Average number of Carnegie units earned by public high school graduates in various subject fields, by sex and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1990 through 2019

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Table 225.10.

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Graduation year, sex, and race/ethnicity	Total		English language and literature		Social sciences and history		Mathematics		Science												World language and literature		Visual and performing arts		Career/ technical education¹		Other²
Graduation year, sex, and race/ethnicity	Total		English language and literature		Social sciences and history		Mathematics		Total		Biology		Chemistry			Physics			Other science³		World language and literature		Visual and performing arts		Career/ technical education¹		Other²
1	2		3		4		5		6		7		8			9			10		11		12		13		14
1990 graduates	23.5	(0.13)	4.1	(0.04)	3.4	(0.04)	3.2	(0.03)	2.8	(0.03)	1.1	(0.02)	0.5		(0.01)	0.2		(0.01)	0.9	(0.03)	1.5	(0.04)	1.6	(0.04)	4.0	(0.07)	3.0	(0.08)
Sex
Male	23.4	(0.13)	4.0	(0.04)	3.4	(0.04)	3.2	(0.03)	2.8	(0.03)	1.1	(0.02)	0.5		(0.02)	0.3		(0.01)	1.0	(0.03)	1.3	(0.04)	1.3	(0.05)	4.0	(0.08)	3.2	(0.08)
Female	23.7	(0.13)	4.1	(0.04)	3.5	(0.04)	3.2	(0.03)	2.8	(0.03)	1.2	(0.02)	0.5		(0.01)	0.2		(0.01)	0.9	(0.03)	1.7	(0.04)	1.8	(0.05)	3.9	(0.08)	2.8	(0.07)
Race/ethnicity⁴
White	23.5	(0.13)	4.0	(0.04)	3.4	(0.04)	3.2	(0.03)	2.8	(0.03)	1.1	(0.02)	0.6		(0.02)	0.2		(0.01)	0.9	(0.03)	1.6	(0.05)	1.6	(0.06)	4.0	(0.08)	2.9	(0.08)
Black	23.4	(0.26)	4.2	(0.05)	3.4	(0.05)	3.2	(0.06)	2.7	(0.06)	1.1	(0.04)	0.4		(0.02)	0.2		(0.02)	1.1	(0.07)	1.2	(0.08)	1.4	(0.05)	4.2	(0.17)	3.1	(0.13)
Hispanic	23.9	(0.22)	4.4	(0.15)	3.4	(0.08)	3.1	(0.06)	2.5	(0.05)	1.1	(0.03)	0.4		(0.04)	0.1		(0.01)	0.9	(0.04)	1.6	(0.06)	1.5	(0.08)	3.8	(0.15)	3.4	(0.13)
Asian/Pacific Islander	24.1	(0.21)	4.4	(0.11)	3.6	(0.12)	3.5	(0.06)	3.0	(0.11)	1.1	(0.09)	0.7		(0.05)	0.4		(0.05)	0.7	(0.08)	2.1	(0.16)	1.3	(0.08)	2.9	(0.28)	3.2	(0.13)
Asian	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)
Pacific Islander	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)
American Indian/Alaska Native	22.2	(0.41)	3.9	(0.13)	3.4	(0.13)	2.9	(0.12)	2.6	(0.26)	1.1	(0.07)	0.4	!	(0.13)	0.2	!	(0.07)	0.9	(0.08)	1.3	(0.26)	1.0	(0.13)	4.6	(0.39)	2.6	(0.15)
Two or more races	23.4	(0.45)	4.3	(0.16)	3.7	(0.14)	3.0	(0.09)	2.9	(0.26)	1.2	(0.10)	0.5		(0.09)	0.3	!	(0.09)	1.0	(0.11)	1.4	(0.21)	0.6	(0.12)	3.6	(0.41)	3.9	(0.25)
2000 graduates	26.2	(0.20)	4.2	(0.03)	3.7	(0.03)	3.6	(0.03)	3.3	(0.04)	1.3	(0.03)	0.7		(0.02)	0.3		(0.01)	1.0	(0.03)	1.9	(0.04)	2.1	(0.06)	4.0	(0.11)	3.4	(0.08)
Sex
Male	26.0	(0.21)	4.1	(0.04)	3.7	(0.03)	3.5	(0.03)	3.2	(0.04)	1.2	(0.03)	0.7		(0.02)	0.3		(0.02)	1.0	(0.03)	1.7	(0.04)	1.8	(0.05)	4.3	(0.13)	3.6	(0.09)
Female	26.3	(0.20)	4.3	(0.04)	3.8	(0.03)	3.6	(0.03)	3.3	(0.04)	1.3	(0.03)	0.7		(0.02)	0.3		(0.02)	1.0	(0.03)	2.2	(0.05)	2.3	(0.07)	3.7	(0.1)	3.2	(0.07)
Race/ethnicity⁴
White	26.3	(0.26)	4.1	(0.04)	3.8	(0.04)	3.6	(0.03)	3.3	(0.04)	1.3	(0.03)	0.7		(0.02)	0.3		(0.02)	1.0	(0.03)	2.0	(0.05)	2.1	(0.07)	4.1	(0.13)	3.3	(0.09)
Black	25.9	(0.24)	4.3	(0.08)	3.7	(0.06)	3.5	(0.04)	3.2	(0.05)	1.2	(0.04)	0.7		(0.03)	0.2		(0.02)	1.1	(0.04)	1.7	(0.07)	2.0	(0.14)	4.0	(0.18)	3.5	(0.13)
Hispanic	25.6	(0.39)	4.6	(0.12)	3.7	(0.08)	3.4	(0.08)	2.9	(0.12)	1.1	(0.08)	0.6		(0.06)	0.2		(0.02)	1.0	(0.04)	1.9	(0.08)	1.7	(0.07)	3.5	(0.15)	3.8	(0.18)
Asian/Pacific Islander	26.2	(0.34)	4.4	(0.08)	3.7	(0.06)	3.9	(0.11)	3.7	(0.17)	1.3	(0.07)	1.0		(0.05)	0.5		(0.04)	0.9	(0.11)	2.5	(0.08)	1.8	(0.09)	2.7	(0.17)	3.5	(0.21)
Asian	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)
Pacific Islander	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)
American Indian/Alaska Native	24.9	(0.33)	4.2	(0.18)	3.7	(0.08)	3.5	(0.11)	3.0	(0.09)	1.3	(0.11)	0.5		(0.05)	0.1	!	(0.05)	1.1	(0.07)	1.3	(0.11)	2.0	(0.25)	4.3	(0.34)	2.9	(0.40)
