What Assimilation?: Education Levels

of Mexican-Americans By Generation

(1989-1990)

Mexican-Americans

First

Second

Third

Fourth

All  Non-Mexican

Generation

Generation

Generation

Generation

Americans

No High School Degree (%)

69.9

51.5

33.0

41.0

23.5

High School Degree (%)

24.7

39.2

58.5

49.4

30.4

Post High School Degree

5.4

9.3

8.5

9.6

45.1

Source: Rodolfo O. De la Garza, Angelo Falcon, P. Chris Garcia, "Mexican Immigrants, Mexican Americans, and American Political Culture," in Barry Edmonston and Jeffrey S. Passell (eds.) 

Immigration and Ethnicity: The Integration of America's Newest Arrivals (Washington: Urban Institute

Press, 1994.) Cited by Samuel Huntington in Foreign Policy:

Dropout Rates By Recency of Immigration, 2000

Immigration Status:

Hispanic

Non-Hispanic

Hispanic as Multiple of

Non-Hispanic

Born Outside the U.S.

44.2%

7.4%

6.0

First Generation

14.6

4.6

3.2

Second Generation

15.9

8.2

1.9

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center For Education Statistics, "Status and Trends in the

Education of Hispanics," April 2003. Supplemental Table 3.3b.