Postsecondary Attainment: Differences By Socioeconomic Status
SpotlightsPostsecondary Attainment: Differences bySocioeconomic StatusA smaller percentage of students of low socioeconomic status (SES) than studentsof middle SES attained a bachelor’s or higher degree within 8 years of high schoolcompletion (14 vs. 29 percent), and percentages for both groups were smallerthan the percentage of high-SES students who attained this level of education(60 percent).Postsecondary education is increasingly seen as animportant step for obtaining beneficial long-termoccupational and economic outcomes. Lower levelsof educational attainment are linked to higherunemployment rates and lower earnings.1 Althoughan increasing number of students have enrolled inpostsecondary institutions over the last several decades,there are still differences in the characteristics ofstudents who complete various levels of postsecondaryeducation. In particular, students from families with alow socioeconomic status (SES) are less likely than thosefrom families with a higher SES to obtain higher levelsof postsecondary education.2 This spotlight examinesdifferences in students’ educational attainment by SES,as well as how other variables may differentially relateto students’ educational attainment by SES group (low,middle, and high).The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002)followed a nationally representative cohort of students andsurveyed them at certain points during their secondaryand postsecondary education. The first wave of dataincluded mathematics and reading assessments and wascollected in 2002, when the students were in 10th grade.The students’ parents were also surveyed in this wave,and students’ SES was constructed from their parents’occupation, highest level of education, and income. A firstfollow-up wave was collected 2 years later, in 2004, whenthe majority of the students were in 12th grade. Boththe 2002 and 2004 survey waves included self-reportedquestions about the educational expectations students hadand the sources of information they consulted regardingcollege. Two additional follow-up survey waves werecollected, one in 2006 and one in 2012. The 2006 waveassessed the students’ current college enrollment status,and the 2012 wave asked students to report on theirhighest level of educational attainment.For more information, see the Reader’s Guide and the Guide to Sources.Page 1 of 7The Condition of Education 2015
SpotlightsFigure 1. Percentage distribution of highest level of educational attainment of spring 2002 high school sophomores in2012, by socioeconomic status 1Less than highschool completion13853High schoolcompletion11Some 47Associate’sdegreeBachelor’s orhigher degreeHighest educational attainmentLow SESMiddle SESHigh SESIncludes education at any type of postsecondary institution, but with no earned postsecondary credential.NOTE: Students’ SES is based on their parents’ education and occupations as well as the family income in 2002 and is measured by a composite score onthese variables. The “low” SES group is the lowest quartile; the “middle” SES group is the middle two quartiles; and the “high” SES group is the upper quartile.Highest level of educational attainment was self-reported by participants. High school completion includes GEDs. Detail may not sum to totals becauseof rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year and Third Followup. See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.91.1The percentage of 2002 10th graders who had attaineddifferent levels of education by 2012 varied by SES. Alarger percentage of low-SES students (7 percent) thanof middle-SES students (3 percent) had not completedhigh school by 2012, and both percentages were largerthan the percentage of high-SES students (1 percent)who had not completed high school. Similarly, by 2012,a larger percentage of low-SES students (21 percent)than of middle-SES students (13 percent) had completedhigh school as their highest level of education, and bothpercentages were larger than the percentage of high-SESstudents (3 percent) who did so. The percentage ofstudents who attained some postsecondary educationby 2012 was not measurably different for low- andmiddle-SES students (36 and 35 percent, respectively),but both percentages were larger than the percentage ofhigh-SES students who had some postsecondary education(24 percent). This same pattern was evident for thepercentage of students whose highest level of educationwas a postsecondary certificate. A larger percentageof middle-SES students (10 percent) than of low-SESand high-SES students (8 and 7 percent, respectively)completed an associate’s degree by 2012. A smallerpercentage of low-SES than middle-SES students attaineda bachelor’s or higher degree by 2012 (14 vs. 29 percent),and the percentages for both groups were smaller than thepercentage of high-SES students whose highest level ofeducation was a bachelor’s or higher degree (60 percent).For more information, see the Reader’s Guide and the Guide to Sources.Page 2 of 7The Condition of Education 2015
