School Stratification in New and Established Latino Destinations

Molly Dondero, University of Texas at Austin
Chandra Muller, University of Texas at Austin

The size, growth, and geographic diversification of the school-age Latino population suggests that schools in areas that previously had very few Latinos now provide the primary source of education for these students. However, we know little about the schools that Latino students in new destinations attend. This study uses data from the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey and the 2002 Educational Longitudinal Study to compare characteristics of public high schools in new and established Latino destinations. Specifically, we examine school demographic characteristics, quality of education, linguistic support services, and Latino students' access to advanced math courses. Findings show that while schools in new Latino destinations appear stronger financially and academically, they offer fewer and less systematic linguistic support services than schools in established destinations. In addition, the Latino-white gap in college preparatory math course-taking is larger in schools in new destinations, suggesting greater educational stratification in those schools.