More California Latinos Attending College, But Few Graduate

The study from the organization The Campaign for College Opportunities finds seven out of ten California Latino high school graduates enrolled in college last year. But just 11 percent of Latino adults in the state have a bachelors or graduate degree.

Michelle Siqueiros is the group’s Executive Director. She said closing that gap is crucial as Latinos make up more of the state’s native-born population.

“I think sometimes there’s a misperception that Latinos are mostly immigrants,” she said. “That’s certainly not true in California. That’s certainly not true for our young kids that are in school today. 95 percent of them were born here.”

Siqueiros said Latinos are more likely to go to community college and more likely to attend classes part time. They make up a relatively small portion of the student bodies at UC and CSU schools.