Coordinating Board’s Annual Report
Tracking 8th Graders Through College
Just over 1 in five eighth graders from Texas public schools go on to eventually graduate — within 11 years — with a degree or certificate from a Texas institution of higher education.
That’s according to the latest annual study released by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that examines data from all Texas public school 8th graders for a specific school year and tracks them over an 11 year period to compute whether they graduated with a postsecondary degree or certificate from a Texas higher-ed institution.
School Year 2008-09 8th Grade Class
This latest report examined the eighth grade class from the 2008-09 school year. The data reflects — as summarized in the graphic below — that 23 percent of the class eventually went on to get a postsecondary certificate or degree. That’s about the same rate as in prior years.
Graphic © 2020 Texas Education News - All rights reserved.
Of the 2008-09 8th graders who went on to get a higher-ed degree or certificate within the 11 year period tracked:
- 15 percent (7,572) of the 49,421 African Americans.
- 18 percent (28,058) of the 158,884 Hispanics.
- 31 percent (38,374) of the 122,034 Whites.
- 43 percent (5,657) of the 13,132 “Others.”
Also, in terms of other demographic groups who were more likely to get a higher-ed diploma or certificate:
- Females (28 percent) were more likely than males (19 percent).
- “Not” economically disadvantaged students (34 percent) were more likely than economically disadvantaged students (14 percent).