America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011
College Enrollment
A college education generally enhances a person's employment prospects and increases his or her earning potential.114 The percentage of high school completers who enroll in college in the fall immediately after high school is one measure of the accessibility and perceived value of a college education by high school completers.115
Indicator Ed6: Percentage of high school completers who were enrolled in college the October immediately after completing high school by race and Hispanic origin, 1980–2009
NOTE: Enrollment in college as of October of each year for individuals ages 16–24 who completed high school during the preceding 12 months. High school completion includes General Educational Development (GED) recipients. A 3-year moving average is the average of the estimates for the year prior to the reported year, the reported year, and the following year. For 2009, a 2-year moving average is used, reflecting an average of the 2008 and 2009 estimates. For data before 2003, the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standards for Data on Race and Ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. The revised 1997 OMB standards were used for data for 2003 and later years. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Included in the total but not shown separately are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and "Two or more races." Beginning in 2003, those in a given racial category represent those reporting only that race. Data from 2003 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, School Enrollment Supplement.
- In 2009, 70 percent of high school completers enrolled immediately in a 2-year or 4-year college.
- Between 1980 and 2009, the rate of immediate college enrollment has trended upward from 49 percent to 70 percent; however, the rate has fluctuated from year to year.
- In 1980, 50 percent of White, non-Hispanic high school completers immediately enrolled in college; this rate increased to 69 percent by 1998 and decreased to 64 percent by 2001. Although this rate fluctuated between 2001 and 2009, the immediate college enrollment rate for White, non-Hispanics was higher in 2009 (71 percent) than in 2001.
- Among Blacks and Hispanics, estimates of immediate college enrollment rates have fluctuated over time, very likely due to small sample sizes. For this reason, 3-year moving averages are used to measure the trends. In 1980, the immediate enrollment rate for Black, non-Hispanics was 44 percent; this rate increased to 63 percent in 2009. Since 1999, the moving average for Hispanics has increased steadily, from 47 percent in 1999 to 62 percent in 2009.
- From 1980 to 2009, the immediate enrollment rate for male high school completers increased from 47 percent to 66 percent, while for female high school completers the rate increased from 52 percent to 74 percent.
- In many of the years between 1980 and 2009, there were no statistically significant differences in the immediate enrollment rates for males and females. In the years when there were differences (1991, 1996–1998, 2000, 2002–2004, 2008, and 2009), the female rate was higher than the male rate.
114 Dohm, A., and Wyatt, I. (2002, Fall). College at work: Outlook and earnings for college graduates, 2000–10. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 46 (3), 3–15.
115 "High school completer" refers to those who completed 12 years of school for survey years 1980–1991 and to those who earned a high school diploma or equivalent (e.g., a General Educational Development [GED] certificate) for all years since 1992.