SpotlightsFigure 2. Percentage of students’ expected levels of educational attainment of spring 2002 high school sophomores,by socioeconomic status (SES): 2002 and 2004Expected level of educational attainmentLow SES1314Don't know1211High school diploma or GED9Attend or complete 2-year college2265Attend 4-year college, degree incompleteBachelor's degree3325Advanced degree2226Middle SES109Don't know767High school diploma or GEDAttend or complete 2-year college200220041744Attend 4-year college, degree incompleteBachelor's degree33Advanced degree303734High SES65Don't know223High school diploma or GEDAttend or complete 2-year college523Attend 4-year college, degree incomplete3533Bachelor's degree5352Advanced degree0102030405060708090100PercentNOTE: Students’ SES is based on their parents’ education and occupations as well as the family income in 2002 and is measured by a composite score onthese variables. The “low” SES group is the lowest quartile; the “middle” SES group is the middle two quartiles; and the “high” SES group is the upper quartile.Expected levels of educational attainment were measured by students’ response to the question, “As things stand now, how far in school do you think you willget?” Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year and First Follow-up.See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.92.Students’ educational expectations have been shownto be related to their eventual educational attainment.3Expectations for educational attainment were measuredin both 2002 and 2004, when students were in 10th and12th grade, respectively. In all SES groups, the percentageof students who expected to earn a 2-year degree washigher in 2004 than in 2002. The percentage of studentsexpecting to earn a bachelor’s degree was smaller in 2004than in 2002 for those students from low-SES (25 vs.33 percent) and middle-SES (33 vs. 37 percent) families,and the same pattern emerged for expectations to earn anadvanced degree.In addition to changes over time within SES groups,there were differences between SES groups in students’educational expectations. These patterns were similar forboth years, so only the 2004 expectations are discussedhere. In 2004, a larger percentage of low-SES students(11 percent) than of middle-SES students (6 percent)expected their highest level of educational attainmentto be a high school credential, and both percentageswere larger than the percentage of high-SES students(2 percent) who expected to attain this level of education.Similarly, a larger percentage of low-SES students(22 percent) than of middle-SES students (17 percent)expected they would attend or complete a 2-year collegeas their highest level of educational attainment, and bothpercentages were larger than the percentage of high-SESstudents (5 percent) who expected to do so. Conversely,in 2004, a smaller percentage of low-SES students(25 percent) than of middle- and high-SES students (both33 percent) expected to earn a bachelor’s degree. Also, asmaller percentage of low-SES students (22 percent) thanof middle-SES students (30 percent) expected to earn anadvanced degree, and these percentages were both smallerthan the percentage of high-SES students who expected toearn an advanced degree (52 percent).For more information, see the Reader’s Guide and the Guide to Sources.Page 3 of 7The Condition of Education 2015
SpotlightsFigure 3. Percentage of spring 2002 high school sophomores who expected to attend a postsecondary institutionseeking information about college from various sources in 2004, by socioeconomic status (SES)Source of college information788081School Sibling5973Low SES302928Middle SESHigh SES33535253Other relative54College publication or website5951College representative43College search guide01020304065485064806060708090100PercentNOTE: Students’ SES is based on their parents’ education and occupations as well as the family income in 2002 and is measured by a composite score onthese variables. The “low” SES group is the lowest quartile; the “middle” SES group is the middle two quartiles; and the “high” SES group is the upper quartile.Information seeking was measured by students’ responses to the question, “Where have you gone for information about the entrance requirements of variouscolleges?” Only those students who indicated they planned to attend some postsecondary institution were asked this question. Students with expectationsbelow postsecondary attendance were instructed to skip this question.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year and First Follow-up.See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.93.Navigating the college application and enrollmentprocess often involves seeking out assistance from others.In 2002 and 2004, students who expected to attenda postsecondary institution were asked what sourcesthey had gone to for information about the entrancerequirements of various colleges.4 Generally, a largerpercentage of these students sought information in 2004than in 2002 across SES groups. In 2004, across allstudents who intended to pursue postsecondary-levelstudy, a smaller percentage of low-SES students wentto their parents for information about college thanmiddle-SES students did (43 vs. 59 percent), and thesepercentages were both smaller than the percentageof high-SES students who went to their parents forinformation (73 percent). Similarly, a smaller percentageof low-SES than middle-SES students went to collegerepresentatives (51 vs. 65 percent), college publicationsand websites (54 vs. 59 percent), or college search guides(43 vs. 48 percent) for information. The percentages oflow- and middle-SES students who sought informationfrom these three sources were smaller than the percentageof high-SES students who sought information fromthese three sources (80, 64, and 60 percent, respectively).Conversely, a larger percentage of low-SES students(33 percent) than of middle-SES (29 percent) andhigh-SES (28 percent) students sought advice froma sibling.For more information, see the Reader’s Guide and the Guide to Sources.Page 4 of 7The Condition of Education 2015
