The U.S. will not meet its 2020 college completion goals without a major contribution from Latinos, who continue to trail Whites in key indicators of higher education attainment, a new study says.
Only 21 percent of Latino adults have at least an associate’s degree compared to 44 percent of Whites and 57 percent of Asian Americans, says Excelencia in Education. Yet Latinos are significantly younger than the rest of the U.S. population, a powerful demographic incentive to close achievement gaps.
“We cannot reach national degree attainment goals without a tactical plan for Latinos,” said Deborah Santiago, Excelencia vice president of research. “We’re dealing with a population that is ready to benefit from a college education.”
Nationwide, Latinos have a median age of 27 compared to a median U.S. age of 40, says the report, “Latino College Completion in 50 States.” Latinos are overrepresented in K-12 education, accounting for 22 percent of all elementary/secondary students while reflecting just 15 percent of the overall U.S. population.
In three states—California, Texas and New Mexico—Latinos represent more than 50 percent of the public school population.
“That has real implications if you think about the opportunities to invest in the Latino community now,” Santiago said. “We have to make sure access is available to these students.”
