The Latino high school dropout rate has fallen by 6% — to 10% in 2016, from 16% in 2011 — among Latino students aged 18 to 24. That drop has been accompanied by record-high college enrollment amongst the same demographic, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.
Hispanic enrollment in kindergarten through college increased by 80 percent from 1999 to 2016, from 9.9 million to 17.9 million. The higher numbers of Latino graduates have been the biggest factor in the substantial drop in the nation’s dropout rate; it’s at a record low of 6 percent, as of 2016.
In terms of college enrollment, Latinos have seen bigger gains than any other group. In 2016, almost half — 47 percent — of Hispanic high school graduates ages 18 to 24 were enrolled in college, up from 32 percent in 1999.
The report notes, however, that Latinos still lag when it comes to educational attainment, particularly college completion. A previous report found that as of 2015, only 15 percent of Hispanics aged 25 to 29 had a college degree compared with 41 percent of whites, 63 percent of Asians and 22 percent of blacks.
The drop is significant considering that Latino students make up a growing share of the nation’s students.
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