High School 

Coursetaking

Findings from

The Condition of Education 

2007

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2007-065
This page intentionally left blank.
U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2007-065

High School 

Coursetaking

Findings from

The Condition of Education 

2007

June 2007

Michael Planty

Stephen Provasnik

National Center for

Education Statistics

Bruce Daniel

KForce
U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Mark Schneider

Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal en ti ty for col lect ing, analyzing, 

and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfi lls a congressional 

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Suggested Citation

Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings from The Condition of 

Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for 

Education Statistics.

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High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 1

The Condition of Education summarizes important developments and trends in education 

using the latest available data. The report, 

which is required by law, is an indicator report 

intended for a general audience of readers who 

are interested in education. The indicators 

represent a consensus of professional judgment 

on the most signifi cant national measures of 

the condition and progress of education for 

which accurate data are available. The 2007 

print edition includes 48 indicators in fi ve 

main areas: (1) enrollment trends and student 

characteristics at all levels of the education 

system from early childhood education to 

graduate and fi rst-professional programs; (2) 

student achievement and the longer term, enduring effects of education; (3) student effort 

and rates of progress through the educational 

system among different population groups; 

(4) the contexts of elementary and secondary 

education in terms of courses taken, teacher 

characteristics, and other factors; and (5) the 

contexts of postsecondary education.

The 2007 edition also includes a special analysis 

that examines changes in student coursetaking 

in high school using national transcript data 

from 1982 to 2005. To make the special analysis 

available to audiences interested in the coursetaking patterns and trends of U.S. high school 

students, the special analysis is reprinted here 

as a separate volume. Technical notes about the 

data sources, methodology, and standard errors 

are included at the end of this booklet.

Special analyses included in the 2000–07 

editions of The Condition of Education are 

available both as booklets and in the full print 

volumes. They are also available on the NCES 

Condition of Education website (http://nces.

ed.gov/programs/coe).

Preface
High School Coursetaking

Page 2 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

INTRODUCTION

Using the national data from high school transcript studies conducted from 1982 to 2005, 

this special analysis addresses the following 

questions related to students’ coursetaking 

patterns and trends during this period: 

 What do states require and what do 

schools offer for coursework?

 How many course credits do students earn 

by high school graduation, on average, and 

how has the number of credits changed, 

overall and by subject, since the 1980s?

 What percentage of high school graduates 

complete advanced courses in science, in 

mathematics, in English, and in foreign 

languages?

 Do these percentages vary across student 

characteristics, including sex, race/ethnicity, 

and school control?

 What is the coursetaking pattern in 9th 

and 10th grades for students who drop out 

compared with students who graduate?

 What percentage of high school students take 

Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, 

and how well do they do?

The fi rst section of this special analysis describes 

state-level standards related to coursework and 

high school exit examinations in all 50 states 

and the District of Columbia, which is treated 

as a state in this analysis. This is followed by 

a discussion of the availability of advanced 

course offerings in public schools.1 Both requirements and offerings provide a context for 

examining the patterns of student coursetaking as they relate to minimum standards and 

expectations. The second section describes the 

number and types of credits that public and 

private high school graduates earned. It then 

examines the percentages and characteristics 

of public and private high school graduates 

who took advanced courses in science, mathematics, English, and foreign languages. The 

special analysis concludes with a summary of 

key fi ndings.

REQUIREMENTS AND OFFERINGS

State Standards for Coursetaking

Many states have enacted minimum requirements for graduation that focus on the number 

and types of courses that students take in high 

school and the passing of standardized state 

tests of profi ciency or competency in specifi c 

subjects. Starting in the early 1980s, many 

states adopted or added requirements patterned 

after the New Basics coursetaking standards 

recommended by the National Commission 

on Excellence in Education (NCEE) for high 

school graduation (Alexander and Pallas 1984; 

Chaney, Burgdorf, and Atash 1997). First articulated in A Nation at Risk (NCEE 1983), 

the New Basics recommendations called for 

all high school students to complete 4 years of 

English; 3 years each of mathematics, science, 

and social studies; and a half-year of computer 

science. For college-bound students, the New 

Basics also called for the completion of 2 years 

of a foreign language.

Currently, 37 states now require public high 

school students to take at least 20 credits (in 

Carnegie units2) of coursework; 8 states require 

fewer than 20 credits; and other states’ course 

graduation requirements are determined locally 

(see table 1).3 Of those states with coursetaking requirements, 37 require 4 or more years 

of English, 31 require 3 or more years of 

social studies, 27 require 3 or more years of 

mathematics, and 23 require 3 or more years 

of science.

High School Coursetaking
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 3

 English/ Health/ 

 All language Social Math- physical Arts/ Foreign

State courses arts studies ematics Science education vocation language

Alabama 24 4 4 4 4 1.5 0.5 0

Alaska 21 4 3 2 2 1 0 0

Arizona 20 4 2.5 2 2 0 1 0

Arkansas 21 4 3 3 3 1 0.5 0

California 13 3 3 2 2 2 1 12

Colorado (1) † † † † † † †

Connecticut 20 4 3 3 2 1 1 0

Delaware 22 4 3 3 3 1.5 0 0

District of Columbia 23.5 4 3.5 3 3 1.5 1 2

Florida 24 4 3 3 3 1 1 0

Georgia 22 4 3 4 3 1 0 2

Hawaii 22 4 4 3 3 1.5 0 0

Idaho 21 4.5 2.5 2 2 0.5 1 12

Illinois 16 3 2 2 1 0.5 1 12

Indiana 20 4 2 2 2 1 0 0

Iowa (1) † 1.5 † † † † †

Kansas 21 4 3 2 2 1 0 0

Kentucky 22 4 3 3 3 1 1 0

Louisiana 23 4 3 3 3 2 0 0

Maine 16 4 2 2 2 1.5 1 0

Maryland 21 4 3 3 3 1 1 2

Massachusetts (1) † † † † † † †

Michigan (1) † 0.5 † † † † †

Minnesota 21.53 † † † † 0 † 0

Mississippi 20 4 3 3 3 0.5 1 0

Missouri 22 3 2 2 2 1 1 0

Montana 20 4 2 2 2 1 1 0

Nebraska (1) † † † † † † †

Nevada 22.5 4 2 3 2 2.5 1 0

New Hampshire 19.75 4 2.5 2 2 1.25 0.5 0

New Jersey 22 4 3 3 3 3 2 0

New Mexico 23 4 3 3 2 1 0 0

New York 22 4 4 3 3 2.5 1 1

North Carolina 20 4 3 4 3 1 0 2

North Dakota 21 † † † † † † †

Ohio 20 4 3 3 3 1 0 0

Oklahoma 23 4 3 3 3 0 2 0

Oregon 22 3 3 2 2 2 1 1

Pennsylvania4 † † † † † † † †

Rhode Island 18 4 2 3 2 1.5 0.5 2

South Carolina 24 4 3 4 3 1 0 1

South Dakota 22 4 3 2 2 0 1 0

Tennessee 20 4 3 3 3 1 1 2

See notes at end of table.

