Latinos, Education of

Latinos, or Hispanics, constituted about 15% of the total U.S. population in 2008, but 21% of the school-age population. Three- to 4-year-old Latinos were nearly one fourth of the total for that age group—24%; thus the U.S. Latino population is growing very rapidly. Although immigration has fueled much of this growth, most Latinos in the United States are native born, and relatively few school-age children are immigrants. About 85% of K–12 Latino students are born in the United States. The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe established a right to a K–12 education even for students whose status is undocumented (about 7% of Latino children and youth). Latinos, however, are faring very poorly in the U.S. education system, and the Latino population's ...