Atlanta

Georgia

BLACK EDUCATION BY THE NUMBERS

89%

of African Americans age 25 and older had at least a high school diploma in 2007.

1.1 million

Among blacks age 25 and older, the number who had an advanced degree in 2005 (e.g., master’s, Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.). Ten years earlier—in 1995—only 677,000 blacks had this level of education.

2.2 million

Number of black college students in fall 2005. This was an increase of roughly 1 million from 15 years earlier.

19%

Percentage of blacks age 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or more in 2007. In many states, the rate was higher. Twenty-six percent of blacks this age in Colorado, for instance, had this level of education.

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY

As indicated in the chart above, 89% of African Americans over age 25 have high school diplomas. This is 10% increase from the year 2000 and is even 3% higher than the national average.

The average number of African Americans that have at least a bachelor's degree increased two percentage points to 19% from the year 2000. This however is still ten percentage points lower than the national average.

TOP BLACK COLLEGES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS

2006

Rank

Name, location

tuition % Black

1 Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL

2 Howard University, Washington, DC.

3 North Carolina A&T Univ., Greensboro, N.C.

5 Spelman College, Atlanta, GA

6 Hampton University, Hampton, VA

17Tennessee State Univ, Nashville, TN.

18Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga.

27Prairie View A&M Univ, Prairie View, TX

28Jackson State University, Jackson, MS

30North Carolina Central Univ, Durham, NC

Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.

41Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

45Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA

*The above is from Black Enterprise Magazine consisting of their top college list for African Americans. Only schools with more than 15% Black student population are included

$14,949 93.7 %

$12,295 84.0

$12,556 92.2

$15,945 94.1

$14,182 93.7

$13,726 81.3

$15,378 34.0

$13,186 91.6

$8,872 96.7

$13,522 86.0

$13,520 92.7

$17,236 19.9

$16,016 94.5

High School Drop Outs

Percentage of high school dropouts 16 to 24 years old, by race/ethnicity: 1972-2005

Year

Race/ethnicity

Total White Black Hispanic

1972

14.6

12.3

21.3

34.3

1980

14.1

11.4

19.1

35.2

1985

12.6

10.4

15.2

27.6

1990

12.1

9.0

13.2

32.4

1995

12.0

8.6

12.1

30.0

1996

11.1

7.3

13.0

29.4

1997

11.0

7.6

13.4

25.3

1998

11.8

7.7

13.8

29.5

1999

11.2

7.3

12.6

28.6

2000

10.9

6.9

13.1

27.8

2001

10.7

7.3

10.9

27.0

2002

10.5

6.5

11.3

25.7

2003

9.9

6.3

10.9

23.5

2004

10.3

6.8

11.8

23.8

2005

9.4

6.0

10.4

22.4

2006

9.3

5.8

10.7

22.1

*Total Includes other race/ethnicity categories not separately shown.

NOTE: Black includes African American and excludes Hispanic origin.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2002.

Degree

Associate's

Bachelor's

Master's

Doctor's

First-professional

Number of degrees

3,436

28,846

6,338

364

1,427

HBCU degrees to Blacks as a percentage of all degrees to Blacks

2.8

21.5

11.0

10.7

17.2

Degrees conferred by HBCUs, by degree: 2001–02

According to government figures, more than twice as many young black men are now enrolled in college than are imprisoned. Several studies, including one by the Justice Policy Institute, which advocates alternatives to incarceration, have concluded that over all, more black men are in prison than are enrolled in colleges and universities. But among 18- to 24-year-olds, more young black men are enrolled in college (and live either on campus or elsewhere) than are incarcerated.

In 2003, according to Justice Department figures, 193,000 black college-age men were in prison. While 532,000 black college-age men were attending college. Now, the number of young black men in prison is too high, however not as high as others would lead us to believe.

Percentage of degrees earned by Blacks at historically Black colleges and universities as a percentage of all degrees earned by Blacks: 1976–77 to 2001–02.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1976–77 through 1984–85 Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Degrees and Other Formal Awards Conferred”; 1986–87 through 2001–02 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), “Completions Survey” (IPEDS-C:86–87 through 98–99), Fall 2000, Fall 2001, and Fall 2002. (This table was prepared in April 2004.)

Fall enrollment in historically Black colleges and universities, by total and sex: 1976 to 2001

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1976 through 1985 Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Fall Enrollment in Colleges and Universities”; 1986 through 2001 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86–99), Spring 2001 and Spring 2002. (This table was prepared in April 2004.)

For each racial/ethnic group, the percentage completing at least some college increased between 1971 and 2005, but the rate of increase was less for Hispanics than for Whites or Blacks. In 2005, 64 percent of White 25- to 29-year-olds had completed at least some college, compared with 49 percent of their Black peers and 33 percent of their Hispanic peers.

The percentage of 25- to 29-year-olds who had completed a bachelor's degree or higher increased from 17 to 29 percent between 1971 and 2005. Although the percentage with a bachelor's degree or higher increased for all three racial/ethnic groups, the gaps between Whites and Blacks and between Whites and Hispanics widened over time.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2006). The Condition of Education 2006,

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ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY

African Americans & Education

Black Drop Outs by Gender

Percentage of Black high school dropouts 16 to 24

Year Male Female

1972

22.3

20.5

1980

20.8

17.7

1985

16.1

14.3

1990

11.9

14.4

1995

11.1

12.9

1996

13.5

12.5

1997

13.3

13.5

1998

15.5

12.2

1999

12.1

13.0

2000

15.3

11.1

2001

13.0

9.0

2002

12.8

9.9

2003

12.5

9.5

2004

13.5

10.2

2005

12.0

9.0

2006

9.7

11.7

Years of School Completed (age 25 and over)

Total

Black

High School Bachelors High School Bachelors

1940

25%

8% 1%

1950

14 2

1960

22 6

1970

36 6

1980

51 8

1990

6611

2000

7917

2007

8919

Blueprint of Black America

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African American Education

Prison or College?

This has been a phrase carelessly thrown out by many in the media and with organizations who are both for and against black interests. It has become one of those quotes that has been overused so much that almost everyone believes it as factual. This is one of the most misleading phrases used in reference to black men.

In 1971, a lower percentage of Blacks than Whites completed high school (59 vs. 82 percent). Although the gap between Blacks and Whites has narrowed, the high school completion rate for Blacks was still below that of Whites in 2005 (87 vs. 93 percent). The high school completion rate for Hispanics also increased between 1971 and 2005 (from 48 to 63 percent). Unlike the gap between Blacks and Whites, no measurable changes in the gap between Hispanics and Whites occurred between 1971 and 2005.

Booker T Washington High Tulsa, OK

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