Table 1. State coursework requirements for high school graduation in Carnegie units: 2005 
High School Coursetaking

Page 4 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

State Standards for Exit Exams

Along with course requirements, in 2006, some 

22 states required public school students (and, 

in a few states, private school students4) to 

pass high school exit examinations to receive 

a high school diploma (see fi gure 1) (Center 

on Education Policy [CEP] 2006). Three more 

states will adopt such “exit exams” between 

2008 and 2012: Washington in 2008, Maryland in 2009,5 and Oklahoma in 2012. Most 

of these 25 states’ exit exams are aligned with 

10th-grade profi ciency standards or higher, 

but some are aligned with 8th- and 9th-grade 

profi ciency standards. 

In 2006, some 65 percent of the nation’s public 

high school students were enrolled in a school 

with an exit exam requirement (CEP 2006). 

High school exit exam requirements are most 

prevalent in the southern and western states. 

The few exceptions are in Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, 

and Ohio. 

Given this geographic distribution, minority 

public school students are the group most 

affected by state exit exam requirements: 76 

percent of minority public high school students 

were required to pass an exit exam for graduation in 2006, compared with 58 percent of 

all White public high school students (CEP 

2006, table 2).

The number of examinations required for 

graduation and the subjects in which they are 

required vary by state (see supplemental table 

SA-1). In the 22 states with exit exams in effect 

and in the 3 states with exit exams that will go 

into effect between 2008 and 2012, students 

must pass both an English/language arts and 

a mathematics exit exam. In addition, 19 of 

these 25 states will require an exam in science 

by 2012, and 13 states will require a U.S. history/social studies exam.6

Since 2002, all states with an exit exam have 

required both an English/language arts and 

a mathematics exam. The total number of 

 English/ Health/ 

 All language Social Math- physical Arts/ Foreign

State courses arts studies ematics Science education vocation language

Texas 24 4 4 3 3 2 1 2

Utah 15 3 2.5 2 2 2 1.5 0

Vermont 20 4 3 3 3 1.5 1 0

Virginia 22 4 3 3 3 2 1 0

Washington 19 3 2.5 2 2 2 0 0

West Virginia 24 4 3 3 3 2 1 0

Wisconsin 21.5 4 3 2 2 2 0 0

Wyoming 13 4 3 3 3 0 0 0

† Not applicable.

1

 Graduation requirements are determined locally.

2

 1.0 credit required in Foreign language or Arts, not both.

3

 Effective class of 2008.

4

 State minimum credit requirements have been phased out in Pennsylvania. Each school district (including charter schools) shall specify requirements for graduation in 

a strategic plan requiring state approval. To graduate, students must demonstrate profi ciency in reading, writing, and mathematics on either state or local assessments 

aligned with state guidelines.

NOTE: Local school districts frequently have other graduation requirements in addition to state requirements. English/language arts can include English, reading, literature, 

creative writing, etc. Mathematics can include basic math, algebra I and II, geometry, precalculus, calculus, statistics, etc. Social studies can include world history, U.S. history, geography, economics, government, etc. Science can include biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, earth science, etc. Arts/vocation can include fi ne arts, practical arts, 

vocational, or career preparatory credits. Technology can include computer literacy, computer technology, technology competency, etc. The Carnegie unit is a standard of 

measurement that represents 1.0 credit for the completion of a 1-year course.

SOURCE: Education Commission of the States (ECS). (2006). Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state).

Table 1. State coursework requirements for high school graduation in Carnegie units: 2005—Continued 
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 5

states with a mandatory science exit exam has 

increased from 7 states in 2002 to 11 states in 

2006, and is projected to increase to 19 states 

by 2012.

Advanced Course Offerings

The number of advanced courses high school 

students take is limited by what is offered. 

This section examines the extent to which 

public schools offer college-level coursework 

to high school students, available as Advanced 

Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate 

(IB), and dual-credit courses, all of which are 

described below.7

AP courses and their end-of-course examinations are developed and administered by the 

College Board. Students who score a 3.0 or 

better (on a 5.0 point scale) may earn college 

credit or advanced standing in a college in the 

subject area in which the course/exam was 

taken. IB courses are defi ned as courses that 

make up a 2-year liberal arts curriculum that 

leads to an IB diploma and meets the requirements established by the IB program. Students 

taking these courses, typically in grades 11 

and 12, must meet all requirements and pass 

IB examinations in each subject area in order 

to receive the IB diploma. In some schools, 

students who are not seeking an IB diploma 

are allowed to take individual IB courses. AP 

and IB postsecondary credit is given at the discretion of the colleges and therefore students 

receive this credit after they have applied and 

been accepted to a college. Dual-credit courses 

allow students to earn both high school and 

postsecondary credits for a single course, 

which is considered an actual college course. 

Thus, the dual credit earned is usually recorded 

on a college transcript from the postsecondary institution administering the course. The 

descriptions of college-level course offerings 

in this section were taken from a 2002–03 

survey of a nationally representative sample 

of public high schools (Waits, Setzer, and 

Lewis 2005).

Overall, in 2002–03, some 71 percent of public 

high schools offered at least one dual-credit 

course, 67 percent offered AP courses, and 2 

percent offered IB courses (see supplemental 

table SA-2). The larger the enrollment of a 

Mathematics, English, science,

social studies, and computer

skills (1 state)

No exit examination

(28 states and DC)

Mathematics and English

(5 states)

Mathematics, English, science,

and social studies (11 states)

Mathematics, English, and

science (5 states)

2008

2012

2009

Figure 1. States with mandatory exit examinations, by subject, and states phasing in exit examinations, by date: 2006

NOTE: States labeled with years are scheduled to institute exit examinations in the year shown. Six of the states shown with mathematics, English, and science will institute 

their science exit examination between 2007 and 2010. Utah had planned to enforce an exit exam requirement in 2006, but that year they decided not to withhold diplomas 

from students who failed the examination if they met other graduation requirements. See supplemental table SA-1 for a complete list.

SOURCE: Center on Education Policy. (2006). State High School Exit Exams: A Challenging Year, adapted from table 1, data from state departments of education, June 2006.
High School Coursetaking

Page 6 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

school, the more likely that school was to offer AP and/or dual-credit courses: 40 percent 

of small schools (those with an enrollment of 

less than 500) offered AP courses, compared 

with 82 percent of medium-sized schools 

(those with an enrollment of 500 to 1,199) 

and 97 percent of large schools (those with 

an enrollment of 1,200 or more) (see fi gure 

2). Similarly, 63 percent of small schools offered courses for dual credit, compared with 

75 percent of medium-sized schools and 82 

percent of large schools.

Public schools located in rural areas were less 

likely to report offering AP courses (50 percent) 

than public schools in cities (77 percent), urban 

fringe areas (87 percent), and towns (72 percent) (see supplemental table SA-2). Dual-credit 

courses, in contrast, were less likely to be offered in public schools located in cities than in 

public schools located in towns or urban fringe 

areas (65 vs. 79 and 74 percent, respectively). 

Seventy percent of rural schools offered courses 

for dual credit.

Public schools with the lowest minority enrollment (those in which minority students 

made up less than 6 percent of the enrollment) 

were the least likely to offer AP courses when 

compared with schools with higher minority 

enrollments. Among public schools that offered 

dual credits, however, schools with the highest 

minority enrollment were the least likely to offer these courses when compared with schools 

with lower minority enrollments.

State standards and advanced course offerings 

provide a context for understanding student 

coursetaking patterns. The next section presents trends in the coursetaking patterns of high 

school graduates over more than two decades, 

from 1982 to 2004.