SpotlightsFigure 4. Of spring 2002 high school sophomores with postsecondary plans who earned a bachelor’s degree orhigher by 2012, percentage who sought college information from various sources in 2004, by socioeconomicstatus (SES)Source of college information91School 3032FriendLow SESMiddle SESHigh SES41Sibling282866Other relative565567College publication or website697074College representative6060College search guide0102030405060808564708090100PercentNOTE: Students’ SES is based on their parents’ education and occupations as well as the family income in 2002 and is measured by a composite score onthese variables. The “low” SES group is the lowest quartile; the “middle” SES group is the middle two quartiles; and the “high” SES group is the upper quartile.Information seeking was measured by students’ responses to the question “Where have you gone for information about the entrance requirements ofvarious colleges?”SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year, First Follow-up,and Third Follow-up. See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.93.Among students who planned postsecondary-level studyand who earned a bachelor’s or higher degree by 2012,there were also differences in students’ informationseeking patterns in 2004 by SES. Similar to theinformation-seeking for all students who expected toattend a postsecondary institution, a smaller percentageof low-SES students who obtained a bachelor’s degreeby 2012 had gone to their parents for informationabout college than their middle-SES peers did (46 vs.63 percent). The percentage of low-SES and middle-SESstudents who obtained a bachelor’s degree by 2012 andwho went to their parents for information were bothsmaller than the percentage of high-SES students whodid so (76 percent). However, for students who earned abachelor’s degree, a larger percentage of low-SES students(91 percent) than of middle-SES students (85 percent)went to their school counselors for information, and bothpercentages were larger than the percentage of high-SESstudents (81 percent) who sought information fromtheir school counselor. Similarly, a larger percentage oflow-SES students who earned a bachelor’s degree than ofmiddle- and high-SES students who earned a bachelor’swent to their teacher, their sibling, or another relative forinformation about college.For more information, see the Reader’s Guide and the Guide to Sources.Page 5 of 7The Condition of Education 2015
SpotlightsFigure 5. Percentage of spring 2002 high school sophomores who earned a bachelor’s degree or higher by 2012,by socioeconomic status (SES) and mathematics achievement quartile in 12580First quartile (lowest)Second quartileThird quartileFourth quartile (highest)Mathematics achievement quartile in 2002Low SESMiddle SESHigh SESNOTE: Students’ SES is based on their parents’ education and occupations as well as the family income in 2002 and is measured by a composite score onthese variables. The “low” SES group is the lowest quartile; the “middle” SES group is the middle two quartiles; and the “high” SES group is the upper quartile.Mathematics achievement quartiles reflect students’ scores on assessments conducted in 2002.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year and Third Followup. See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.91.Academic skills are also necessary for college completion,and performance on the standardized assessments,administered during the first wave of data collectionin 2002, are one way to examine students’ aptitudes.In general, a smaller percentage of low-SES studentsperformed in the highest quartile of mathematicsachievement (10 percent) while in high schoolcompared to middle-SES students (23 percent), andboth percentages were smaller than the percentageof high-SES students (48 percent) who scored in thehighest quartile. However, even when performance onstandardized assessments was similar, smaller percentagesof high-performing low- and middle-SES students thanof high-performing high-SES students had completed abachelor’s degree within 10 years. For example, a smallerpercentage of low-SES than middle-SES students whoscored in the highest quartile in mathematics achievementhad successfully completed a bachelor’s degree 10 yearslater (41 vs. 53 percent), and both percentages weresmaller than the percentage of high-SES students whodid so (74 percent). Additionally, a smaller percentageof low-SES than middle-SES students who scored inthe third quartile in mathematics went on to complete abachelor’s degree by 2012 (23 vs. 35 percent), and thesetwo percentages were both smaller than the percentageof high-SES students who did so (61 percent). Only5 percent of low-SES students who scored in the lowestquartile on the mathematics assessment in 2002 went onto complete a bachelor’s degree by 2012. This percentagewas smaller than the percentage of middle-SES studentswho scored in the lowest quartile and completed abachelor’s degree (8 percent), and both percentages weresmaller than the percentage of high-SES students whodid so (21 percent). Similar patterns were observed forstudents’ reading achievement.For more information, see the Reader’s Guide and the Guide to Sources.Page 6 of 7The Condition of Education 2015
