Latinos and Testing

Demographic Profile of Latinos

Latinos form the largest ethnic/racial minority group in the United States with a recorded 54 million residents, accounting for 17% of the nation’s population. States that each have over 1 million Latino residents are Arizona, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, with particularly large Latino populations in Florida, California, and Texas.

Spanish is the most common first language or heritage language among English language learners (ELLs); as of 2013, Spanish was spoken at home among 71% of ELLs. In early education programs, Latino children lag behind in preschool enrollment, compared to their African American and White peers. This places Latino children in a precarious situation for school readiness and ultimately for academic success and employment opportunity later in life. Latinos constitute a significant population in elementary and high schools. In 2014, they made up 25% of students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools. Increase in the Latino student population is anticipated; by 2036, they are projected to constitute one-third of the nation’s children aged 3 through 17 years.

[Page 950]Poverty is unequivocally a detriment to the educational advancement of Latino youth. Almost one-third of Latino children live in poverty. Furthermore, in school year 2014–2015, nearly half of Latinos attended high-poverty schools. High-poverty schools are typically underfunded and overcrowded and have fewer trained teachers and services for ELLs. Researchers have found high levels of segregation by race, poverty, and ELL status in the schools that many Latinos attend, referring to this as “triple segregation.”

High dropout rates and low college attendance are issues that have plagued Latinos, although in recent years they have made gains in both areas. The Latino high school dropout rate decreased from 32% in 2000 to 10% in 2015. Although this is marked progress, the rate is still much higher than the overall dropout rate of 6%. Latinos have also made notable advancements in two- and four-year college enrollment. Between 2000 and 2015, Latino enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions more than doubled, increasing from 1.4 million to 3 million students, while enrollment for other racial/ethnic groups fluctuated during this time. Latinos made up 18% of students in postsecondary institutions by fall 2015. In spite of increased enrollment, Latinos still trail behind their White, Asian, and African American peers in graduating with a four-year degree.

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