Rhode IslandRhode Island

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

Performance Categories

Preparation

C+

Improved

Rhode Island's fairly low performance in educating its young population could limit the state's access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy.

  • Very small proportions of high school students score well on Advanced Placement tests and college entrance exams.
  • Only 72% of Hispanics have a high school credential, compared with 95% of whites.

Participation

C+

Improved

College opportunities for young and working-age adults are fairly low.

  • The likelihood of enrolling in college by age 19 is fairly low, and a very low percentage of working-age adults are enrolled in higher education.
  • Twenty-eight percent of Hispanic young adults are enrolled in college, compared with 55% of whites—one of the largest gaps in the country.

Affordability

F

Not Improved

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

  • Poor and working-class families must devote 54% 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 28 cents.

Completion

A

Improved

Rhode Island performs very well in awarding certificates and degrees.

  • Sixty-five percent of college students complete a bachelor's degree within six years—a top performance on this indicator.
  • Fifty-seven percent of Hispanics graduate within six years, compared with 65% of whites.

Benefits

B-

Improved

A large proportion of residents have a bachelor's degree, yet the economic benefits to the state as a result are only fair.

  • Fourteen percent of Hispanics have a bachelor's degree, compared with 35% of whites.
  • If all racial/ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total annual personal income in the state would be about $1 billion higher.

Learning

I

Like all states, Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island’s performance and progress since the early 1990s on several key indicators.

Preparation

The percentage of young adults in Rhode Island who earn a high school diploma has increased since the early 1990s. High school completion is well above the U.S. average but slightly below the top-performing states.

Participation

College enrollment of young adults in Rhode Island has improved considerably since the early 1990s. Rhode Island is one of 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 Rhode Island—as it has nationally and in the best-performing states. The percentage attending college in Rhode Island is well below the U.S. average and the top states.

Affordability

The share of family income, after financial aid, needed to pay for college has declined slightly at two-year colleges but has risen substantially at four-year institutions. To attend public two- and four-year colleges in Rhode Island, students and families pay more than the U.S. average and more than those in the best-performing states.

Completion

The number of undergraduate credentials and degrees awarded in Rhode Island, relative to the number of students enrolled, has increased since the early 1990s. Rhode Island surpasses 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 substantially in Rhode Island. The state is above the U.S. average but below the top states.