SpotlightsFigure 6. Percentage of spring 2002 high school sophomores who earned a bachelor’s degree or higher by 2012,by socioeconomic status (SES) and 2006 college enrollment 52Not enrolledEnrolled in a 2-year collegeEnrolled in a 4-year collegeCollege enrollment status in 2006Low SESMiddle SESHigh SES! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.NOTE: Students’ SES is based on their parents’ education and occupations as well as the family income in 2002 and is measured by a composite score onthese variables. The “low” SES group is the lowest quartile; the “middle” SES group is the middle two quartiles; and the “high” SES group is the upper quartile.Enrollment in 2006 was based on postsecondary transcript data.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), Base Year, Second Follow-up,and Third Follow-up. See Digest of Education Statistics 2014, table 104.92.In regard to students’ eventual degree attainment, it isalso important to consider in what type of postsecondaryinstitution students are enrolled and how soon after highschool they enrolled in college. While smaller percentagesof low- and middle-SES students than high-SES studentscompleted a bachelor’s or higher degree by 2012 overall,this pattern was even more pronounced for students whowere not enrolled in a 4-year college in 2006, which was2 years after high school completion for most students. Forexample, the percentages of low- and middle-SES studentsnot enrolled in any postsecondary institution in 2006who went on to complete a bachelor’s or higher degree by2012 (2 percent or less) were smaller than the percentageof high-SES students (12 percent) who were not enrolledin 2006 and went on to complete a bachelor’s or higherdegree by 2012. In addition, a smaller percentage oflow-SES than middle-SES students who were enrolled ina 2-year college in 2006 went on to complete a bachelor’sdegree by 2012 (15 vs. 21 percent), and both percentageswere smaller than the percentage of high-SES studentswho did so (34 percent). Even for those students whowere enrolled in a 4-year college in 2006, a smallerpercentage of low-SES than middle-SES students went onto complete a bachelor’s or higher degree by 2012 (50 vs.60 percent), and both percentages were smaller than thepercentage of high-SES students who did so (77 percent).Endnotes:1 See Annual Earning of Young Adults (http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator cba.asp) and Employment Ratesand Unemployment Rates by Educational or cbc.asp)2 Long, B.T. (2007). The Contributions of Economics tothe Study of College Access and Success. Teachers CollegeRecord, 109(10): 2367–2443.3 Mello, Z.R. (2008). Gender Variation i
a bachelor’s or higher degree by 2012 (14 vs. 29 percent), and the percentages for both groups were smaller than the percentage of high-SES students whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s or higher degree (60 percent).
Accounting Differences There are no differences. System Management Differences There are no differences. Execution/Call Processing Differences There are no differences. Client Application Differences There are no differences. Deployment/Operational Differences There are no differences. System Engineering Differences There are no differences.
educational attainment data in 1940. A larger proportion of women than men had completed high school or more education. A larger proportion of men had received at least a bachelor's degree. Differences in educational attainment by race and Hispanic origin existed. Attainment for non-Hispanic Whites and Asians was higher than attainment
higher education is to reach the goal of a 60 percent postsecondary attainment rate by 2025. The plan also aims to reduce the educational attainment gap by increasing the number of postsecondary credentials by 40 percent over 2013-14 academic year levels. The master plan identifies supporting goals and implementation strategies to meet the 2025 .
Figure 3: Classification tree highlighting differences in higher educational attainment in the Philippines, 2013 (ages 25-35) 11 Figure 4: Gaps in secondary education attainment for individuals aged 20 to 35 years of age, latest year 12 Figure 5: Secondary education average attainment and attainment gaps, latest year 12
8 The impact of school academic quality on low socioeconomic status students Introduction One of the enduring goals of Australian social policy is to improve the educational outcomes of students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds.1 The relationship between individual socioeconomic disadvantage and academic outcomes is well
About the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education Beginning January 1, 1998, regulation of private postsecondary educational institutions was carried out by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (BPPVE), within the Department of Consumer Affairs (Department or DCA). On June 30,
dents with an IEP with postsecondary planning (Trainor, Morningstar, & Murray, 2016). Postsecondary transition planning might also benefit other groups of students who are such, the need for postsecondary education has dramatically increased over the last thirty years. Specifically, Carnevale
6 Final Report - Socioeconomic Stratification of Educational Attainment in Puerto Rico -June 2010 Dika, Brusi, & Díaz - Center for Applied Social Research, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez About the Researchers Sandra L. Dika is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM). She earned her PhD in Educational Research and Evaluation at Virginia Tech .
