College And Career Readiness

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College-Going Rates See Year-Over-Year Declines

Career technical education (CTE) integrates academic and technical skills, supporting educational goals, workforce development, and economic development.  It offers students research-based, relevant curricula developed expressly for success in college and careers.  For those just entering the workforce, changing careers, or needing on-the-job skill upgrades, CTE provides applicable skillsets and increased career opportunities.  For those entering college, CTE provides a foundation of real-world skills that will enhance academic learning.  In addition to CTE coursework, preparation for success in college includes taking coursework that is required for college admission and academically rigorous.  Successful completion of college can lead to increased earning power, better health, a stronger workforce, and societal benefits, such as increased voter participation and increased tax receipts.[1]  To measure college and career readiness, this indicator shows the number of public high school graduates who have fulfilled minimum course requirements to be eligible for admission to University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campuses. Also shown are the college-going rates among high school graduates. Career readiness data that were previously included in this indicator are not currently available, including enrollment in high school CTE and AP/IB courses, participation in work-based learning offered through the three Regional Occupational Programs serving the county, and CTE Pathways completions.

TREND AND GEOGRAPHIC COMPARISON

UC/CSU Eligibility

The UC/CSU eligibility rate declined between 2020/21 and 2021/22. Approximately 44.9% of the San Bernardino County cohort graduating in 2021/22 completed the necessary coursework to be eligible for a UC or CSU campus.  This rate of UC/CSU eligibility is 1.5 percentage points lower than the previous year and is lower than the statewide average of 51.4%.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY UC/CSU ELIGIBILITY RATE FALLS FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

Percentage of High School Graduates Eligible for UC/CSU in San Bernardino County and California, 2018/19 – 2021/22

College-Going Rate

While over half (53.9%) of San Bernardino County public high school graduates in 2019/20 enrolled in college within 12 months of completing high school, it remained below the statewide rate of 62.7%, and declined by 5 percentage points over the past year.  Of the 53.9% enrolling in college, 53.4% enrolled in a California community college, followed by 20.6% enrolling at a CSU campus and 10.4% enrolling at a UC campus.

PERCENT OF COLLEGE-GOING STUDENTS DECLINE AT STATE AND COUNTY LEVEL

Percentage of Public High School Graduates Enrolling in College within 12 Months of Completing High School in San Bernardino County and California, 2014/15-2019/20

RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL

Racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes remain for both college and career readiness indicators.

UC/CSU Eligibility

Asian graduates have the highest rate of UC/CSU admission requirement eligibility, at 79.8% followed by Filipino students at 77.2%. Native American and Black students have the lowest rates of UC/CSU eligibility (30.3% and 36.8%, respectively). The Equity Gap Score for UC/CSU eligibility is 2.6, signaling that the group with the highest rate of college-going (Asian students) is nearly twice as high as the group with the lowest rate (Native American students).

SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION IN UC/CSU ELIGIBILITY BY RACE/ETHNICITY

Percent of High School Graduates Eligible for UC/CSU by Race and Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2021/22

Race/Ethnicity	Percent UC/CSU Eligible
Native American	30.3%
Black	36.8%
Latino	42.4%
Pacific Islander	43.8%
Average	44.9%
Two+	45.3%
White	46.7%
Filipino	77.2%
Asian	79.8%

Source: California Department of Education, DataQuest (http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/); Data is for all schools (charter and non-charter)  

College-Going Rates

Asian students enroll in college at a notably higher rate (82.5%) than their peers from other racial and ethnic groups. Native American students have the lowest college-going rate at 39.5%, followed by Pacific Islander students at 50.0%. These disparities contribute to an Equity Gap Score of 2.1.

ASIAN STUDENTS ENROLL IN COLLEGE AT THE HIGHEST RATE

Percentage of High School Graduates Enrolling in College within 12 Months of Completing High School by Race and Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2019/20

Source: California Department of Education, DataQuest (http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/); Data is for all schools (charter and non-charter)  

Race/Ethnicity	Percent College-Going
Native American	39.5%
Pacific Islander	50.0%
Latino	51.1%
Black	51.1%
Average	53.9%
White	57.2%
Two+	59.2%
Filipino	71.0%
Asian	82.5%

Measuring and Improving College Readiness

California’s math and English language arts/literacy assessments taken by 11th grade students are designed to give high school students an early indication of college readiness and to decrease incoming college students’ need for remediation.

2022 Snapshot

• 97% of San Bernardino County juniors took the literacy assessment and the math assessment.

• In literacy, 19% of San Bernardino County students were deemed college ready and 29% were conditionally ready (i.e., the student can take identified coursework in their senior year of high school that, following completion, will deem them college ready). Statewide, 26% of students were college ready in English and 29% were conditionally ready.

• In math, 7% of San Bernardino County students were deemed college ready and 12% were conditionally ready. Statewide, 12% of students were college ready in math and 15% were conditionally ready.

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[1] College Board, Education Pays, 2023 (http://trends.collegeboard.org/education-pays)