Relatively few Inland Empire high school students enroll in college after they graduate, despite high aspirations around education and despite the social and economic benefits of a bachelor’s degree. These benefits include higher earnings, lower unemployment, and greater civic engagement—as well as the ability to pay off the costs of a degree earned at a public California institution.

Only about a quarter of Inland Empire ninth graders are on track to earn a bachelor’s degree, compared to over a third in the rest of the state.
Only a quarter of the region’s graduates attend a four-year college right after high school, and less than a third of transfer-intending students at community colleges do so within six years.
Inland Empire students from low-income families are half as likely to graduate from college than those from higher-income families; the region’s Black and Latino ninth graders are less likely to enroll or graduate than their white and Asian peers.

Some districts in the region boast college-going rates of up to 70 percent, highlighting the strong results that are possible. Moreover, the size of the Inland Empire—with over 10 percent of the state’s students—means improvements to college-going rates could reach beyond the region and across the state.

Economic prospects for Inland Empire students with and without a degree

The labor market in the Inland Empire leans toward workers without degrees—in particular, jobs in health care and in transportation and warehousing. For this reason, regional stakeholders note that Inland Empire students may be less motivated to attend college. The job mix and a lower cost of living have attracted Californians without degrees to the area, while allowing many younger residents with only a high school diploma to achieve a quality of life equal to or better than that of their parents.

However, the wage premium in the Inland Empire that comes with a degree is real: early career workers with a bachelor’s degree earn on average 39 percent more than those with just a high school diploma; workers with graduate degrees earn 59 percent more. Yet only 18 percent of young adults (age 23 to 34) have a bachelor’s degree, and only 6 percent have a graduate degree—much lower than in the rest of the state (30% and 12%).

College readiness, enrollment, and graduation among Inland Empire students

The Inland Empire has one of the lowest overall college-going rates (57%) of any major California region (the statewide rate is 65%), as well as lower rates among almost every demographic group, except Black students. Rates of enrollment to CSU and UC are low in part because many high schoolers do not complete the A–G courses, the set of courses required for admission to California’s public universities.

While community college enrollment could counteract low enrollment at four-year colleges, all 12 community colleges in the Inland Empire have lower rates than statewide. Furthermore, Latino students have the lowest transfer rates (31%) of all demographic groups despite being the majority of community college students in the region (63%).

The good news is that greater shares of Inland Empire students who start as freshman at CSU Bernardino have been graduating in six years than in the past (55% in 2017 vs. 41% in 2007); though rates are still lower than systemwide (62%). At UC, 79 percent of Inland Empire students graduate within six years (vs. 86% systemwide). Inland Empire transfer students graduate from CSU and UC at somewhat similar rates as other students systemwide (near or above 80%, four years after transfer).

Steps forward to support college-going in the Inland Empire

Far more parents in the Inland Empire want their children to earn at least a bachelor’s degree than the number of children who do so. To promote college readiness, middle and high schools will need to raise awareness early about college and align courses to keep students on track for college. Community colleges and four-year institutions also must align their programs and requirements to create seamless transfer pathways. Building out a college-going culture will involve strategic moves:

Implement the A–G curriculum as the default pathway for high school, requiring students to opt out rather than opt in.
Provide key information (“college knowledge”) early about the process of enrolling in college—including details on financial aid, college applications, and timelines.
Incentivize momentum in community college by giving priority enrollment at four-year colleges to qualified transfer students.
Leverage the state’s Cradle-to-Career (C2C) data to identify successful programs and practices, provide feedback to improve program effectiveness, and intervene early to support struggling students.

By fostering a culture of higher education and leveraging regional collaborations for sustained success, the Inland Empire can be a model for advancing college-going and completion.

Source

About the Authors

Hans Johnson is a senior fellow at the PPIC Higher Education Center and a member of the PPIC Economic Policy Center. His research focuses on improving college access and completion. He frequently presents his work to policymakers and higher education officials, and he serves as a technical advisor to many organizations seeking to improve college graduation rates, address workforce needs, and engage in long-term capacity planning. His other areas of expertise include international and domestic migration, housing in California, and population projections. Previously, he served as research director at PPIC. Before joining PPIC, he worked as a demographer at the California Research Bureau and at the California Department of Finance. He holds a PhD in demography and a master’s degree in biostatistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Cesar Alesi Perez is a research associate at the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab. Previously, he was a research associate at the PPIC Higher Education Center. His work has focused on understanding how educational opportunities and outcomes differ across California, examining the relationship between higher education and economic opportunity, and analyzing the impact of placement and curricular reforms at California community colleges. Before joining PPIC, he was a research assistant at the San Diego Housing Commission, concentrating on evaluating economic security and mobility among rental assistance recipients. He also worked at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and as a hands-on educator at multiple levels of education. He holds an MPP from the School of Global Policy and Strategy at University of California, San Diego and a BA in economics from University of California, Los Angeles.

Kevin Cook is a research associate at the PPIC Higher Education Center. His research interests include education finance and policy for both K–12 and higher education, and his current work focuses on performance-based funding, online learning, and public pensions. Before joining PPIC, he worked as a research assistant in the investments division of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, where he conducted sustainability risk analysis. He holds an MPPA from Sacramento State University and a BA in history from Occidental College.

Selina Gomez is a research associate at the PPIC Higher Education Center. Her work focuses on higher education accessibility, readiness, and completion. Before joining PPIC, she served as a program specialist at Hayward Unified School District, evaluating K–12 data on comprehensive academic, social, and health services for students. She also worked at Alameda County’s Office of Sustainability and as a middle school educator focused on STEM education through the Public Service Center at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics and policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Marisol Cuellar Mejia is a research fellow at the PPIC Higher Education Center. Her research focuses on community college students and their path towards a four-year degree. Her recent projects have focused on examining statewide reforms to developmental education, recent trends and barriers to transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges, and the economic returns to a college degree. She is also a member of the PPIC Economic Policy Center, where she studies labor market trends. Her other areas of expertise include housing in California, and demographic trends. Before joining PPIC, she worked at Colombia’s National Association of Financial Institutions as an economic analyst, concentrating on issues related to the manufacturing sector and small business. She has also conducted agricultural and commodity market research for the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers and the National Federation of Palm Oil Growers of Colombia. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Universidad del Rosario and a master’s degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Davis.

Stephanie Barton is a senior editor at the Public Policy Institute of California. She edits research reports, blog posts, and other publications, working with staff to communicate complex messages to a wide readership. Before joining PPIC, she was a developmental editor for Sage Publications and for Wiley Publishing, and a technical writer for the Department of Energy. Early in her career, she worked as a book designer for Doubleday Books. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA in studio art from Pomona College.