From Texas classrooms bursting at the seams with over 5.5 million Hispanic students to the remarkable story of rising graduation rates, the numbers tell a powerful and evolving story about the future of American education.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021-22, Hispanic students made up 27.0% of public school enrollment in the U.S.
- Hispanic enrollment in public elementary/secondary schools reached 13.6 million students in fall 2020
- From 2010 to 2020, Hispanic public school enrollment grew by 1.3 million students
- The adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for Hispanic students was 83.7% in 2019-20
- Hispanic four-year ACGR reached 87.0% in 2021-22, up from 83.2% in 2018-19
- In 2020, 82.6% of Hispanic students graduated high school on time
- Hispanic 8th graders scored 227 in math on NAEP 2022, below national avg 236
- In reading, Hispanic 4th graders averaged 202 on NAEP 2022 vs. 217 national
- Hispanic high school seniors math proficiency: 13% at NAEP proficient in 2020
- Hispanic college enrollment rate for recent high school grads: 38% in 2021
- Immediate college enrollment for Hispanics: 42% in 2022, up from 36% in 2010
- Hispanic 4-year college enrollment: 24% of grads in 2021
- Hispanic bachelor's attainment for 25-29: 24% in 2021
- Master's degrees for Hispanics: 4.2 million adults in 2021
- High school completion for Hispanics 25+: 74.2% in 2021
Hispanic students are a large, growing demographic achieving rising graduation rates.
Academic Performance
- Hispanic 8th graders scored 227 in math on NAEP 2022, below national avg 236
- In reading, Hispanic 4th graders averaged 202 on NAEP 2022 vs. 217 national
- Hispanic high school seniors math proficiency: 13% at NAEP proficient in 2020
- GPA for Hispanic high school graduates averaged 2.9 in 2021
- Hispanic students AP participation rate: 28% in 2022
- In science, Hispanic 8th graders NAEP score 141 in 2022
- Hispanic 12th graders reading NAEP: 272 avg in 2019
- Chronic absenteeism for Hispanics: 28% pre-COVID, rose to 35% in 2021
- Hispanic STEM course-taking: 45% took physics in high school 2019
- NAEP math gap: Hispanics 27 points behind whites in grade 4 2022
- Hispanic bilingual program students scored 20% lower on state tests 2021
- Average ACT score for Hispanics: 18.4 in 2022
- SAT math for Hispanics: 457 avg in 2022
- Hispanic PSAT participation up 15% since 2015, avg score 890
- In writing, Hispanic 8th graders NAEP 2022: 248 avg
- Hispanic gifted program enrollment: 7% vs. 10% national avg 2020
- State math proficiency for Hispanics: 25% in 2021 avg across states
- Hispanic IB diploma attainment: 5% of candidates in 2022
- NAEP civics score Hispanics grade 8: 150 in 2022
- Hispanic suspension rates linked to 15% lower test scores
Academic Performance Interpretation
These statistics paint a sobering portrait of systemic educational inequity, where Hispanic students are consistently asked to run the same race but starting from a line drawn farther back.
College Access
- Hispanic college enrollment rate for recent high school grads: 38% in 2021
- Immediate college enrollment for Hispanics: 42% in 2022, up from 36% in 2010
- Hispanic 4-year college enrollment: 24% of grads in 2021
- Community college enrollment for Hispanics: 55% of postsecondary in 2020
- Hispanic Pell Grant recipients: 52% of Hispanic undergrads in 2021-22
- In 2022, Hispanic freshman enrollment grew 7.3% at 4-year colleges
- Hispanic enrollment in master's programs: 10% share in 2021
- Texas Hispanic college-going rate: 52% in 2021
- California Hispanics: 47% immediate college enrollment 2022
- Hispanic students in HBCUs: 6% enrollment share 2020
- Online college enrollment for Hispanics doubled to 30% during COVID 2021
- Florida Hispanic postsecondary enrollment: 360,000 in 2021
- Hispanic first-gen college students: 57% in 2020
- Doctoral enrollment Hispanics: 8% share in 2021-22
- Hispanic transfer rates from CC to 4-year: 16% success in 2019
- New York Hispanic college enrollment: 28% of undergrads 2021
- Hispanic enrollment in STEM majors: 18% in 2022
- Aid dependency for Hispanic undergrads: 75% receive aid 2021
College Access Interpretation
The statistics paint a picture of resilient momentum fueled by necessity, where a community is increasingly punching its ticket to higher education—often as first-generation students relying heavily on aid and community colleges—yet still faces a stubborn climb when the path turns toward advanced degrees and seamless transitions.
