New Facts about Latinos & Education

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Education has long been considered key in attaining financial and professional success in life and it is also tied closely into maintaining physical and mental health. Latinos have long lagged behind other races and ethnicities in the United States in terms of educational attainment. In the past decade, that has changed dramatically. In a survey conducted recently to gauge issues of importance among Latinos for the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, over 80% cited education as being important.

For many Latinos, economic barriers or obstacles still play a substantial part in furthering education. While the rate of Latino high school dropouts has declined and college enrollment has increased, Latinos still trail other groups in earning bachelor’s degrees. In a 2014 National Journal poll, 66% of Latinos who got a job or entered the military after high school cited the need to support their family as their reason for doing so as opposed to going to college. This is compared to less than 40% for whites.

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As Latinos continue to grow in numbers in this country – which is being reflected in the nation’s K-12 schools and colleges – here are five new facts about Latinos and education.

The high school dropout rate among Latinos reached a new low in 2014, dropping from 32% in 2000 to just 12%. This dramatic decline helped lower the nation’s overall dropout rate from 12% to 7% over that same time period. This is also a new low. However, despite these positive results, Latinos still have dropout rates higher than Blacks (7%), Whites (5%), and Asians (1%).
Latinos are making bigger inroads in college and college enrollment. In 2014, 35% of Latinos age 18-24 were enrolled in a two-year or four-year college/university. This figure showed a 13% increase from 1993 and accounted for 2.3 million Latino college students. In comparison, enrollments for blacks rose by 8% (to 33%) and by 5% among whites (to 42%).
Though more Latinos are obtaining post-secondary education than ever, they still lag behind other groups in obtaining four-year degrees. As of 2014, just 15% of Latinos age 25-29 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among the same age group, 41% of whites, 22% of blacks, and 63% of Asians have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Another thought as to why Latinos lag behind in obtaining bachelor’s degrees is that nearly 50% of Latino college students attend public two-year schools or community colleges. This number is the highest among any race or ethnicity. As a comparison, among community college students, 30% are white, 32% are Asian, and 36% are black.
Among all races and ethnicities, Latinos are less likely to exit college with student loan debt. Over 20% of all young Latino households (those headed by someone younger than 40 years old) have student loans. Among white (42%) and black (40%) households, the number is nearly double.