Quality of Life: Education

California's competitiveness in a global economy requires ensuring that all children and adults have access to quality and affordable education.  Educational indicators reflect California's progress in helping children learn and attend college and helping adults complete their studies to succeed in the workforce.  Please click here for a pdf of the full set of indicators on education.

  • In 2007, California ranked 48th - third from last - on national tests of 8th grade reading skills.  California has scored at or near last in the nation on this test over the past decade.
  • In 2007, California ranked 45th on national tests of 8th grade math skills.  California's performance on national math tests has consistently remained well below the national average and typically in the bottom ten states.
  • One in four of California’s 9th graders will not earn a high school diploma.  California's graduate rate has increased in 8 of the past 10 years, but even with those gains, less than 70 percent of students are graduating from high school.  Using national figures, California is ranked 32nd in the nation on graduation rates, just above the national average.
  • Just 36 percent of California's high school graduates complete the coursework required for entrance to most four-year colleges.  Over a ten-year period, the rate of college preparation has not changed, averaging 35 percent from 1997 to 2006.
  • California has a significant achievement gap in preparing students for college.  Some 60 percent of Asian high school graduates complete college preparatory coursework.  But rates for Pacific Islander, Latino, Black, and Native American students are less than 30 percent.  Rates for Filipinos and Whites are 45 and 40 percent respectively.
  • California ranks 12th in the nation in higher education attainment.  Nearly 19 percent of Californians hold a bachelor's degree, while another 10 percent of residents also earned a graduate or professional degree.
  • Among the more than 163,000 adults who participate in adult basic and secondary education courses, just 31 percent  demonstrated competency in their coursework in 2005.  California ranks 42nd in the nation on this educational measure.
  • In 2005, California enrolled more than 430,000 adults - nearly 70 percent of which were Latino - in English language courses. . Among all adult learners, just 36 percent demonstrated competency in their coursework.  California ranks 33rd among the states on this measure.