More Hispanic students are enrolling in college even as college enrollment rates for other groups drop, according to a new report from the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
The report, the third of its kind, looks at the post-secondary success and progression through college of Colorado’s high school graduates from 2009 to 2012.
While Hispanic students still lag behind their white and Asian peers in college enrollment, their numbers have increased by five percent since 2009. Enrollment declined among African-American students.
Of the state’s districts, Englewood Public Schools, south of Denver, had the lowest college-going rate, with just over a quarter of its graduates enrolling in college. The tiny Swink School District, on the southeastern plains, had the highest rate: over 86 percent of its graduates enrolled in college.
More highlights:
- Fifty seven percent of Colorado’s high school class of 2012 enrolled in an institution of higher education .
- In 2012, more female students enrolled in an institution of higher education than male students (61 versus 53 percent).
- Colorado students’ grade point averages rose during their first year of college, from 2.67 to 2.72.
- The state’s college retention numbers remain higher than the nation’s, although they dropped slightly from previous years.
- Of the 2009 high school cohort, nearly 30 percent so far have received a certificate, an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree.
A searchable database with the latest results by district from 2012 will be available here soon. Currently, it includes results from 2009 to 2011. For more, the full report is available here.