Using data from the Census Bureau, researchers from the Pew Hispanic Center found that fewer Hispanic students earn a GED credential than white or black dropouts. The report found that one in 10 Hispanic students who drop out of high school go on to earn a General Equivalency Development degree. Black students earned a GED at a rate of two in 10. For white students, the rate is three in 10.
The research organization says the lower rate among Hispanics is notable because they also have higher dropout rates: 41 percent of Latinos ages 20 or older do not have a regular high school degree, compared to 23 percent of blacks and 14 percent of whites.
According to the report, the longer foreign-born Latinos without a high school degree are in the United States, the more likely they are to earn a GED. But Hispanics born in the United States who drop out of high school are also unlikely to have a GED. The report found that only 21 percent earn the credential.
The report notes that a GED is a crucial step forward: Four in 10 students with a GED pursue additional education, compared to only 1 in 10 of those without an alternative degree. Students with a GED are also able to apply and enroll in degree-granting colleges and universities.