Language Proficiency and the Hispanic Dropout Rate

Karine S. Moe, Macalester College

This paper analyzes the large gap in high school graduation rates between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. The high school completion rate of Hispanic youth remains roughly 63%, as compared to 88% for both whites and African Americans. Once Hispanic students graduate from high school, however, they advance to post-secondary school at a rate similar to other groups (NCES 1995). Thus, the decision to dropout of high school is key. Using the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988—1994, we build on the significant body of work that estimates determinants of high school completion and analyze the effects of student, family and school characteristics to explore why so many Hispanics fail to finish high school. While Hispanics may dropout for the same reasons as non-Hispanics, we are particularly interested in aspects of the Hispanic experience that are largely unique, such as barriers caused by lower English language proficiency.