La Raza Details Hispanics' Low Level of Education

By Peter Schmidt

WASHINGTON--Hispanics remain the most undereducated major segment of the nation's population, according to a report issued last week by the National Council of La Raza, an umbrella organization for Hispanic groups.

Although the percentage of Hispanics ages 25 and older who have completed high school is more than 13 percent higher than in 1975, the completion rate for that group remains just 51 percent, the report says.

In addition, the gap in the completion rate between Hispanics and other racial and ethnic groups has widened, the report notes. Two-thirds of blacks and four-fifths of whites have completed high school. Dropout rates for Hispanics are more than double...