0 20 40 60

Percent

80 100

Dual-credit

63

75

82

Advanced

Placement

40

82

97

International

Baccalaureate

#

2

7

1,200 or more

500–1,199

Less than 500

Enrollment size

Figure 2. Percentage of public high schools that offered dual-credit courses, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB), by school enrollment: 2002–03

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Dual-credit courses allow students to earn both high school and postsecondary credits for a single course. AP courses and their end-of-course examinations are 

developed and administered by The College Board and allow students to earn postsecondary credit. IB courses are defi ned as courses that make up a 2-year liberal arts 

curriculum that leads to an IB diploma.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), “Dual Credit and Exam-based Courses,” FRSS 85, 2003.
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 7

COURSETAKING PATTERNS

National data on public and private high school 

student coursetaking and educational attainment come from two sets of surveys sponsored 

by the U.S. Department of Education’s National 

Center for Education Statistics (NCES): the high 

school longitudinal transcript studies—including the High School and Beyond Longitudinal 

Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” 

(HS&B-So:80/82); the National Education 

Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), 

“Second Follow-up, High School Transcript 

Survey, 1992”; and the Education Longitudinal 

Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School 

Transcript Study”—and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High 

School Transcript Studies (HSTS), selected 

years, 1987–2005.

The high school longitudinal transcript studies 

provide information on graduates of public and 

private high schools in 1982, 1992, and 2004. 

The NAEP High School Transcript Studies 

(HSTS) cover the experiences of public and 

private high school graduates in 1987, 1990, 

1994, 1998, 2000, and 2005. The HSTS gathers information from the transcripts of students 

in public and private schools nationwide. Both 

survey systems are part of larger studies that 

track students’ performance in high school.

Credits on a student’s transcript quantify the 

amount of coursework that a student has completed. Credits can be organized by subject and 

placed in taxonomies, each of which includes 

courses either of similar academic challenge and 

diffi culty or at the same stage in the progression of learning in a subject.8 However, because 

credits cannot measure the breadth or depth 

of the course content, they cannot be used to 

measure how the curriculum may have changed 

over time or how much high school courses 

with similar transcript titles vary across classes 

and schools. Even courses with the same titles 

may vary considerably in terms of their content 

and what they demand of students.

Transcript data recording the number of 

credits that students earned in all their high 

school classes were collected from nationally 

representative samples of high school students 

beginning with the longitudinal study in 1982. 

Drawing upon these data, the next section of 

this analysis presents trends in the coursetaking patterns of public and private high school 

graduates between 1982 and 2004.9

Credits Earned

From the early 1980s, when states began to 

increase the number of courses required to 

receive a high school diploma, the average 

number of credits earned by high school graduates increased from 21.7 credits in 1982 to 25.8 

credits in 2004 (see supplemental table SA-3). 

When looking at the number of credits earned 

by subject in 2004 versus 1982, graduates 

earned an average of 4.3 versus 4.0 credits in 

English, 3.6 versus 2.7 credits in mathematics, and 3.2 versus 2.2 credits in science. The 

amount of college-preparatory coursetaking in 

mathematics and science also increased markedly between 1982 and 2004. For example, 

the average number of credits that graduates 

earned in algebra and more advanced mathematics courses increased from 1.9 to 3.1; in 

chemistry, it increased from 0.4 to 0.7; and in 

physics, it increased from 0.2 to 0.4.

These increases in credits earned in mathematics, English, and science have not coincided 

with a decline in other coursework. In fact, 

credits earned in other subjects have increased. 

For example, comparing 1982 and 2004, graduates earned an average of 3.2 versus 3.9 credits 

in history/social studies, 1.4 versus 2.1 in arts, 

and 1.1 versus 2.0 credits in foreign languages 

(see fi gure 3). The only subject area in which 

the number of credits earned has decreased 

over this time period is vocational coursetaking. Vocational coursetaking decreased, from 

an average of 4.4 credits earned in 1982 to 3.5 

credits earned in 2004. Vocational courses are 

organized educational programs, services, and 
High School Coursetaking

Page 8 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

activities that are directly related to the preparation of individuals for paid or unpaid employment, or for additional preparation for a career 

that requires certifi cation or training other than 

a bachelor’s or an advanced degree.

These general increases in credits earned since 

1982 are, in large part, a product of more 

graduates taking more advanced courses. In 

mathematics, for example, between 1982 and 

2004, the percentage of graduates who completed a year of geometry increased from 47 

to 76 percent, the percentage who completed 

a semester or more of algebra II increased 

from 40 to 67 percent, and the percentage 

who completed a semester or more of analysis/precalculus increased from 6 to 28 percent 

(see supplemental table SA-4).10 Similarly, in 

science, the same trends are evident: during 

these years, the percentage of graduates who 

completed a year of chemistry increased from 

32 to 64 percent, the percentage who completed a year of physics increased from 15 to 

33 percent, and the percentage who completed 

a year each of biology, chemistry, and physics 

increased from 11 to 26 percent.

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

2004 graduates

1982 graduates

Vocational1

Arts

Foreign languages

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

All science

Algebra or higher

All mathematics

History/social studies

English

Subject areas

4.4

1.4

1.1

0.2

0.4

1.0

2.2

1.9

2.7

3.2

4.0

3.5

2.1

2.0

0.4

0.7

1.3

3.2

3.1

3.6

3.9

4.3

Number of Carnegie units

Figure 3. Average number of Carnegie units earned by high school graduates in various subject areas: 1982 and 2004

1

 Includes nonoccupational vocational education, vocational general introduction, agriculture, business, marketing, health, occupational home economics, trade and 

industry, and technical courses.

NOTE: The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents 1.0 credit for the completion of a 1-year course. Data differ slightly from fi gures appearing in other 

NCES reports because of differences in taxonomies and case exclusion criteria.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” 

(HS&B-So:80/82); and Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study.” 
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 9

Coursetaking varied by students’ sex and 

race/ethnicity over time and within each year. 

In 1982, on average, females earned 0.35 more 

total credits than males (see supplemental table 

SA-3). However, by 2004, no measurable differences were detected. In 1982, males earned 0.14 

more credits in both mathematics and science 

than did females, but by 2004, no measurable 

differences were detected.

In 1982, on average, Asian/Pacifi c Islander 

graduates earned more total credits than graduates of any other race/ethnicity. By 2004, these 

differences were no longer evident. However, 

in both 1982 and 2004, Asian/Pacifi c Islander 

graduates earned more credits in both mathematics and science than did graduates of any 

other race/ethnicity. 

A Special Look: Dropouts and Course Credit Accrual

This special analysis so far has focused on coursetaking for high school graduates, or more precisely, students who graduate high school within 

4 years of starting. Although some students are 

still enrolled in high school after their classmates 

have graduated, others have dropped out. It is 

important to understand how the coursetaking 

patterns of students who eventually drop out 

compare with those of students who receive a 

high school diploma. A lack of credit accrual—

credits earned per year—early in high school 

has been shown to be one of the better predictors for subsequent dropping out (Allensworth 

and Easton 2005). Students may not accrue the 

expected number of credits because they earn 

a failing grade or attempt too few credits.

