) 9.7 (0.55)
                                                 
Sex                                                
Male 1.5 (0.03) 25.0 (0.67) 28.5 (0.64) 25.1 (0.64) 14.6 (0.54) 6.9 (0.53) 1.5 (0.03) 25.7 (0.95) 29.0 (0.77) 22.5 (0.80) 13.6 (0.58) 9.2 (0.59)
Female 1.6 (0.03) 19.1 (0.61) 29.5 (0.84) 29.5 (0.62) 15.8 (0.52) 6.1 (0.53) 1.6 (0.03) 19.8 (0.80) 28.0 (0.79) 26.3 (0.86) 15.7 (0.64) 10.2 (0.58)
                                                 
Race/ethnicity                                                
White 1.6 (0.02) 20.4 (0.60) 26.7 (0.62) 28.2 (0.64) 17.1 (0.52) 7.6 (0.62) 1.6 (0.03) 21.4 (0.87) 26.7 (0.75) 25.3 (0.84) 15.6 (0.57) 11.0 (0.63)
Black 1.2 (0.04) 24.9 (1.37) 37.4 (1.66) 26.7 (1.32) 8.7 (0.95) 2.2 (0.38) 1.4 (0.06) 23.6 (1.37) 33.9 (1.50) 24.0 (1.19) 13.5 (1.55) 5.0 (0.63)
Hispanic 1.1 (0.03) 32.1 (1.51) 35.8 (1.16) 21.8 (1.05) 8.3 (0.63) 2.1 (0.42) 1.1 (0.05) 33.1 (1.66) 33.8 (1.48) 19.4 (1.07) 9.3 (0.93) 4.5 (0.70)
Asian/Pacific
Islander
2.0 (0.06) 11.9 (1.09) 21.4 (2.05) 29.2 (1.76) 22.9 (1.69) 14.5 (1.52) 2.1 (0.07) 14.6 (1.53) 23.3 (1.83) 26.1 (1.65) 18.3 (1.80) 17.7 (1.66)
Other 1.5 (0.07) 18.9 (2.43) 32.8 (2.93) 30.5 (2.54) 14.5 (2.13) 3.4 (1.13) 1.5 (0.08) 18.2 (2.71) 36.2 (2.66) 24.0 (2.72) 14.1 (1.96) 7.4 (1.41)
                                                 
School poverty rate2                                                 
Very low 2.1 (0.13) 11.7 (1.72) 20.1 (1.59) 32.3 (2.83) 21.8 (1.49) 14.2 (3.94) 2.2 (0.15) 13.4 (2.10) 19.4 (2.08) 27.0 (3.10) 18.6 (1.85) 21.6 (4.86)
Low 1.5 (0.04) 23.2 (0.90) 26.8 (0.97) 25.6 (0.96) 16.1 (0.81) 8.3 (1.10) 1.6 (0.05) 22.7 (1.48) 27.5 (0.94) 24.8 (1.15) 14.8 (1.04) 10.2 (0.93)
Medium 1.4 (0.03) 23.6 (1.08) 31.4 (1.07) 27.6 (1.14) 12.0 (0.59) 5.5 (0.64) 1.4 (0.05) 26.4 (1.45) 30.5 (1.11) 22.6 (0.90) 12.8 (0.96) 7.7 (0.70)
High 1.1 (0.04) 28.5 (1.95) 37.1 (2.04) 23.8 (1.31) 8.5 (0.86) 2.1 (0.41) 1.2 (0.06) 28.6 (2.39) 36.3 (1.85) 21.1 (1.44) 9.8 (1.22) 4.2 (0.59)
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
1 Advanced courses are defined as those with higher level content or those designated as “advanced,” “honors,” Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB). Advanced mathematics includes algebra II and more advanced courses such as pre-calculus/analysis, calculus, trigonometry, and statistics/probability. Advanced science and engineering includes second- and third-year biology and environmental/earth sciences, chemistry, academic courses applying science and mathematics concepts and skills to engineering problems, and specialized topics such as aerospace materials and metallurgy.
2 School poverty rate is defined as the percentage of students eligible for the national free or reduced-price lunch program: very low = 5 percent or less, low = 6 to 25 percent, medium = 26 to 50 percent, and high = 51 to 100 percent.
NOTE: The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents one credit for the completion of a 1-year course. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity, and Other includes American Indian/Alaska Native. 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 Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), High School Transcript Study, retrieved April 5, 2010, from STEM Coursetaking Among High School Graduates, 1990-2005, Additional Data Tables (http: mprinc.com/products/pdf/stem_tables.pdf). (This table was prepared April 2010.)

2010 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest