Education

The educational landscape for U.S. Latinos is evolving, with significant strides in educational attainment over recent years. While progress is evident, there remains a critical need to ensure that Latino students not only earn high-quality college degrees but also acquire the digital skills essential for success in today’s economy. The educational investments we make now in the Latino community will yield huge results tomorrow, in every locality and state of our nation.

Educational Levels

As of 2022, three-fourths (75%) of Latinos 25 and older are high school graduates, and another one in five (21%) had a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree.¹

K-12

In 2022, almost three in ten K-12 students in public schools (29%) were Latino, an increase over the past decade in all 50 states.²

DID YOU KNOW?

Latino students are projected to become 30% of the U.S. public school student population by 2030.³

Educational Attainment and Poverty

As Latino educational attainment increases, poverty decreases. One in 16 Latinos with at least a four-year degree (6%) was poor (in 2023, compared to one in four (23%) with less than a high school diploma.⁴

Higher Education

Latino college enrollment increased by almost 40% in the decade before the COVID pandemic. As of 2022, one in five Latinos aged 18-34 (21%) was enrolled in higher education, only a little below the rate for White non-Hispanics (23%).⁵ Most Latino college students (70%) are the first generation in their families to go to college.⁶

Controlling Higher Education Costs

Nearly 70% of Latino students come from families with household incomes below $50,000. Latino Students control higher education costs by attending public colleges and universities, working – often 30 hours or more a week – while enrolled, attending nearby schools, and living with their parents or off-campus.⁷

DID YOU KNOW?

80% of Latino college students attend public institutions.⁸

Footnotes

1. “Educational Attainment by Race and Ethnicity,” American Council on Education, https://www.equityinhighered.org.
2. “Racial/Ethnic Enrollment in Public Schools,” National Center for Educational Statistics, 2024, https://nces.ed.gov.
3. “Projections of Education Statistics to 2030,” National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 2024, https://nces.ed.gov.
4. 2023 Current Population Survey Data, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Table POV09, https://www.census.gov.
5. “ Latino College Enrollment: Past, Current, and Projections,” Excelencia in Education, 2022, https://www.edexcelencia.org; and 6. “College Enrollment & Student Demographic Statistics,” Education Data Initiative, March 2025, https://educationdata.org.
7. “Latino Students in Higher Education,” Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 2023, https://pnpi.org.
8. “How Latinos Pay for College: 2025 National Trends,” Excelencia in Education, 2025, https://www.edexcelencia.org.
9. “Latino Students in Higher Education,” Postsecondary National Policy Institute, 2023, https://pnpi.org.

Education

Education

Educational Levels

K-12

DID YOU KNOW?

Latino students are projected to become 30% of the U.S. public school student population by 2030.3

Educational Attainment and Poverty

Higher Education

Controlling Higher Education Costs

DID YOU KNOW?

80% of Latino college students attend public institutions.8

Latino students are projected to become 30% of the U.S. public school student population by 2030.³

80% of Latino college students attend public institutions.⁸