Two or more races	26.2	(0.42)	3.9	(0.49)	3.5	(0.25)	3.7	(0.08)	3.7	(0.47)	1.2	(0.07)	0.9		(0.04)	0.4	!	(0.15)	1.2	(0.35)	2.2	(0.25)	1.7	(0.14)	3.6	(0.17)	3.9	(0.56)
2009 graduates	27.1	(0.10)	4.3	(0.02)	4.0	(0.03)	3.9	(0.02)	3.5	(0.02)	1.3	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.3		(0.01)	1.1	(0.02)	2.2	(0.03)	2.2	(0.04)	3.4	(0.07)	3.6	(0.06)
Sex
Male	27.0	(0.11)	4.3	(0.02)	3.9	(0.03)	3.9	(0.02)	3.5	(0.03)	1.2	(0.01)	0.7		(0.01)	0.4		(0.01)	1.1	(0.02)	2.0	(0.03)	1.9	(0.04)	3.7	(0.08)	3.9	(0.06)
Female	27.3	(0.10)	4.4	(0.02)	4.0	(0.03)	3.9	(0.02)	3.6	(0.02)	1.4	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.3		(0.01)	1.0	(0.02)	2.4	(0.03)	2.5	(0.05)	3.2	(0.07)	3.4	(0.06)
Race/ethnicity⁴
White	27.3	(0.15)	4.2	(0.02)	4.0	(0.04)	3.9	(0.02)	3.6	(0.02)	1.3	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.4		(0.01)	1.1	(0.02)	2.2	(0.03)	2.3	(0.04)	3.6	(0.09)	3.5	(0.07)
Black	27.4	(0.14)	4.5	(0.04)	4.0	(0.03)	4.0	(0.03)	3.4	(0.02)	1.3	(0.02)	0.7		(0.02)	0.2		(0.02)	1.2	(0.03)	1.8	(0.04)	1.9	(0.08)	3.7	(0.13)	4.0	(0.08)
Hispanic	26.5	(0.19)	4.6	(0.03)	3.8	(0.03)	3.7	(0.03)	3.2	(0.03)	1.2	(0.02)	0.7		(0.01)	0.3		(0.01)	1.0	(0.02)	2.1	(0.03)	1.9	(0.05)	3.2	(0.12)	4.0	(0.08)
Asian/Pacific Islander	26.9	(0.19)	4.4	(0.05)	4.0	(0.08)	4.1	(0.05)	4.0	(0.09)	1.6	(0.08)	1.1		(0.03)	0.6		(0.03)	0.8	(0.06)	2.7	(0.07)	2.1	(0.06)	2.2	(0.11)	3.3	(0.10)
Asian	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)
Pacific Islander	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---		(†)	---		(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)	---	(†)
American Indian/Alaska Native	26.2	(0.41)	4.3	(0.08)	4.0	(0.07)	3.7	(0.11)	3.3	(0.06)	1.3	(0.06)	0.5		(0.05)	0.2		(0.03)	1.3	(0.07)	1.5	(0.09)	2.2	(0.16)	3.2	(0.23)	4.0	(0.24)
Two or more races	26.6	(0.34)	4.5	(0.09)	4.0	(0.09)	3.8	(0.07)	3.5	(0.08)	1.3	(0.05)	0.8		(0.04)	0.3		(0.04)	1.1	(0.08)	2.2	(0.11)	2.2	(0.19)	2.6	(0.22)	3.7	(0.17)
2019 graduates	28.0	(0.07)	4.5	(0.02)	4.0	(0.01)	4.2	(0.01)	3.7	(0.01)	1.4	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.4		(0.01)	1.1	(0.01)	2.1	(0.02)	2.3	(0.02)	3.4	(0.06)	3.8	(0.03)
Sex
Male	27.8	(0.07)	4.5	(0.02)	4.0	(0.01)	4.1	(0.02)	3.6	(0.01)	1.3	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.5		(0.01)	1.1	(0.01)	2.0	(0.02)	1.9	(0.02)	3.7	(0.06)	4.0	(0.03)
Female	28.2	(0.07)	4.5	(0.02)	4.1	(0.02)	4.2	(0.02)	3.8	(0.02)	1.6	(0.01)	0.9		(0.01)	0.4		(0.01)	1.0	(0.01)	2.3	(0.02)	2.7	(0.03)	3.1	(0.06)	3.5	(0.03)
Race/ethnicity⁴
White	28.2	(0.10)	4.3	(0.02)	4.1	(0.02)	4.2	(0.02)	3.8	(0.02)	1.4	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.4		(0.01)	1.1	(0.02)	2.1	(0.03)	2.4	(0.03)	3.7	(0.08)	3.6	(0.04)
Black	28.2	(0.12)	4.6	(0.03)	4.1	(0.02)	4.3	(0.03)	3.7	(0.03)	1.4	(0.01)	0.7		(0.01)	0.3		(0.01)	1.3	(0.02)	1.8	(0.02)	2.2	(0.05)	3.4	(0.08)	4.0	(0.06)
Hispanic	27.6	(0.08)	4.7	(0.02)	3.9	(0.02)	4.0	(0.02)	3.5	(0.02)	1.4	(0.01)	0.8		(0.01)	0.4		(0.01)	1.0	(0.02)	2.2	(0.02)	2.2	(0.03)	3.1	(0.05)	3.9	(0.04)
Asian/Pacific Islander	28.1	(0.15)	4.5	(0.04)	4.2	(0.04)	4.4	(0.03)	4.3	(0.06)	1.6	(0.03)	1.1		(0.03)	0.8		(0.03)	0.8	(0.03)	2.6	(0.04)	2.3	(0.06)	2.5	(0.07)	3.3	(0.06)
Asian	28.2	(0.16)	4.5	(0.04)	4.3	(0.04)	4.4	(0.03)	4.4	(0.06)	1.6	(0.03)	1.1		(0.03)	0.8		(0.03)	0.8	(0.03)	2.7	(0.04)	2.3	(0.07)	2.4	(0.07)	3.3	(0.06)
Pacific Islander	27.2	(0.31)	4.4	(0.09)	3.8	(0.09)	4.0	(0.08)	3.4	(0.11)	1.2	(0.07)	0.8		(0.06)	0.3		(0.05)	1.1	(0.08)	1.8	(0.10)	2.4	(0.33)	2.8	(0.18)	4.6	(0.21)
American Indian/Alaska Native	27.3	(0.20)	4.4	(0.07)	4.0	(0.07)	3.9	(0.06)	3.4	(0.05)	1.4	(0.04)	0.6		(0.05)	0.2		(0.03)	1.2	(0.05)	1.5	(0.06)	2.2	(0.11)	3.7	(0.16)	4.4	(0.18)
Two or more races	27.8	(0.12)	4.3	(0.03)	4.1	(0.04)	4.1	(0.03)	3.7	(0.04)	1.4	(0.03)	0.8		(0.02)	0.4		(0.02)	1.1	(0.04)	2.2	(0.05)	2.4	(0.07)	3.0	(0.10)	3.9	(0.09)

