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Highlights from the Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics - Executive Summary

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
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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. Selected sections are presented in this web edition of this report. The following are some highlights;

  • 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. (Indicator 2.3a)
  • Hispanic students have retention and suspension/expulsion rates that are higher than those of Whites, but lower than those of Blacks. (Indicator 3.2)
  • Hispanic students have higher high school dropout rates and lower high school completion rates than White or Black students. (Indicator 3.3 and Indicator 3.4)
  • Hispanic students had higher NAEP reading, mathematics, and science scores in 1999 than in the 1970s, though their NAEP performance remains lower than White students. (Indicator 4.2a through Indicator 4.4b)
  • 1998 Hispanic high school graduates earned more credits than did 1982 graduates, especially in academic subjects. They also narrowed the gap with Whites on academic credits earned. (Indicator 4.5)
  • Hispanic students are more likely than White and Black students to complete advanced foreign language classes. (Indicator 4.6d)
  • More Hispanic students than in previous years are taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. (Indicator 4.7)
  • Over one-half of Hispanic students speak mostly English at home. (Indicator 5.3a)
  • The birth rates of Hispanic females ages 15 to 19 are higher than females from other racial/ethnic groups.
  • Hispanic enrollments in colleges and universities increased between 1980 and 2000, though a smaller proportion of Hispanics complete college compared to Whites and Blacks. (Indicator 7.1a and Indicator 7.1b)
  • 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 2 of 5 Hispanics 17 years old and over participate in adult education. (Indicator 7.8)
  • 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.