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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 5, Issue 2, Topic: Crosscutting Statistics
Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics
By: Charmaine Llagas
 
This article was originally published as the Highlights and Introduction of the Statistical Analysis Report of the same name. The universe and sample survey data come from NCES as well as from other federal agencies and organizations.
 
 

The Hispanic population in the United States is growing rapidly and will soon become the largest minority group, surpassing the Black population by 2005. Hispanics have made gains in several key education areas in the past 20 years, but despite these gains, gaps in academic performance between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White students remain.

Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics examines the current condition and recent trends in the educational status of Hispanics in the United States. The report presents a selection of indicators that illustrate the educational gains made in recent years, as well as the many gaps that still exist. These indicators are examined in four major sections: Demographic Overview; Preprimary, Elementary, and Secondary Education; Postsecondary Education; and Outcomes of Education. The report draws on the many statistics published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as well as data from other federal agencies and organizations.

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The report's highlights are as follows:

Demographic overview
  • The Hispanic population is younger, on average, than the population overall.

Preprimary, elementary, and secondary education
  • Much of the recent rise in minority enrollment in elementary and secondary schools may be attributed to the growth in the number of Hispanic students (figure A).
  • Hispanic students have retention and suspension/expulsion rates that are higher than those of Whites, but lower than those of Blacks.
  • Hispanic students have higher high school dropout rates (figure B) and lower high school completion rates than White or Black students.
  • Hispanic students had higher National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading, mathematics, and science scores in 1999 than in the 1970s, though their NAEP performance remains lower than that of White students.
  • In 1998, Hispanic high school graduates earned more credits than did 1982 graduates, especially in academic subjects. They also narrowed the gap with Whites in academic credits earned.
  • Hispanic students are more likely than White and Black students to complete advanced foreign language classes.
  • More Hispanic students than in previous years are taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations.
  • Over one-half of Hispanic students speak mostly English at home.
  • The birth rates of Hispanic females ages 15 to 19 are higher than those of females from other racial/ethnic groups.

Postsecondary education
  • Hispanic enrollments in colleges and universities increased between 1980 and 2000, although a smaller proportion of Hispanics completed college compared to Whites and Blacks (table A).
  • In the 1999–2000 school year, the most popular fields of study in which Hispanics earned bachelor's degrees were business, social sciences/history, psychology, and education.
  • About two out of five Hispanics 17 years old and over participate in adult education.

Outcomes of education
  • There is a positive relationship between education and salary for all racial/ethnic groups, but the incomes of Hispanic men are lower than those of White men at most educational levels.

Figure A. Percent of public school students enrolled in grades K–12 who were minorities, by race/ethnicity: 1972–2000
Figure A. Percent of public school students enrolled in grades K-12 who were minorities, by race/ethnicity: 1972-2000

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of Education, 2002, based on U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys, 1972–2000. (Originally published on p. 27 of the complete report from which this article is excerpted.)

Figure B. Percent of 16- to 24-year-olds who were high school dropouts, by race/ethnicity: 1972–2000
Figure B. Percent of 16- to 24-year-olds who were high school dropouts, by race/ethnicity: 1972-2000

NOTE: The data presented here represent the status dropout rate, which is the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are out of school and who have not earned a high school credential. Another way of calculating dropout rates is the event dropout rate, which is the percentage of 15- to 24-year-olds who dropped out of grades 10 through 12 in the 12 months preceding the fall of each data collection year. Event dropout rates are not presented here.

SOURCE: P. Kaufman, M.N. Alt, and C.D. Chapman, Dropout Rates in the United States: 2000, based on U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, October Current Population Surveys, 1972–2000. (Originally published on p. 41 of the complete report from which this article is excerpted.)


Table A. Percentage distribution of enrollment in colleges and universities, by race/ethnicity: 1980 and 2000
Race/ethnicity 1980 2000
Total 2-year 4-year Total 2-year 4-year
Total
100 100 100 100 100 100
White, non-Hispanic
81 79 83 68 64 71
Black, non-Hispanic
9 10 8 11 12 11
Hispanic
4 6 3 10 14 7
Asian/Pacific Islander
2 3 2 6 7 6
American Indian/Alaska Native
1 1 0 1 1 1
Nonresident alien
3 1 3 3 1 5

NOTE: Includes 2-year and 4-year degree-granting institutions that were participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs. Detail may not add to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2002, based on the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Colleges and Universities Survey," 1980–81, and 2000–01 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:2000). (Originally published on p. 97 of the complete report from which this article is excerpted.)


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Data sources:

NCES: Various publications, such as The Condition of Education and Digest of Education Statistics.

Other: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; College Entrance Examination Board; American College Testing Program (ACT).

For technical information, see the complete report:

Llagas, C. (2003). Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics (NCES 2003–008).

Author affiliation: C. Llagas, American Institutes for Research.

For questions about content, contact Thomas D. Snyder (thomas.snyder@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 2003–008), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877–433–7827) or visit the NCES Electronic Catalog (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch).


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