Texas Political Lobbyist News: National Hispanic Student Enrollments Reach New Record in 2011
The following is a digest of an original article published by the Pew Research Center. The Texas Lobby Group is posting this digest as a public service for Texas Hispanic Students, Texas lobbyists, Texas government consultants, and all interested political groups or students of social sciences.
In 2011, The Hispanic student population in America reached all time highs, with over 2 million students of traditional college age enrolled in higher education institutions. Hispanics are now the most prevalent minority group attending college, a huge leap forward for the largest minority group in America. Hispanic students now account for around 16.5% of all college enrollments. Also in 2011, Hispanic children and adolescents in public schools reached 23.9% of all students. Even more remarkable, one in four elementary school students are now estimated to be of Hispanic ethnicity.
“In 2010, the number of Latinos who received a bachelor’s degree reached a record 140,000 recipients, according to data published by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education. A record number of associate degrees were awarded to Latinos in 2010 as well—112,000. In both cases, Latinos are a growing share of all degree recipients—13.2% among those with an associate degree and 8.5% among those who received a bachelor’s degree in 2010.”
A high population growth is not the only explanation for enrollment increase. High school completion and college enrollment are also found to be at a record high, indicating that academic effort and quality of work is improving. With high school being more frequently completed, more people are able to have the option to attend college. Well over 76% of Hispanic students between the ages of 18 and 24 are eligible for college, this number has jumped from 72% from the year prior. This means great things in store for Hispanic students and young adults, in terms of equality and opportunity.
It’s good to see Hispanic enrollment in colleges that reflect their large presence in America. Hispanics are the largest minority group in the country, composing over 16.5% of the population, or over 50 million people. It’s time their presence in the world of education represented that, and it finally is starting to. These figures point towards a positive trend in academics and society in general. Let’s hope that with time these numbers continue to increase, and that these students continue to finish high school, attend college, and earn their degrees. Let’s hope that all the young, primary age children continue and improve upon these academic trends.