Educational Outcomes
- Hispanic bachelor's attainment for 25-29: 24% in 2021
- Master's degrees for Hispanics: 4.2 million adults in 2021
- High school completion for Hispanics 25+: 74.2% in 2021
- Associate degrees awarded to Hispanics: 140,000 in 2020-21
- Bachelor's degrees: Hispanics earned 173,000 in 2020-21, 14% of total
- Adult literacy proficiency for Hispanics: 34% at proficient level 2019
- Median earnings for Hispanics with bachelor's: $62,000 in 2021
- Hispanic PhD recipients: 2.3% of total in 2021
- Lifetime earnings premium for Hispanic college grads: +$1.2M over HS
- Hispanic women bachelor's attainment: 27% for 25-34 in 2021
- English proficiency correlates with 15% higher attainment rates
- Hispanic unemployment rate for college grads: 3.2% in 2022
- Generational progress: 2nd-gen Hispanics 40% college attainment vs. 15% immigrants
- STEM degrees for Hispanics: 12% of bachelor's in 2021
- Civic engagement higher for educated Hispanics: 65% vote with degrees
- Health outcomes: College-educated Hispanics 20% lower obesity rates
- Arizona Hispanic attainment: 20% bachelor's 25+ in 2021
- Texas: 22% Hispanic adults with associate or higher 2021
- National Hispanic postsecondary completion: 32% 6-year rate 2016 cohort
Educational Outcomes Interpretation
The data tells a story of determined progress and persistent gaps: a growing legion of Hispanic college graduates is securing a stronger foothold, yet the climb remains steeper and the summit further away than for many others.
High School Graduation
- The adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for Hispanic students was 83.7% in 2019-20
- Hispanic four-year ACGR reached 87.0% in 2021-22, up from 83.2% in 2018-19
- In 2020, 82.6% of Hispanic students graduated high school on time
- Texas Hispanic ACGR: 91.4% in 2021-22
- California Hispanic graduation rate: 84.4% in 2021-22
- Florida Hispanics: 91.7% ACGR in 2021-22
- New York Hispanic ACGR: 82.4% in 2020-21
- Hispanic male ACGR: 81.5% vs. female 85.9% in 2019-20
- In low-income schools, Hispanic ACGR was 78.2% in 2020
- Arizona Hispanic graduation rate: 79.1% in 2021-22
- Nevada Hispanics: 82.3% ACGR in 2021-22
- Illinois Hispanic ACGR: 84.7% in 2020-21
- During COVID, Hispanic extended-year graduation rate rose to 88.5% in 2020-21
- Hispanic ELL ACGR: 65.4% in 2019-20
- Colorado Hispanic graduation: 80.2% in 2021-22
- New Mexico Hispanics: 74.5% ACGR in 2021-22
- Hispanic students in charter high schools: 85.2% ACGR in 2019
- Georgia Hispanic ACGR: 85.6% in 2021-22
- Hispanic dropout rate fell to 5.4% in 2020 from 8.9% in 2012
High School Graduation Interpretation
While the overall graduation trend for Hispanic students is a rising tide that lifts most states, it still leaves stubborn pockets of educational inequality stranded on the shore, particularly for young men, English learners, and those in under-resourced schools.
K-12 Enrollment
- In 2021-22, Hispanic students made up 27.0% of public school enrollment in the U.S.
- Hispanic enrollment in public elementary/secondary schools reached 13.6 million students in fall 2020
- From 2010 to 2020, Hispanic public school enrollment grew by 1.3 million students
- In 2022, 54% of Hispanic students attended schools where minority students were the majority
- Hispanic pre-K enrollment was 22% in 2019, higher than non-Hispanic whites at 18%
- In California, Hispanics comprised 54.5% of K-12 public school enrollment in 2021-22
- Texas had 5.5 million Hispanic K-12 students in 2022, 53% of total enrollment
- Hispanic kindergarten enrollment rate was 95% for 3-5 year olds in 2019
- In 2020, 28% of Hispanic students were in high-poverty schools vs. 8% of whites
- Florida's Hispanic K-12 enrollment hit 1.0 million in 2022, 36% of total
- Hispanic students in charter schools: 32% of enrollment in 2019-20
- New York had 1.1 million Hispanic K-12 students in 2021, 27% share
- Hispanic ELL students numbered 4.9 million in 2020-21, 78% of ELLs
- In Arizona, Hispanics were 44% of K-12 enrollment in 2022
- Hispanic homeschooling rates rose to 11% during COVID-19 peak in 2020
- Illinois Hispanic K-12 enrollment: 1.4 million in 2021-22, 27%
- Hispanic students in rural schools: 15% of rural enrollment in 2020
- Nevada's Hispanic share of K-12: 42% in 2022
- Hispanic private school enrollment: 10% of total private in 2019
- Colorado Hispanics: 35% of K-12 in 2021-22
K-12 Enrollment Interpretation
The Hispanic student population is not just growing; it is fundamentally reshaping America's educational landscape, now representing over a quarter of all public school students, yet they remain disproportionately funneled into under-resourced schools, a gap that demands our urgent attention.
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