This special look considers the extent to which 

there are differences by 10th grade in the credit 

accrual for students who eventually drop out 

compared with students who graduate on 

time.11 Table 2 shows the credit accrual (in Carnegie units) by 2002, their sophomore year, for 

dropouts and “on-time graduates” (HampdenThompson et al. 2007). Some students drop out 

before 10th grade; their counts are not refl ected 

here, nor are those of students who attain an 

alternative credential (e.g., GED), or who are still 

in school after 2004. 

Students who eventually dropped out were 

behind their peers who graduated on time in 

the total number of credits they accrued in the 

2000–01 and 2001–02 academic years (9th and 

10th grades, respectively, for on-time graduates) 

as well as the amount they accrued in their English, mathematics, and science courses in both 

academic years. In the 2000–01 academic year, 

students who would eventually drop out after 

the 10th grade earned an average of 5.1 credits, 

while those who graduated on time in 2004 

earned an average of 6.6 credits. Year-to-year 

change shows that credit accrual declined for 

dropouts, putting them further behind. While ontime graduates accrued 6.6 and 6.7 credits in the 

2000–01 and 2001–02 academic years, dropouts 

earned even fewer credits in 2001–02 (4.6) than 

they did in the previous academic year (5.1).

Status in 2004 2000–01 2001–02 Total English Mathematics Science

Dropouts 5.1 4.6 9.7 1.7 1.3 1.2

On-time graduates1 6.6 6.7 13.3 2.1 2.0 1.8

1

 “On-time graduates” are students who graduated high school within 4 years between the fall of 2003 and the summer of 2004.

NOTE: The basic unit of coursework measurement is the course credit. Course credits refer to standardized Carnegie units.

SOURCE: Hampden-Thompson, G., Kienzl, G., Daniel, B., and Kinukawa, A. (2007). Course Credit Accrual and Dropping Out of High School (NCES 2007-018), tables 1 and 2.

Table 2. Average course credit accrual of spring 2002 10th-graders, by academic year, subject, and high school status: 

2004

Academic year (AY) Subject (AY 2000–02)
High School Coursetaking

Page 10 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

Trends in Advanced Coursetaking

Science and Mathematics

This section shows trends between 1982 and 

2004 in the highest level of science and mathematics coursework that high school graduates 

completed. In 1982, some 35 percent of high 

school graduates had completed advanced 

science coursework (i.e., at least one course 

classifi ed as more challenging than general biology); this percentage increased to 68 percent 

by 2004 (see fi gure 4 and supplemental table 

SA-5). 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 fl uctuated from year to year and ultimately 

increased just 3 percentage points, from 15 to 

18 percent between 1982 and 2004.12

The percentage of high school graduates who 

had completed courses in advanced mathematics (i.e., completed at least one course classifi ed 

as more challenging than algebra II) increased 

from 26 percent in 1982 to 50 percent in 2004 

(see fi gure 5 and supplemental table SA-6). 

Moreover, the percentage of graduates who 

had completed a calculus-level course more 

than doubled over this period (from 6 to 14 

percent).13

As was the case in 1998 and 2000 (data not 

shown), in 2004, female graduates were more 

likely than male graduates to have completed 

some advanced science coursework (71 vs. 65 

percent) (see supplemental table SA-7). 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 dif0

20

40

60

80

100

1982 1987 1990 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004

Percent

Year

Chemistry II, physics II,

and/or advanced biology

Chemistry I and physics I

Chemistry I or physics I

General biology

Figure 4. Percentage of high school graduates who completed middle and advanced levels of science courses, by 

highest level of coursework completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

NOTE: Not displayed are the percentages of graduates who completed lower academic science courses. The distribution of graduates in the various levels of science courses 

was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they had completed. Graduates may have completed advanced levels of courses without having 

taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B-So:80/82); 

National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992”; Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), 

“High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 11

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

1982 1987 1990 1992

Year

1994 1998 2000 2004

Calculus

Precalculus

Trigonometry/algebra III

Algebra II

Figure 5. Percentage of high school graduates who completed middle and advanced levels of mathematics courses, 

by highest level of coursework completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

NOTE: Not displayed are the percentages of graduates who completed lower academic mathematics courses. The distribution of graduates in the various levels of mathematics 

courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they had completed. Graduates may have completed advanced levels of courses without 

having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B-So:80/82); 

National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992”; Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), 

“High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

ferences 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 (data not shown), 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 (see 

supplemental table SA-8).

Asian/Pacifi c 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 

(1998 and 2000 data not shown) (see supplemental tables SA-7 and SA-8). For example, 33 

percent of Asians/Pacifi c 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/Pacifi c 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 also 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).
High School Coursetaking

Page 12 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

English and Foreign Language

Since the early 1980s, the percentage of high 

school graduates completing honors English 

and advanced foreign language courses has also 

increased (see fi gures 6 and 7 and supplemental 

tables SA-9 and SA-10). In 1982, about 13 

percent of high school graduates had completed 

some advanced English coursework classifi ed as 

“honors”; by 2004, this percentage had risen 

to 33 percent. Moreover, during this period, 

the percentage who had completed 75–100 

percent of their English courses at the honors 

level increased from 4 to 16 percent.

The percentage of high school graduates who 

had completed advanced foreign language study 

(i.e., year 3 or higher of a foreign language) was 

greater in 2004 than in 1982. In 1982, about 

15 percent of graduates had completed some 

advanced foreign language study; by 2004, 

this percentage had more than doubled to 35 

percent. In addition, over this period, the percentage of graduates who had not completed 

any foreign language study decreased markedly 

(from 46 to 15 percent). 

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

1982 1987 1990 1992

Year

1994 1998 2000 2004

75–100 percent honors courses

50–74 percent honors courses

Less than 50 percent honors courses

All regular (no low or honors) courses

Figure 6. Percentage of high school graduates who completed regular and advanced levels of English, by highest 

course completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

NOTE: For each graduate, the percentages of completed English courses classifi ed as “below level,” “at grade level,” and “honors” were calculated. Graduates may have 

completed advanced levels of courses without having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” 

(HS&B:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, “High School Transcript Study” (NELS:88/92); Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High 

School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 13

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

1982 1987 1990 1992

Year

1994 1998 2000 2004

Advanced Placement (AP)

Year 4

Year 3

Year 2 or lower

Figure 7. Percentage of high school graduates who completed low and advanced foreign language courses, by highest 

course completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

NOTE: The distribution of graduates among the various levels of foreign language courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they 

completed. Graduates who had completed courses in different languages were counted according to the highest level course completed. Graduates may have completed 

advanced levels of courses without having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. Detail may not sum to 

totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” 

(HS&B:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, “High School Transcript Study” (NELS:88/92); Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High 

School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

As was the case in 1998 and 2000 (data not 

shown), in 2004, female graduates were more 

likely than male graduates to have completed 

advanced English and foreign language study 

(see supplemental tables SA-11 and SA-12). In 

1998 and 2000 (data not shown), no racial/

ethnic group of graduates completed advanced 

courses in English or foreign language study at 

higher rates than those for all other racial/ethnic groups. However, in 2004, Asian/Pacifi c 

Islanders completed advanced courses in English and in advanced foreign language study at 

higher rates than those for all other racial/ethnic 

groups. In all 3 years, Black graduates were less 

likely than Asian/Pacifi c Islander, Hispanic, and 

White graduates to have completed advanced 

foreign language courses.

