Latino children continue to trail their non-Latino peers on many measures of academic success, but a new study from the Child Trends Hispanic Institute shows they are gaining ground.
The share of Hispanic children attending a center-based, early-childhood education program increased by one-third between 2007 and 2012, while the percentage of Hispanic 8th graders scoring “proficient” or better on national mathematics exams rose from 8 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2014.
And while dropout rates for Hispanic students remain high, the share of Latino youths ages 16-24 who did not graduate from high school has declined from 29 percent in 1999 to 13 percent in 2012.
Though they have made important strides in preschool participation in recent years, Latino children still remain the least likely among their peers in other ethnic groups to take part in early-childhood programs that help prepare youngsters with the knowledge and skills they need for school.
The new report also looks at how Hispanic children are faring on measures of health, family, the economy, and media use.
