Indicator 18: High School Status Completion Rates
(Last Updated: February 2019)

From 2000 to 2016, the high school status completion rate for Hispanic 18- to 24-year-olds increased from 64 to 89 percent, while the Black and White status completion rates increased from 84 to 92 percent and from 92 to 94 percent, respectively. Although the White-Hispanic and White-Black gaps in status completion rates narrowed between 2000 and 2016, the rates for Hispanic and Black 18- to 24-year-olds remained lower than the White rate in 2016.

The status completion rate measures the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old young adults living in the United States¹ who hold a high school diploma or an alternative credential.² Young adults who are still enrolled in high school or a lower level of education are excluded from the calculation of this measure. Unlike high school graduation rates, which measure the percentage of students who graduate during a specific school year, status completion rates include all individuals in a specified age range who hold a high school diploma or alternative credential, regardless of when it was attained. The high school completion rates presented in this indicator use data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), allowing for the analysis of detailed long-term trends in the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

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Figure 18.1. Status completion rates of 18- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity: 2016

NOTE: The status completion rate is the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are high school completers as a percentage of the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school or a lower level of education. High school completers include those with a high school diploma, as well as those with an alternative credential, such as a GED certificate. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 219.67.

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Of the 28.0 million 18- to 24-year-old young adults who were not enrolled in high school in October 2016, approximately 26.1 million (93 percent) had earned a high school diploma or alternative credential. In 2016, the Asian status completion rate (97 percent) was higher than the White rate (94 percent), and the rates for both groups were higher than the rates for Black (92 percent), Hispanic (89 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (75 percent) young adults. In addition, the Black status completion rate was higher than the Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native rates. The rate for young adults of Two or more races (96 percent) was higher than the rates for Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native young adults, but not measurably different from the rates for the other racial/ethnic groups. The Pacific Islander status completion rate (84 percent) was not measurably different from the rate for any group included in this analysis.

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Figure 18.2. Status completion rates of 18- to 24-year-olds, by race/ethnicity: 2000 through 2016

NOTE: The status completion rate is the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are high school completers as a percentage of the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school or a lower level of education. High school completers include those with a high school diploma, as well as those with an alternative credential, such as a GED certificate. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Total includes other racial/ethnic groups not separately shown. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2000 through 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 219.65.

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The overall status completion rate of 18- to 24-year-old young adults increased from 86 percent in 2000 to 93 percent in 2016. During this time, the Hispanic status completion rate increased from 64 percent to 89 percent, the Black status completion rate increased from 84 percent to 92 percent, and the White status completion rate increased from 92 to 94 percent. As a result of these increases, the White-Hispanic gap in status completion rates narrowed from 28 percentage points in 2000 to 5 percentage points in 2016. The White-Black gap also narrowed during this period, from 8 percentage points in 2000 to 2 percentage points in 2016.

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Figure 18.3. Status completion rates of 18- to 24-year-olds, by recency of immigration and ethnicity: 2016

NOTE: The status completion rate is the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are high school completers as a percentage of the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school or a lower level of education. High school completers include those with a high school diploma, as well as those with an alternative credential, such as a GED certificate. Individuals defined as “first generation” were born in the United States, but one or both of their parents were born outside the United States. Individuals defined as “second generation or higher” were born in the United States, as were both of their parents. Data are based on sample surveys of the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded estimates.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October 2016. See Digest of Education Statistics 2017, table 219.67.

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In 2016, the status completion rates of 18- to 24-year-olds also varied by recency of immigration.³ The status completion rate for foreign-born Hispanic young adults was 80 percent, which was lower than the rates for their Hispanic peers who were first generation and second generation or higher (92 percent for both). Among non-Hispanics, the status completion rate for first-generation young adults (97 percent) was higher than the rate for their second-generation or higher (94 percent) peers. However, the rate for foreign-born non-Hispanic young adults (94 percent) was not measurably different from the rates for first-generation and second-generation or higher non-Hispanic young adults. Among both foreign-born and first-generation young adults, status completion rates were lower for Hispanics than for non-Hispanics. Among young adults who were second generation or higher, there was no measurable difference between the status completion rates for Hispanics and non-Hispanics.

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Endnotes

¹ Includes those living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
² The alternative credentials counted in the status completion rate include, for example, GED certificates and credentials earned by individuals who completed their education outside of the United States.
³ The recency of immigration categories used in this analysis are as follows: (i) foreign-born individuals; (ii) first-generation individuals (those who were born in the United States but have at least one foreign-born parent); and (iii) individuals who are second generation or higher (those who were born in the United States and whose parents were both born in the United States). Those born in the United States include individuals born in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas.

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