Graduation Rate Dips Following Three Years of Improvements
A high school diploma or college degree opens doors to many career opportunities that are typically closed to those without these achievements. Beyond the personal and financial benefits of increased educational attainment, the education level of residents is evidence of the quality and diversity of the labor pool – an important factor for businesses looking to locate or expand in the region. Educational attainment is measured by tracking the high school graduation rate and the proportion of residents over age 25 with a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree.
TREND
From 2013 to 2022, the proportion of residents in San Bernardino County over the age of 25 that have a high school diploma or higher increased from 78.8% to 82.0% compared to 81.7% to 84.7% at the state level and 86.6% to 89.6% at the national level. During the same time period of 2013 to 2022, the proportion of San Bernardino residents aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 19.1% in 2013 to 23.0% in 2022.
This marks an increase of 3.9 percentage points in San Bernardino County, compared to a 6.0 percentage point increase at the state level and a 6.1 percentage point increase at the national level.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY CONTINUES TO IMPROVE
Percentage of Residents That Have a High School Diploma (or Higher) and Bachelor’s Degree (or Higher) in San Bernardino County, California, and the United States, 2013 and 2022
San Bernardino County’s high school graduation rate decreased from 86.6% in 2021/22 to 85.5% in 2022/23, falling under the statewide average of 86.2%. The graduation rate in 2022/23 is almost five percentage points higher than in 2019/20, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.[1]
GRADUATION RATES DECLINE FROM PRIOR YEAR
Graduation Rate in San Bernardino County and California, 2018/19 – 2022/23
RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL
In 2022/23, Filipino (95.7%), Asian (93.5%), students identifying as two or more races (87.3%), and White (86.9%) subgroups in San Bernardino County graduated at higher rates than the countywide average (85.5%). The Latino and Pacific Islander graduation rates mostly matched the countywide average (85.4% and 85.2%, respectively), while Native American and Black students fell below the average graduation rate (79.3% each). The Equity Gap Score for the graduation rate is 1.2, the same number as reported in the 2022 Indicators Report.
NATIVE AMERICAN AND BLACK STUDENTS EXPERIENCE LOWEST GRADUATION RATES
Graduation Rate by Race/Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2022/23
| Race/Ethnicity | Percent Graduated |
|---|---|
| Native American | 79.3% |
| Black | 79.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 85.2% |
| Latino | 85.4% |
| Average | 85.5% |
| White | 86.9% |
| Two + | 87.3% |
| Asian | 93.5% |
| Filipino | 95.7% |
Source: California Department of Education, DataQuest (https://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/)
SOCIOECONOMIC DETAIL
The graduation rate for socioeconomically disadvantaged students decreased from 85.3% in 2021/22 to 84.0% in 2022/23, trailing the non-socioeconomically disadvantaged students by 9.6 percentage points, indicating additional support may be needed to further help these students. Compared to the state-level, both socioeconomically disadvantaged students and non-socioeconomically disadvantaged students enjoyed slightly higher graduation rates than their counterparts at the state-level.[2]
SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IMPACTS GRADUATION RATES
Graduation Rate by Socioeconomic Status in San Bernardino County and California, 2022/23
[1] The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate is the number of students who graduate from high school in four years with a regular high school diploma (e.g., does not include a general equivalency diploma or similar or lesser credentials).
[2] Due to a higher proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged students in San Bernardino County (84% of all students) compared to the state (71% of all students), and because socioeconomically disadvantaged students have a lower graduation rate on average, the overall graduation rate in San Bernardino County is lower than the state’s despite having higher rates for both socioeconomically disadvantaged and not socioeconomically when broken out separately for these populations.