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Highlights from the Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics - Elementary & Secondary School Enrollment

Executive Summary
Elementary & Secondary School Enrollment
Grade Retention, Suspension, & Expulsion
Dropout Rates
High School Completion
Student Performance in Reading
Student Performance in Mathematics
Student Performance in Science
Trends in Credit Earning & Coursetaking in High School
Advanced Coursetaking in High School
Advanced Placement Examinations
Language Spoken at Home
Enrollment in Colleges & Universities
Degrees Conferred by Colleges & Universities
Adult Education
PDF File of Complete Report Acrobat PDF File - Highlights from the Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics

Much of the recent rise in minority enrollment may be attributed to the growth in the number of Hispanic students. Most Hispanic students attend schools where minorities are the majority of the student body.

In 2000, minorities constituted 39 percent of public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade, of which 44 percent were Hispanic (17 percent of total enrollment).

Between 1972 and 2000, the percentage of Hispanic students in public schools increased 11 percentage points and the overall percentage of minority students increased 17 percentage points. By comparison, the percentage of Black students in public schools increased only about 2 percentage points between 1972 and 2000 (supplemental table 2.3a).

There are regional differences in the proportion of students enrolled in public schools who are Hispanic (as well as those from other minorities). The largest concentration of Hispanic students is in the West, where they represented 32 percent of students in 2000 (an increase of 16 percentage points from 1972).

The majority of Hispanic students attending public elementary and secondary schools are enrolled in schools where minorities comprise the majority of the student population. In 2000, 38 percent of Hispanic students were enrolled in schools where minorities accounted for 90 percent or more of the student body, and 77 percent of Hispanic students were enrolled in schools where minorities made up 50 percent or more of the population. The majority of Hispanic students also are enrolled in public schools that are largely Hispanic (supplemental table 2.3b). For example, 32 percent of Hispanic public-school students attended schools that were over 75 percent Hispanic enrollment, and 55 percent attended schools that were over 50 percent Hispanic enrollment. Less than one-quarter of Hispanic public-school students attended schools in which Hispanic enrollment was less than 25 percent in 2000.

Hispanic public school enrollment can also be looked at with respect to various school demographic characteristics. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of all Hispanic students lived in large cities or the urban fringe of large cities in 2000. Compared to White public school students, Hispanic students were more likely to reside in large cities (32 percent versus 6 percent) and less likely to reside in towns or rural areas (14 percent versus 40 percent). Compared to Black public school students, Hispanic students were as likely to live in large cities, but a larger percentage of Black students (19 percent) lived in towns or rural areas (supplemental table 2.3c).

Hispanic students comprised one-quarter or more of public school enrollment in five states (Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas). Forty-one percent of students in the top 10 largest public school districts were Hispanic. Other racial/ethnic groups were not as common as Hispanic students in these districts: Whites represented 19 percent, Blacks represented 31 percent, and Asians/ Pacific Islanders represented 9 percent. (The percentage of American Indians/Alaska Natives in public school districts rounded to 0.) Hispanics were the largest racial/ethnic group in four of these districts: New York City (NY), Los Angeles Unified (CA), Dade County (FL), and Houston Independent School District (TX).

More than one-half (59 percent) of Hispanic 4th-grade students were in public schools in which more than 50 percent of the students were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches. Twenty-six percent attended schools in which 51 to 75 percent of the students were eligible, and 16 percent attended schools in which 76 to 99 percent of the students were eligible. Seventeen percent of Hispanic students were enrolled in schools with 100 percent of the students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.(supplemental table 2.3d)