Few California Students Prepared for College, but Many Enroll, Report Finds

High school students in California are not taking the courses they need to succeed in college but many residents are enrolled in college-level education, according to a first-of-its-kind U.S. report card on higher education. The report card, called Measuring Up 2000, was released recently by the independent, nonpartisan National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

According to the report:

• 36 percent of high school students in California take at least one upper-level math course, compared to 61 percent in Nebraska, 59 percent in North Carolina, and 59 percent in Massachusetts-the top states on this measure.
• 8 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds are enrolled in college-comparable to the 42 percent who are enrolled in the best-performing states.
• Low-income families in California pay quite a bit less of their income to attend community colleges than low-income families in other states. However, all students attending 4-year public colleges pay 31% of their family income, after financial aid, to cover college expenses-compared to 19% in the top performing states,
• About half (53 percent) of the state's college students complete their bachelor's degree within five years of enrolling, compared to 66 percent in the best-performing states.

The grades in Measuring Up 2000 are based on quantitative measures of performance. State results on each measure are compared to the best-performing states to establish high, yet achievable standards of performance. All states receive an "Incomplete" in student learning because they lacked information on the educational performance of college students that would allow systematic state or national comparisons.

California's Grades
Preparation: C-
Participation: B+
Affordability: A
Completion: C
Benefits: B+
Learning: I

	Related Links View the entire report, Measuring Up 2000

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