In 1998, 2000, and 2004, private school graduates were also more likely than public school 

graduates to have completed advanced courses 

in foreign language study; however, apparent 

differences in the rates at which they completed 

advanced English courses were not signifi cant 

(1998 and 2000 data not shown).
High School Coursetaking

Page 14 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

A Special Look: Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations

Advanced Placement (AP) courses provide 

students with the opportunity to take college-level courses while in high school. The AP 

program offers 37 courses in 20 subjects that are 

developed by The College Board. A qualifying 

score of 3.0 or better (using a 5.0 point scale) 

on a course examination may enable a student 

to earn college credit or advanced standing in 

the subject area in which the course/exam was 

taken. Between 1997 and 2005, the number of 

students taking AP examinations increased 111 

percent (from 566,720 to 1,197,439) (see table 

3).14 Over this period, the participation of White 

students increased 105 percent, compared with 

213 percent for Hispanic students, 177 percent 

for Black students, 124 percent for American 

Indian students, and 114 percent for Asian students. As a result, the participation of minority 

groups increased from 27 percent of all students 

taking AP examinations in 1997 to 33 percent 

in 2005. Conversely, the percentage of White 

students taking AP examinations declined from 

66 percent in 1997 to 64 percent in 2005.

While the number of students and the percentage 

of minorities participating in AP examinations 

have increased each year, the annual average 

scores have remained about 3.0, out of a possible 

5.0 (see supplemental table SA-13). The examination scores of White and Asian students have 

remained relatively constant across all subjects, 

averaging about 3.0 and 3.1, respectively, while the 

scores of students in other racial/ethnic groups 

have declined. For example, the average scores of 

Hispanic students declined across all examination 

subjects, from 3.1 in 1997 to 2.5 in 2005.

The percentage of examinations resulting in 

a qualifying score of 3.0 or better decreased 

from a high of 65 percent in 1997 to a low of 59 

percent in 2005 (see supplemental table SA-14). 

At the same time, the number of examinations 

with a score of at least a 3.0 increased 111 percent (from 579,865 to 1,225,845) (see fi gure 8). 

However, the number of examinations with a 

score of 1.0 or 2.0 increased 163 percent (from 

319,598 to 839,200).

 Percent

 change

 1997 to

Race/ethnicity 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2005

 Total1 566,720 618,257 685,981 747,922 820,880 913,251 998,329 1,081,102 1,197,439 111

White 371,606 403,553 445,880 504,600 549,065 607,816 660,225 702,489 762,548 105

Total minority1 154,046 170,054 194,557 225,825 250,230 280,276 315,046 350,425 398,243 159

 Black 24,469 27,054 31,023 36,158 40,078 45,271 51,160 57,001 67,702 177

 Hispanic 47,626 53,627 62,853 74,852 86,018 98,495 114,246 130,042 148,960 213

 Asian/Asian

 American 63,528 68,109 75,875 85,756 92,762 102,653 111,704 121,038 135,815 114

 American Indian/

 Alaska Native 2,520 2,761 3,136 3,584 3,472 3,896 4,530 4,974 5,654 124

Missing 41,068 44,650 45,544 17,497 21,585 25,159 23,058 28,188 36,648 -11

1

 Total includes other race/ethnicity categories not separately shown.

NOTE: Data reported are for all students who completed an AP exam. The College Board collects racial/ethnic information based on the categories American Indian/Alaska 

Native; Asian/Asian American; Black/Afro-American; Latino: Chicano/Mexican, Puerto Rican, Other Latino; White; and Other. Hispanic refers to the sum of all Latino subgroups. 

Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

SOURCE: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program. (1997–2005). National Summary Reports.

Table 3. Number and percent change of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, by race/ethnicity: 

1997–2005
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 15

SUMMARY

With requirements for earning a high school 

diploma becoming more rigorous over the 

past 20 years, there have been increases in the 

rates at which students accrue course credits. 

For example, between 1982 and 2004, the 

average number of course credits accrued by 

high school graduates increased from 21.7 to 

25.8 credits. 

This growth in the number of credits earned 

has been accompanied by an increase in the advanced coursework completed by high school 

students. More students are now taking advanced courses in mathematics and science—in 

particular calculus, chemistry I, and physics 

I—and in English and foreign languages. Further evidence of the prevalence of advanced 

coursetaking is an increase in the percentage of 

students who take AP examinations: between 

1997 and 2005, the total number of students 

taking AP examinations more than doubled. 

As the number of participants in AP courses 

has increased, average scores have remained 

relatively stable; however, there has been a 

decrease in the percentage of examinations 

resulting in a qualifying score of 3.0 or more, 

from 65 to 59 percent. At the same time that 

academic coursetaking has been rising, there 

has not been an improvement in 12th-grade 

NAEP scores (Shettle et al. 2007).

Gaps in advanced coursetaking by sex and 

race/ethnicity are evident in mathematics, science, English, and foreign language study. Most 

notably, since 1998, females have been more 

likely than males to complete some advanced 

science coursework, though no differences by 

sex were detected in the proportions of students who took the highest levels of science or 

mathematics coursework. In addition, in 2004, 

Asian/Pacifi c Islander graduates were more 

likely than graduates of any other race/ethnicity 

to complete advanced courses in mathematics, 

science, English, and foreign language study. 

0

50

100

150

200

Percent change

Total 1.0 or 2.0 3.0 or greater

111

163

130

Score

Figure 8. Percent change in student scores on Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, by test score categories: 1997 

to 2005

SOURCE: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program. (1997–2005). National Summary Reports.
High School Coursetaking

Page 16 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

NOTES

1

 The most recent data available for this special analysis did not collect data on advanced course offerings from private schools.

2

 The basic unit of coursework measurement is the course credit or standardized “Carnegie unit.” A Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement used for secondary education 

that is equivalent to the completion of a course that meets one period per day for one school year, where a period is typically at least 40 minutes. 

3

 Many local school districts and schools impose their own standards for graduation that exceed these state requirements.

4

 In 2006, nine states had exit examination requirements for some private school students. In several states, these requirements applied to all students in state-accredited 

private schools; however, in other states, these requirements applied only to specifi c categories of private school students (e.g., students placed in private schools by school 

districts or other public agencies) (CEP 2006, table 22). 

5

 Maryland’s exit examination process was revised in 2004.

6

 North Carolina also has a mandatory test in civics and economics and in computer skills. 

7

 Information on the content of the dual-credit coursework, and the extent to which it qualifi es as advanced, was not collected as part of the Fast Response Survey (FRSS).

8

 All high school courses recorded in student transcripts are coded in accordance with the Classifi cation Scheme of Secondary School Courses (CSSC). Courses in the CSSC 

taxonomy can then be grouped according to their academic level to classify a student’s highest level of coursetaking within a particular subject. The CSSC is designed to 

describe course offerings in secondary education and to provide a coherent means for classifying these courses in this way. Each CSSC code has six digits, with an associated 

course title, alternate titles, and a course description.

9

 The defi nition of a high school graduate and what was considered a complete transcript record differs slightly between survey collections and other NCES reports. See 

Technical Notes and Methodology for more detail.

10 These data report only the percentage of students who earned credit in each course while in high school and do not include a count of those courses taken prior to entering 

high school. In 2004, approximately 95 percent of graduates had taken algebra I before or during high school.

