EDUCATION

• Latinas earning a bachelor’s degree increased 150% between 1990 to 2000, which was larger than the rate of increase for any other racial/ethnic group. The percentage of Latinas who earned a master’s degree increased 164% during this same time period. (National Center for Education Statistics. Digest of Education Statistics, 2001)
• 2,120 Latinas received a master’s degree in 2001. (National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2002)
• 46,377 Latinas received a bachelor’s degree in 2001. (National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2002)
• Latinas are the least likely of any women to complete a bachelor’s degree. (NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement Journal of School Improvement, “Latinas: Their Education and Future, 2002”)
• 6.9% of Latinas graduate from college nationwide compared to 10.2% of African-American girls and 17.6% of White girls. (U.S. Census Bureau)
• 22.4% of Latinas are high school graduates. (WAWF Fact Sheet on Latinas, 2003)
• Latinas have a 30% high school drop out rate, compared with 12.9% of African-Americans girls and 8.0% of White girls. (U.S. Census, 2000) 
• Latinas outnumber Latinos in taking the SAT exam yet score lower than Latinos who do take the exam on both the math and verbal sections. The gender gap among Hispanics is greater than among any other group. (American Association of University Women)
• Latinas are three times as likely to fear for their personal safety in school as other girls. (American Association of University Women)
• Latinas personal self-esteem drops 38 points between elementary and high school, more than the drop of any other group of girls. (American Association of University Women)
• Latinas start with significantly higher levels of self-esteem than White girls, their confidence plummets in their appearance, family relationships, school ability, talents, and importance, from elementary to high school. (American Association of University Women, Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America)
• In 2004, only 53.1% of Latinas age 3-34 were enrolled in school. (National Center for Education Statistics)
• 29.6% of Latinas 25 and older had attained education beyond high school, compared with 28.6% of Latino men. (National Council of La Raza, 2002)
• Only 37.6% of Latinos enroll in Higher Level Education and only 15.6% of Latinos obtain a Bachelors degree (Pew Research Center Trends 2005:  Hispanic Trends, People in Motion)
• 16% of Hispanics earn a college degree, compared to 28% of Whites and 25% of African-Americans. (American Council on Education, Center for Policy Analysis)
• Latinos are more likely to be enrolled in two-year colleges than any other group. 40% of Latinos 18-24 year old college students attend 2-year institutions compared to 25% of White and African-American students. (Hispanic Outlook for Higher Education, 2002)
• The educational attainment of the young Hispanic population (ages 25-29) is substantially lower than that of other groups. During the past decade, the Hispanic population showed no significant change in the proportion completing high school with 62% in 2003 or attaining a bachelor’s degree with 10% in 2003. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002)
• The proportion of the population 25 years and over with a high school diploma increased from 53% in 1993 to 57% in 2003; the proportion that had some college increased from 26% to 30%; and the proportion with a bachelor’s degree increased from 9% to 11%. (U.S. Census Bureau, Educational Attainment in the U.S. 2003 Report)
• The President’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for Hispanic Americans released a report the concluded that one of every three Hispanic American students fails to complete high school and only 10% of Hispanic Americans graduate from four-year colleges and universities. (U.S. Department of Education, 2003)
• Foreign-born Hispanics had a smaller proportion with a bachelor’s degree than the native population, 10% and 14% respectively. (2003 Report, U.S. Census Bureau)
• Foreign-born Hispanics compose more than 50% of the Hispanic population and contribute to the low educational attainment levels of the entire Hispanic population. (2003 Report, U.S. Census Bureau)
• Only 56.2% of Hispanics enrolled in high school completed classes in advanced chemistry, biology and physics and only 31.1% completed advanced math. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2004)