Table Q3. College credits and GPA of high school class of 2013: Among fall 2009 ninth-graders who enrolled in postsecondary education after high school, average number of credits attempted and earned in first year, average grade point average (GPA) in first year, and percentage who earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher in first year, by selected characteristics (June 2016)

High School Longitudinal
Study of 2009 (HSLS:09)

Characteristic	Average number of credits attempted in first year	Average number of credits earned in first year	Average GPA in first year	Percent who earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher in first year
Total	21.2	17.6	2.6	38.7
Demographic characteristics
Sex
Male	21.4	17.3	2.4	32.3
Female	20.9	17.9	2.7	44.6
Race/ethnicity¹
White	22.0	19.1	2.8	46.5
Black	19.9	14.5	2.1	18.3
Hispanic	19.6	15.4	2.4	31.7
Asian	22.6	20.2	2.9	46.3
Other or Two or more races	20.6	16.5	2.4	31.9
Highest education attained by either parent
High school credential or lower	19.9	15.5	2.4	31.5
Certificate or associate's degree	19.9	15.8	2.4	30.4
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.0	20.4	2.8	48.7
Family socioeconomic status quintile
Lowest quintile	19.7	15.0	2.3	26.9
Middle three quintiles	20.3	16.6	2.5	35.4
Highest quintile	24.3	21.9	2.9	53.5
Language student first learned to speak
English only	21.3	17.7	2.6	38.8
Non-English only	20.8	17.0	2.6	40.1
English and non-English equally	20.4	16.8	2.5	34.1
Ever had disability or special need²
Yes	20.8	16.8	2.5	33.4
No	21.4	18.4	2.7	45.3
High school characteristics
Mathematics achievement quintile
Lowest fifth	18.0	12.9	2.1	18.4
Middle three-fifths	20.8	16.9	2.5	33.6
Highest fifth	24.0	22.1	3.1	60.7
Cumulative high school grade point average
Lower than 2.50	18.2	12.0	1.9	14.8
2.50–2.99	20.9	16.8	2.4	24.8
3.00–3.49	22.2	19.7	2.9	45.1
3.50 or higher	24.3	23.4	3.4	76.4
Sector of last high school
Public	20.8	17.3	2.6	39.3
Private	25.2	23.0	2.9	53.3
High school credential type
Regular high school diploma	21.3	17.9	2.6	40.7
GED and other high school equivalency	14.8	10.3	2.3	32.4
Timing of high school completion³
On time or early	21.3	17.9	2.6	40.8
Delayed	14.0	9.3	2.1	22.0	!
Postsecondary enrollment characteristics
Control and level of first postsecondary institution⁴
Public 2-year	16.4	11.8	2.3	27.7
Public 4-year	24.0	21.1	2.7	44.1
Private nonprofit 4-year	27.1	24.4	2.9	52.1
Private for-profit	20.3	18.1	2.7	43.0
Other⁵	22.2	20.0	2.7	43.3	!
First academic year in postsecondary education
Prior to 2013–14	17.6	14.3	2.6	39.5
2013–14	22.0	18.5	2.6	39.7
2014–15	17.5	12.6	2.2	26.6
2015–16 or later	13.1	10.0	2.3	37.7
State where student attended high school⁶
National (public schools only)	20.8	17.1	2.5	37.3
California	20.1	16.1	2.3	30.8
Florida	19.4	16.4	2.7	40.2
Georgia	18.9	15.1	2.5	38.1
Michigan	21.1	18.2	2.7	43.5
North Carolina	22.7	18.7	2.5	39.3
Ohio	21.7	17.8	2.4	34.6
Pennsylvania	22.5	19.1	2.6	40.3
Tennessee	21.5	17.2	2.5	38.0
Texas	19.8	15.2	2.4	32.1
Washington	20.5	17.7	2.7	46.7
! Interpret data with caution. Estimate is unstable because the standard error is between 30 and 50 percent of the estimate.
¹Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Other includes American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, and individuals who indicated Two or more races or Other. All race categories exclude Hispanic or Latino origin.
²This variable indicates if a student had a serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions; had been told by a health or education professional that he/she had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder); had a learning disability; was deaf or had a serious difficulty hearing; was blind or had a serious difficulty seeing; or had any other disability or special need.
³On-time or early completion refers to students completing high school with a diploma, GED, certificate of attendance or completion, or other high school equivalency by August 31 of their scheduled graduation year (i.e., 2013). Delayed completion refers to students completing high school after August 31, 2013.
⁴First institution is the first known postsecondary institution attended based on postsecondary transcripts.
⁵Includes public less-than-2-year, private nonprofit 2-year, and private nonprofit less-than-2-year institutions.
⁶Base-year (2009) public school and student samples are state representative for a subset of 10 states listed in the table. Students attending public schools in all other states are included in the "National (public schools only)" category.
NOTE: First year refers to the student's first 12 months of postsecondary enrollment based on their postsecondary start date. Estimates exclude students whose postsecondary enrollment was exclusively through dual or concurrent enrollment while in high school. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, First Follow-Up, 2013 Update, High School Transcript Study, and Postsecondary Education Transcript Study and Student Financial Aid Records Data Collection.

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