Thursday, June 09, 2011

More Hispanic Students Graduating And Attending College, Census Says

More Hispanic Students Graduating And Attending College, Census Says: A higher percentage of young Hispanic adults is finishing high school, and the number attending a two-year college has nearly doubled over the last decade, according to Census data released Wednesday.

The percentage of Hispanic 18- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in high school and don't have an equivalent degree was 22 percent in 2008, down from 34 percent in 1998.

Meanwhile, the number attending a 2-year college increased 85 percent, from 540,000 in 2000 to 1 million in 2008.

'It's an amazing level of growth,' said Kurt Bauman, the chief of the Census Bureau's education branch.

Researchers said the numbers on high school completion were the result of several factors, including targeted efforts to reduce the number of Latino students dropping out, as well as an increasing percentage born and attending all their schooling in the United States.