11 “On-time” graduates are students who graduated between the fall of 2003 and the summer of 2004.

12 Academic 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 

diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. See Technical Notes and Methodology for a complete listing of all the courses classifi ed at each academic level.

13 Calculus-level courses include AP calculus, calculus, and calculus/analytical geometry.

14 The focus in the section is on students and examinations. Individuals may take multiple examinations. Furthermore, the data for this section’s analysis count all test takers 

and are not limited to high school graduates.

REFERENCES

Alexander, K.L., and Pallas, A.M. (1984). Curriculum Reform and School Performance: An Evaluation of the “New Basics.” 

American Journal of Education, 92(4): 391–420.

Allensworth, E.M., and Easton, J.Q. (2005). The On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.

Burkam, D.T., and Lee, V. (2003). Mathematics, Foreign Language, and Science Coursetaking and the NELS:88 Transcript Data

(NCES 2003-01). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics Working Paper.

Center on Education Policy. (2006). State High School Exit Exams: A Challenging Year. Washington, DC: Author.

Chaney, B., Burgdorf, K., and Atash, N. (1997, Fall). Infl uencing Achievement Through High School Graduation Requirements. 

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 19(3): 229–244.

Gamoran, A. (1987). The Stratifi cation of High School Learning Opportunities. Sociology of Education, 60(3): 135–155.

Hampden-Thompson, G., Kienzl, G., Daniel, B., and Kinukawa, A. (2007). Course Credit Accrual and Dropping Out of High 

School (NCES 2007-018). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. Washington, 

DC: Author.

Shettle, C., Roey, S., Mordica, J., Perkins, R., Nord, C., Teodorovic, J., Brown, J., Lyons, M., Averett, C., Kastberg, D. (2007). 

The Nation’s Report Card: America’s High School Graduates (NCES 2007-467). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, 

DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

Waits, T., Setzer, J.C., and Lewis, L. (2005). Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses in U.S. Public High Schools: 2002–03 (NCES 

2005-009). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 17

Supplemental Tables

Table SA-1. States with mandatory exit examinations, by subject, and states phasing in exit examinations, by date: 2006

 English/ U.S. history/ Computer

State language arts Mathematics Science social studies skills

 Total 25 25 19 13 1

Alabama 3 3 3 3

Alaska1 3 3 

Arizona1 3 3 

California 3 3 

Florida 3 3 

Georgia1 3 3 3 3

Idaho 3 3 3 

Indiana 3 3 

Louisiana 3 3 3 3

Maryland 2009 2009 2009 2009 

Massachusetts 3 3 2010 

Minnesota1 3 3 

Mississippi1 3 3 3 3

Nevada1 3 3 2008 

New Jersey 3 3 2007 

New Mexico1 3 3 3 3

New York 3 3 3 3

North Carolina2 3 3 2010 2010 3

Ohio1 3 3 3 3

Oklahoma 2012 2012 2012 2012 

South Carolina 3 3 2010 2010 

Tennessee 3 3 3 

Texas1 3 3 3 3

Virginia1 3 3 3 3

Washington1 2008 2008 2010 

1

 A writing test is required in addition to the English/language arts examination or as a component of it.

2

 A civics and economics test is required in addition to a U.S. history examination.

NOTE: Year in table indicates when the state is scheduled to institute an exit examination in that subject. Utah had planned to enforce an exit exam requirement in 2006, but that year decided not to withhold diplomas from 

students who failed the examination if they met other graduation requirements.

SOURCE: Center on Education Policy. (2006). State High School Exit Exams: A Challenging Year, adapted from table 1, data from state departments of education, June 2006.
High School Coursetaking

Page 18 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-2. Number and percentage of public high schools that offered dual-credit, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, 

by selected school characteristics: 2002–03

 Total number of

School characteristic high schools Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 All public high schools 16,500 11,700 71 11,000 67 390 2

Enrollment size

 Less than 500 7,400 4,700 63 3,000 40 ‡ ‡

 500 to 1,199 5,000 3,700 75 4,100 82 70 2

 1,200 or more 4,100 3,300 82 3,900 97 290 7

School locale

 City 2,700 1,800 65 2,100 77 150 6

 Urban fringe 4,100 3,100 74 3,600 87 180 4

 Town 2,400 1,900 79 1,700 72 20! 1!

 Rural 7,200 5,000 70 3,600 50 ‡ ‡

Region

 Northeast 2,800 1,600 58 2,300 84 30 1

 Southeast 3,500 2,400 69 2,400 69 170 5

 Central 5,200 4,100 80 2,800 54 50 1

 West 5,100 3,600 71 3,500 69 150 3

Percent minority enrollment

 Less than 6 percent 5,600 4,300 76 3,300 58 # #

 6 to 20 percent 3,800 3,000 78 2,600 70 90 2

 21 to 49 percent 3,200 2,300 72 2,400 75 150 5

 50 percent or more 3,600 2,100 58 2,500 69 150 4

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (too few cases).

NOTE: Dual-credit courses allow students to earn both high school and postsecondary credits for a single course. AP courses and their end-of-course examinations are developed and administered by The College Board and 

allow students to earn postsecondary credit. IB courses are defi ned as courses that make up a 2-year liberal arts curriculum that leads to an IB diploma. Percentages are based on unrounded numbers. Detail may not sum to 

totals because of rounding or missing data. For the FRSS study sample, there were 29 cases for which the percent minority enrollment in the school was missing. Those cases were included in the totals and in analyses by other 

school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), “Dual Credit and Exam-Based Courses,” FRSS 85, 2003.

Offered dual-credit 

courses

Offered Advanced

Placement courses

Offered International

Baccalaureate courses
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 19 

Table SA-3. Average number of Carnegie units earned by high school graduates in various subject areas, by selected characteristics: 1982 and 2004

 History/ 

Graduation year social Less than Algebra

and characteristic Total English studies Total algebra or higher

1982 graduates 21.7 4.0 3.2 2.7 0.9 1.9

Sex

 Male 21.5 3.9 3.2 2.8 0.9 1.9

 Female 21.9 4.0 3.2 2.6 0.8 1.8

Race/ethnicity

 White 21.8 3.9 3.2 2.8 0.7 2.0

 Black 21.2 4.1 3.1 2.6 1.3 1.3

 Hispanic 21.4 4.0 3.1 2.4 1.2 1.2

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 22.4 4.0 3.1 3.2 0.7 2.6

 American Indian/Alaska Native 21.5 4.0 3.3 2.4 1.2 1.1

Control of school

 Public 21.6 3.9 3.2 2.6 0.9 1.7

 Private 22.8 4.2 3.6 3.3 0.5 2.8

2004 graduates 25.8 4.3 3.9 3.6 0.5 3.1

Sex

 Male 25.8 4.3 3.9 3.6 0.5 3.0

 Female 25.9 4.4 4.0 3.6 0.5 3.1

Race/ethnicity

 White 26.0 4.2 4.0 3.6 0.4 3.2

 Black or African American 25.7 4.4 3.9 3.7 0.7 3.0

 Hispanic 25.2 4.5 3.8 3.4 0.7 2.8

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 25.8 4.4 3.9 3.8 0.3 3.5

 American Indian/Alaska Native 25.5 4.4 4.0 3.3 0.9 2.3

Control of school

 Public 25.8 4.3 3.9 3.6 0.5 3.0

 Private 26.5 4.4 4.0 3.8 0.2 3.7

See notes at end of table.

