Question:
What are the recent trends in advanced mathematics and science course taking among U.S. high school students?
Response:
In 1982, some 35 percent of high
school graduates had completed advanced
science coursework (i.e., at least one course
classified as more challenging than general biology);
this percentage increased to 68 percent
by 2004. Most of this increase is attributable to
increases in completion of chemistry I and/or
physics I. The percentage of graduates who
had completed at least one course of either
chemistry II, physics II, and/or advanced biology
fluctuated from year to year and ultimately
increased just 3 percentage points, from 15 to
18 percent between 1982 and 2004.1
The percentage of high school graduates who had completed courses in advanced mathematics (i.e., completed at least one course classified as more challenging than algebra II) increased from 26 percent in 1982 to 50 percent in 2004. Moreover, the percentage of graduates who had completed a calculus-level course more than doubled over this period (from 6 to 14 percent).2
As was the case in 1998 and 2000, in 2004, female graduates were more likely than male graduates to have completed some advanced science coursework (71 vs. 65 percent). This difference, however, is mostly attributable to the larger percentage of female than male graduates who completed a course in chemistry I or physics I. There were no measurable differences between the percentage of female and male graduates who completed coursework in chemistry I and physics I or in the percentage who completed a course in chemistry II, physics II, and/or advanced biology. Unlike in 1998 and 2000, in 2004, female graduates were more likely than male graduates to have completed some advanced mathematics courses (e.g., trigonometry, precalculus, or calculus); however, as in 1998 and 2000, there was no measurable difference between the percentage of female and male graduates who completed calculus-level coursework.
Asian/Pacific Islander graduates were more likely than graduates of any other race/ethnicity in 1998, 2000, and 2004 to have completed advanced science and mathematics courses. For example, 33 percent of Asians/Pacific Islanders completed a calculus-level course, compared with 16 percent of Whites, 7 percent of Hispanics, 6 percent of American Indians, and 5 percent of Blacks. Following Asians/Pacific Islanders, Whites were more likely than Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians to have completed advanced science and mathematics courses in each of these 3 years.
In 1998, 2000, and 2004, private school graduates were more likely than public school graduates to have completed advanced courses in science and mathematics. For example, in 2004, a greater percentage of private school graduates than public school graduates completed at least one advanced course in science (85 vs. 67 percent) and a calculus-level course (25 vs. 13 percent).
1Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic difficulty may be included under these rubrics. See supplemental note 12 for a complete listing of all the courses classified at each academic level.
2Calculus-level courses include AP calculus, calculus, and calculus/analytical geometry.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). The Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-064), Special Analysis.
Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)
Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)
Fast Facts