ColoradoColorado

State Summary Report Card (PDF)
Complete State Report Card (PDF)

Performance Categories

Preparation

A-

Not Improved

Colorado performs well in preparing its young people for college, but there are large gaps by ethnicity.

  • High school students score well on Advanced Placement tests, and Colorado is the top state in student performance on college entrance exams.
  • However, only 69% of Hispanics have a high school credential, compared with 92% of whites.

Participation

C+

Not Improved

College opportunities for Colorado residents are only fair.

  • The likelihood of enrolling in college by age 19 is fairly low, but a fairly high percentage of working-age adults are enrolled in higher education.
  • Nineteen percent of Hispanic young adults are enrolled in college, compared with 41% of whites.

Affordability

F

Not Improved

Higher education has become less affordable for students and their families.

  • Poor and working-class families must devote 43% of their income, even after aid, to pay for costs at public four-year colleges.
  • Financial aid to low-income students is low. For every dollar in Pell Grant aid to students, the state spends only 41 cents.

Completion

B-

Improved

Colorado performs fairly well—and has improved—in awarding certificates and degrees relative to the number of students enrolled.

  • Fifty-three percent of college students complete a bachelor's degree within six years.
  • However, only 42% of Hispanics graduate within six years, compared with 56% of whites.

Benefits

B+

Improved

A large proportion of  residents have a bachelor's degree, but gaps by race and ethnicity persist.

  • Twelve percent of Hispanics have a bachelor's degree, compared with 42% of whites—one of the largest gaps in the nation.
  • If all racial/ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total annual personal income in the state would be about $10 billion higher.

Learning

I

Like all states, Colorado receives an "Incomplete" in Learning because there is not sufficient data to allow meaningful state-by-state comparisons.

 

Change Over Time: Key Indicators

The following reflects Colorado’s performance and progress since the early 1990s on several key indicators.

Preparation

The percentage of young adults in Colorado who earn a high school diploma has decreased somewhat since the early 1990s. High school completion is slightly below the U.S. average and below the top-performing states.

Participation

College enrollment of young adults in Colorado has declined since the early 1990s. The state is slightly above the national average but below the top states in the percentage of young adults enrolled.

The enrollment of working-age adults, relative to the number of residents without a bachelor’s degree, has declined substantially in Colorado—as it has nationally and in the best-performing states. The percentage attending college in Colorado is higher than the U.S. average but below the top states.

Affordability

The share of family income, even after financial aid, needed to pay for college has risen substantially. To attend public two-year colleges, students and families in Colorado pay close to the national average, which is more than those in the best-performing states pay. To attend public four-year colleges, they pay more than the U.S. average.

Completion

The number of undergraduate credentials and degrees awarded in Colorado, relative to the number of students enrolled, has increased since the early 1990s. Colorado performs at the U.S. average but is below the top states on this measure.

Benefits

The percentage of residents who have a bachelor’s degree has increased. Colorado is well above the U.S. average but slightly below the top states.