Mathematics
High School Coursetaking

Page 20 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-3. Average number of Carnegie units earned by high school graduates in various subject areas, by selected characteristics: 1982 and 2004—

Continued

Graduation year General Foreign Vocational

and characteristic Total science Biology Chemistry Physics languages Arts education1

1982 graduates 2.2 0.7 1.0 0.4 0.2 1.1 1.4 4.4

Sex 

 Male 2.3 0.8 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.9 1.3 4.3

 Female 2.2 0.7 1.0 0.4 0.1 1.3 1.6 4.4

Race/ethnicity 

 White 2.3 0.7 1.0 0.4 0.2 1.2 1.5 4.2

 Black 2.1 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.8 1.3 4.6

 Hispanic 1.8 0.8 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.9 1.3 5.0

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 2.7 0.5 1.1 0.6 0.4 1.8 1.3 3.2

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.1 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.1 0.5 1.7 4.7

Control of school 

 Public 2.2 0.7 0.9 0.3 0.2 1.0 1.5 4.6

 Private 2.6 0.7 1.1 0.5 0.3 2.0 1.2 2.3

2004 graduates 3.2 0.8 1.3 0.7 0.4 2.0 2.1 3.5

Sex 

 Male 3.2 0.9 1.2 0.7 0.4 1.8 1.8 3.8

 Female 3.3 0.8 1.3 0.8 0.3 2.2 2.4 3.2

Race/ethnicity 

 White 3.3 0.8 1.3 0.8 0.4 2.1 2.3 3.5

 Black or African American 3.2 1.0 1.3 0.7 0.3 1.7 1.7 3.8

 Hispanic 2.9 0.9 1.1 0.6 0.3 1.9 1.9 3.3

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 3.6 0.7 1.4 0.9 0.6 2.4 1.9 2.5

 American Indian/Alaska Native 3.0 0.9 1.2 0.5 0.3 1.3 1.6 4.4

Control of school 

 Public 3.2 0.8 1.3 0.7 0.4 1.9 2.1 3.7

 Private 3.5 0.6 1.4 1.0 0.6 2.7 1.9 1.5

1 Includes nonoccupational vocational education, vocational general introduction, agriculture, business, marketing, health, occupational home economics, trade and industry, and technical courses. 

NOTE: The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents 1.0 credit for the completion of a 1-year course. Data differ slightly from fi gures appearing in other NCES reports because of differences in taxonomies and 

case exclusion criteria. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B-So:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 

1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992”; Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

Science
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 21 

Table SA-4. Percentage of high school graduates, by selected mathematics and science courses in high school: Selected years, 1982–2004

 Any Analysis/ Statistics/

Year mathematics Algebra I1 Geometry Algebra II2 Trigonometry precalculus probability

Minimum credit earned 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5

1982 98.5 55.2 47.1 39.9 8.1 6.2 1.0

1987 99.0 58.8 58.6 49.0 11.5 12.8 1.1

1990 99.9 63.7 63.2 52.8 9.6 13.3 1.0

1994 99.8 65.8 70.0 61.1 11.7 17.3 2.0

1998 99.8 62.8 75.1 61.7 8.9 23.1 3.7

2000 99.8 61.7 78.3 67.8 7.5 26.7 5.7

2004 99.8 59.3 75.7 67.5 9.6 28.4 7.5

 AP/honors AP/honors

Year Calculus AP calculus Any science Biology biology Chemistry chemistry

Minimum credit earned 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

1982 5.0 1.6 96.4 77.4 10.0 32.1 3.0

1987 6.1 3.4 97.8 86.0 9.4 44.2 3.5

1990 6.5 4.1 99.3 91.0 10.1 48.9 3.5

1994 9.3 7.0 99.5 93.2 11.9 55.8 3.9

1998 11.0 6.7 99.5 92.7 16.2 60.4 4.7

2000 11.6 7.9 99.5 91.2 16.3 62.0 5.8

2004 12.8 9.2 99.5 90.0 17.4 64.2 5.4

 Biology,

 AP/honors Geology/ Biology and chemistry,

Year Physics physics Engineering Astronomy earth science chemistry and physics

Minimum credit earned 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 0.5 2.0 3.0

1982 15.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 13.6 29.3 11.2

1987 20.0 1.8 2.6 1.0 13.4 41.4 16.6

1990 21.6 2.0 4.2 1.2 24.7 47.5 18.8

1994 24.5 2.7 4.5 1.7 22.9 53.7 21.4

1998 28.8 3.0 6.7 1.9 20.7 59.0 25.4

2000 31.4 3.9 3.9 2.8 17.4 59.4 25.1

2004 32.7 4.4 8.9 3.3 22.6 60.5 25.8

1

 Excludes prealgebra. 

2

 Includes algebra/trigonometry and algebra/geometry.

NOTE: These data only report the percentage of students who earned a minimum amount of credit in each course while in high school and do not include a count of those courses taken prior to entering high school. In 2004, 

approximately 95 percent of graduates had taken algebra I before or during high school.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B-So:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 

1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992”; Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).
High School Coursetaking

Page 22 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-6. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by highest level of mathematics course completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

 Trigo-

 No math- Non- Low Algebra I/ nometry/

Year ematics1 academic academic Total geometry Algebra II Total algebra III Precalculus Calculus

1982 0.8 16.7 7.4 48.8 30.6 18.2 26.3 15.6 4.8 5.9

1987 0.9 12.0 7.6 50.1 27.0 23.1 29.5 12.9 9.0 7.6

1990 0.6 9.0 8.2 51.6 25.4 26.2 30.6 12.9 10.4 7.2

1992 0.4! 6.2 6.3 49.0 22.7 26.4 38.1 16.4 10.9 10.7

1994 0.7 5.7 6.2 49.4 22.5 26.9 38.1 16.3 11.6 10.2

1998 0.8 3.6 5.3 48.9 21.2 27.7 41.4 14.4 15.2 11.8

2000 0.8 2.5 4.1 48.0 18.6 29.4 44.6 14.1 18.0 12.5

2004 0.6 1.8 3.0 44.6 18.7 25.9 50.0 17.6 18.5 13.9

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Indicates that student transcript records did not list any recognized mathematics courses; however, these graduates may have studied some mathematics.

NOTE: The distribution of graduates among the various levels of mathematics courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they had completed. Graduates may have completed advanced 

levels of courses without having taken courses at lower levels. Academic 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 

diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. See Technical Notes and Methodology for a complete listing of all the courses classifi ed at each academic level. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B-So:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 

1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992”; Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

Middle academic Advanced academic

 Chemistry II, 

 Low physics II, and/

 academic General Chemistry I Chemistry I or advanced

Year No science1 level biology Total or physics I and physics I biology

1982 2.2 27.2 35.2 35.4 14.9 5.9 14.6

1987 0.8 15.8 41.5 41.9 21.4 10.6 9.9

1990 0.7! 12.8 37.0 49.5 25.8 12.3 11.4

1992 0.3! 9.7 36.4 53.5 27.1 12.2 14.3

1994 0.6 10.0 34.1 55.3 29.4 13.0 12.9

1998 0.6 9.3 28.6 61.5 30.2 16.3 15.1

2000 0.7 8.7 27.5 63.1 30.5 14.8 17.9

2004 0.6 5.6 25.4 68.4 33.3 17.1 18.1

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Graduates in this category may have taken some science courses, but these courses are not defi ned as science courses according to the classifi cation used in this analysis.

