Census stats: Percentage of Okla college grads lagging behind national average

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The percentage of Oklahomans with college degrees dipped below estimates for 2000 and continued to lag behind the national college graduate average, U.S. Census Bureau statistics show.

Educational Attainment in the United States: March 2000, released Tuesday, reported that more than 86 percent of Oklahomans age 25 and older have a high school diploma. That's 2 percent above the national average, which is at an all- time high.

But 22.5 percent of adult Oklahomans have at least a bachelors degree, which is 3.5 percent below the national average and about a 1 percent drop from the 1999 education estimates released in September.

The statistics are based on census estimates collected in March and in some states could be off as much as 2.9 percent.

Kurt Snodgrass, a spokesman for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, said because the difference could be wiped out by the margin of error, the report shows Oklahoma is continuing to make progress.

Regents launched the Brain Gain 2010 initiative last year, hoping to increase the number of college graduates in the state to the national average, or at least 28 percent, by 2010.

The program encourages high school students to pursue college educations, provides scholarships, works with parents to help them understand the importance of college and seeks to increase retention among students who begin college.

According to the estimates, the national average increased nearly 6 percent from 20.3 in 1990. If the increase continues, in 2010 it could surpass 30 percent.

"Anytime the bar is raised, it makes it more difficult,"

Snodgrass said of the increasing national average. "But we will strive to meet the goals and objectives of our Brain Gain 2010."

Having more college-educated residents is crucial to efforts to draw more high-paying jobs to the state, he said.

Oklahoma and the 15 other states and District of Columbia clustered in the Southern region had the lowest percentage -- 23.5 percent -- of college degree holders. The Northeast region, which includes New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut, scored the highest with an average of 28.5 percent.

Washington, D.C., had the highest percentage of adults with bachelors degrees with 38.3 percent; West Virginia had the lowest with 15.3 percent.

West Virginia also had the lowest percentage of high school graduates with 77.1 percent. The state of Washington had the highest percentage with 91.8 percent.

State schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett said the estimates indicate Oklahoma has done a good job of focusing on the importance of high school diplomas.

In 1990, about 25 percent of Oklahomans did not graduate from high school, more than 2 percent above the national average. Now, only about 14 percent of Oklahomans are without a high school diploma.