America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007
High School Completion
A high school diploma or its equivalent represents acquisition of the basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills a person needs to function in modern society. The percentage of young adults ages 18–24 with a high school diploma or an equivalent credential is a measure of the extent to which young adults have completed a basic prerequisite for many entry-level jobs and for higher education.
Indicator ED4: Percentage of adults ages 18–24 who have completed high school by race and Hispanic origin, 1980–2005
NOTE: Percentages are based only on those not currently enrolled in high school or below. Prior to 1992, this indicator was measured as completing 4 or more years of high school rather than the actual attainment of a high school diploma or equivalent. From 1980 to 2002, the 1977 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. From 2003 onward, the revised 1997 OMB standards were used. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Data from 2003 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. In addition, note that data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately, but are combined for reporting.
SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), October Supplement (1980–2005).
- In 2005, 88 percent of young adults ages 18–24 had completed high school with a diploma or an alternative credential such as a General Education Development (GED) certificate. The high school completion rate has increased slightly since 1980, when it was 84 percent.
- The rate at which Black, non-Hispanic youth completed high school increased between 1980 and 1990, from 75 percent to 83 percent. It has fluctuated since then, and was at 86 percent in 2005. Among White, non-Hispanics, the high school completion rate increased from 88 percent in 1980 to 92 percent in 2002. It then remained stable through 2005.
- Hispanic youth have had a consistently lower high school completion rate than White, non-Hispanic and Black, non-Hispanic youth. Nonetheless, the high school completion rate for Hispanic youth has increased from 57 percent in 1980 to 70 percent in 2005.
- Most young adults complete high school by earning a regular high school diploma. Others complete high school by earning an alternative credential, such as a GED. Between 1990 and 1999, the diploma rate declined from 81 percent to 77 percent. In comparison, the alternative credential rate increased from 5 to 9 percent.108
108 Some of these changes may be related to changes in the survey and collection procedures in 1994.