High School Preparation and Post-Secondary Educational Attainment Disparities: An Analysis of Racial/Ethnic and Gender Differences Among Missouri Public High School Students

Using four cohorts of first-time 9th -grade students in Missouri public high schools, we investigate how degree attainment trajectories diverge by race/ethnic-by-gender groups, pre-college academic readiness, and college selectivity. We find large racial/ethnic academic readiness gaps. Overall college enrollment rates are higher for Black students with average readiness and below, but this advantage disappears for degree completion. Hispanic-White gaps emerge earlier with high school graduation and college enrollment. Given academic readiness, Black students are much less likely to choose community college for their initial college enrollment favoring competitive four-year colleges. Among community college enrollees, Black students are less likely to complete any degree even among academically strong students, but they are equally likely to attain a bachelor’s degree. After controlling for college readiness and FRL, overall bachelor’s degree attainment for Black and Hispanic females are similar to, or higher than White females. Importantly, well-prepared Black and Hispanic male students have much lower degree completion rates than other well-prepared students, and their gaps in bachelor’s degree completion are particularly pronounced in competitive and very competitive institutions. We discuss policy implications.