While more than half of California's public school children are Latino, they are underrepresented on college campuses, particularly in four-year schools, according to a new statewide study.
The Campaign for College Opportunity's "Latinos and Higher Education" report finds that Latinos are not going directly to college after high school graduation in as many numbers as youth from other groups. It also found these students are not accessing high school college preparation courses as much as students in other age groups.
In addition, Latino students attending community colleges are less likely to obtain a degree or transfer after six years, Campaign for College Opportunity Executive Director Michele Siqueiros said.
At Napa Valley College, Latinos accounted for nearly 2,000, or 31.6 percent, of the students enrolled in credit courses in the fall 2011 semester, according to college statistics.
But, just 27 percent of the full-time Latino students who attended Napa College for the first time in fall of 2007 had graduated with a degree or certificate in three years.
The new report showed poorer overall results. It found that while large numbers of Latinos attend classes at community colleges, only 22 percent earn a degree or transfer, Siqueiros said.
"That's really disturbing," Siqueiros said. "It doesn't bode well for the future." READ MORE
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