---Not available.

†Not applicable.

!Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

¹ Includes courses in agriculture, food, and natural resources; architecture and construction; business and marketing; communication and audio/video technology; engineering and technology; health care sciences; hospitality and tourism; human services; information technology; manufacturing; public, protective, and government service; and transportation, distribution, and logistics.

² Includes courses in physical, health, and safety education; religious education and theology; military science; and other miscellaneous subject areas.

³ Includes all science credits earned outside of biology, chemistry, and physics.

⁴ Race/ethnicity categories used for 1990, 2000, and 2009 are the pre-2011 categories. The race/ethnicity categories used prior to 2011 were White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Two or more races. Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Additional information was collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) beginning in 2011 so that results could be reported separately for Asian students and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students.

NOTE: Total rows include all graduates in the analytic sample, even if they had missing responses for sex and/or race/ethnicity. For a high school graduate to be included in the analyses, their transcript had to meet five requirements: (1) the graduate received either a standard or honors diploma, (2) the transcript had three or more years of delineated courses, (3) at least one course on the transcript was taken during the NAEP and High School Transcript Study (HSTS) assessment year, (4) the transcript contained 16 or more Carnegie credits, and (5) the transcript contained at least 1 Carnegie credit in English courses. The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents one credit for the completion of a 1-year course. Data differ slightly from figures appearing in other NCES reports because of differences in taxonomies and case exclusion criteria. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1990, 2000, 2009, and 2019 High School Transcript Study (HSTS). (This table was prepared April 2022.)

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