The rate at which Latino high school graduates enrolled in college reached a record high in 2012, and it exceeded that of Whites for the first time, a new Pew Research Center analysis has revealed.
The Pew Hispanic Center, a division of the Washington-based Pew Research Center, reports that 69 percent of Latino high school graduates in the class of 2012 enrolled in college compared to 67 percent of Whites, a jump from 49 percent of Latinos graduating in 2000. In addition, the Latino high school dropout rate is at 14 percent, declining from 28 percent only a decade ago, says the Pew analysis, which was released late last week.
“This milestone is the result of a long-term increase in Hispanic college-going that accelerated with the onset of the recession in 2008,” according to the analysis, titled “Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment” by Pew researchers Richard Fry and Paul Taylor.
Compared to fall 2012 college enrollment by Latinos and Whites among high school graduates, African-Americans enrolled in college at a 63 percent rate. Asian enrollment was 84 percent, according to the analysis. Based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Pew’s analysis featured enrollment numbers that included statistics from both two-year and four-year institutions.
Along with the data showing Latino progress, the Pew analysis documents how Latino students continue to trail Whites on a number of educational measures. For instance, only 56 percent of Latino college students enrolled in a four-year institution, compared to 72 percent of White college enrollees. The Latino students were less likely than Whites to be enrolled in college full-time and less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree, according to the analysis.
Deborah Santiago, the vice-president for policy and research at the ¡Excelencia! in Education advocacy organization, described the Pew’s analysis as one that “articulates an opportunity to focus on retention and completion.”
