Latino College Enrollment Rate Surpasses That of Whites - Higher Education: 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.
