Black Demographics Education

Education in Black America

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Elementary/Secondary

BLACK EDUCATION BY THE NUMBERS

80%

Among blacks age 25 and older, the proportion that had at least a high school diploma in 2005. In states such as Colorado, the proportion was even higher—90%.

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.

2.3 million

Number of black college students in fall 2004. This was an increase of roughly 1 million from 15 years earlier.

17%

Percentage of blacks age 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or more in 2005. 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 below, 80% of African Americans over the age 25 are have high school diplomas. 18% of Blacks have at least a bachelor's degree and 30% have an associate's degree or at least some college.

Prison or College?

TOP BLACK COLLEGES FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS

2003

Rank

Name, location

student population % black

1 Morehouse College, Atlanta, Ga.

Hampton University, Hampton, Va.

3 Spelman College, Atlanta, Ga.

Howard University, Washington, D.C.

5 Xavier University, New Orleans, La.

Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Fla.

10Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga.

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

21Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.

Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.

35Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.

Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, N.C.

37Southern University A&M Baton Rouge, La.

Dillard University, New Orleans, La.

44Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tn.

Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fl

*The above is from Black Enterprise Magazine consisting of their top college list for African Americans. We removed the non-HBCU schools and were left with the above.

2,72995.20%

4,965

94.8

2,13896.4

6,971

68.7

3,34089.5

10,853 95.1

3,92393.2

7,331

91.7

2,51397.5

819

93.2

5,97491.4

1,595

99.9

7,47297.5

2,137

99.3

7,06082.3

2,724

88.5

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

*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

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.

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 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.)

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.

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,

*All statistics used here are from the US Census Bureau 2005 American Community Survey, unless otherwise noted

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