Among low-income dependent undergraduates, the percentage taking out student loans remained steady between 47 and 48 percent from 1992-93 and 2003-04, while the percentage of students receiving federal grants jumped from 68 to 72 percent during the same period.

Minorities make up 42 percent of public school enrollment, the report says, and between 1997 and 2005, the number of students taking AP exams more than doubled to about 1.2 million. The average number of credits earned by high school graduates increased from 21.7 credits in 1982 to 25.8 credits in 2004. More high school students are taking advanced courses in mathematics and sciences, with a growing number of Black and Hispanic students taking the AP exams more than any other racial/ethnic group.

            “The recent emphasis on mathematics and science in the high school curriculum has raised some concerns that growth in these and other high priority subject areas has squeezed out courses in other areas, such as the arts and history,” says Schneider. “We have not found this to be the case. In fact, credits earned in other subjects have increased at the same time.”

            Asian/Pacific Islander graduates were found to have completed advanced coursework in science, mathematics, English and a foreign language more than any other racial group. For example, 69 percent of Asian/Pacific Islanders completed an advanced mathematics course, compared with 54 percent of Whites, 42 percent of Blacks, 34 percent of Hispanics, and 22 percent of American Indians.

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To access the report online, visit http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/index.asp

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