NOTE: The distribution of graduates in the various levels of science courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they had completed. Graduates may have completed advanced levels of courses 

without having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B-So:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 

1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, High School Transcript Survey, 1992”; Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 

1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

Table SA-5. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by highest level of science course completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

Advanced academic level
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 23 

 Chemistry II, 

 Low physics II, and/

 academic General Chemistry I Chemistry I or advanced

Characteristic No science1 level biology Total or physics I and physics I biology

 Total 0.6 5.6 25.4 68.4 33.3 17.1 18.1

Sex

 Male 0.8 6.7 27.0 65.5 29.8 17.9 17.8

 Female 0.3 4.6 23.8 71.3 36.6 16.3 18.4

Race/ethnicity

 White 0.5 5.0 23.9 70.7 32.1 18.2 20.3

 Black 0.9 5.0 31.2 63.0 39.8 12.4 10.8

 Hispanic 0.7 8.3 30.9 60.2 35.9 15.5 8.8

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 0.5 3.0 12.8 83.7 25.9 19.1 38.8

 American Indian # 10.3 41.9 47.8 28.2 12.3 7.3

Control of school

 Public 0.6 6.0 26.5 66.9 33.4 16.0 17.6

 Private 0.1! 1.4 13.2 85.4 32.1 29.2 24.1

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Graduates in this category may have taken some science courses, but these courses are not defi ned as science courses according to the classifi cation used in this analysis. 

NOTE: The distribution of graduates in the various levels of science courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they had completed. Graduates may have completed advanced levels of courses 

without having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study.”

Table SA-7. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by highest level of science course completed and selected characteristics: 2004

Advanced academic level
High School Coursetaking

Page 24 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-8. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by highest level of mathematics course completed and selected characteristics: 2004

 Trigo-

 No math- Non- Low Algebra I/ nometry/

Characteristic ematics1 academic academic Total geometry/ Algebra II Total algebra III Precalculus Calculus

 Total 0.6 1.8 3.0 44.6 18.7 25.9 50.0 17.6 18.5 13.9

Sex

 Male 0.7 2.2 3.7 45.2 20.0 25.2 48.2 16.3 17.4 14.5

 Female 0.4 1.4 2.4 44.0 17.5 26.6 51.7 18.8 19.7 13.2

Race/ethnicity

 White 0.5 1.6 2.6 41.0 16.9 24.0 54.3 18.2 20.1 16.0

 Black 1.3 1.8 3.8 51.3 19.8 31.5 41.7 22.9 14.0 4.7

 Hispanic 0.3 2.5 4.2 58.6 27.0 31.6 34.3 13.0 14.5 6.8

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 0.4 0.3 1.5 28.7 11.3 17.5 69.1 12.5 23.1 33.4

 American Indian 2.4! 8.5 4.5 62.9 22.8 40.1 21.8 8.9 7.2 5.6

Control of school

 Public 0.6 1.9 3.3 46.4 19.9 26.5 47.7 17.2 17.7 12.8

 Private 0.2 # 0.2 24.6 5.7 18.9 75.0 21.9 27.6 25.5

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Students in this category may have taken some mathematics courses, but these courses are not defi ned as mathematics courses according to the classifi cation used in this analysis.

NOTE: The distribution of graduates among the various levels of mathematics courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they had completed. Graduates may have completed advanced 

levels of courses without having taken courses at lower levels. Academic 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 

diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. See Technical Notes and Methodology for a complete listing of all the courses classifi ed at each academic level. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study.”

Middle academic Advanced academic
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 25 

 Low Regular English Less than 50–74 75–100

 academic (no low or 50 percent percent of percent of

Year No English2 level3 honors) courses Total of courses courses courses

1982 0.1 10.0 76.7 13.3 6.1 3.3 3.8

1987 0.7 22.1 55.6 21.5 7.9 5.0 8.7

1990 0.6 19.6 60.2 19.6 7.0 3.6 9.1

1992 0.2 18.0 57.3 24.4 7.6 5.8 11.1

1994 0.8 17.6 56.5 25.1 7.7 5.4 12.0

1998 0.9 13.7 56.1 29.3 9.1 7.7 12.4

2000 0.7 10.7 54.7 33.9 11.6 7.2 15.1

2004 0.7 10.8 55.9 32.7 9.2 7.6 15.9

1

 Includes graduates who completed a general English course classifi ed as “below grade level” if they completed a greater percentage of “honors” courses than “below grade level” courses. 2

 Indicates that student transcript records did not list any recognized English courses; however, these graduates may have studied some English. If graduates took only English as a second language (ESL) courses for credit, they 

would be listed in this category.

3

 Low academic level courses include all general English courses classifi ed as “below grade level.” Graduates may have taken a general English course classifi ed as regular or “honors” and be classifi ed in the low academic level 

if the percentage of “below grade level” courses completed was the plurality of courses completed.

NOTE: For each graduate, the percentages of completed courses classifi ed as “below level,” “at grade level,” and “honors” were calculated. (Not all graduates completed 4 years of English.) After the percentage of graduates at each 

level had been calculated, the percentage of graduates who fi t the category requirement for each level was determined, as explained in Technical Notes and Methodology. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, 

“High School Transcript Study” (NELS:88/92); Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 

High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

Table SA-9. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by type of English course completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

Advanced academic level1
High School Coursetaking

Page 26 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-10. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by highest level of foreign language course completed: Selected years, 1982–2004

 Year 2 Year 3 or Advanced

Year None or less higher Year 3 Year 4 Placement (AP)

1982 45.6 39.8 14.6 8.9 4.5 1.2

1987 33.3 47.5 19.2 11.9 5.4 1.9

1990 26.9 51.4 21.7 12.9 5.6 3.2

1992 22.5 51.8 25.7 14.8 7.7 3.2

1994 22.3 51.8 25.9 15.0 7.8 3.1

1998 19.4 50.7 30.0 17.4 8.6 4.1

2000 17.4 52.8 29.8 16.5 7.8 5.4

2004 17.3 49.2 33.5 18.4 9.8 5.3

20041 15.5 50.0 34.5 19.1 10.1 5.4

1

 Foreign language coursetaking based upon classes in Amharic (Ethiopian), Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek (Classical or Modern), Hawaiian, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, 

Korean, Latin, Norse (Norwegian), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Yiddish.

NOTE: Foreign language coursetaking based upon classes in Spanish, French, Latin, or German, unless noted otherwise. From 1982 to 2000, less than 1 percent of students studied only a foreign language other than Spanish, 

French, Latin, or German. The distribution of graduates among the various levels of foreign language courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they completed. Graduates who had completed 

courses in different languages were counted according to the highest level course completed. Graduates may have completed advanced levels of courses without having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and 

Methodology for more details on these levels. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, 

“High School Transcript Study” (NELS:88/92); Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 

High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

Advanced academic level
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 27 

 Low Regular English Less than 50–74 75–100

 academic (no low or 50 percent percent of percent of

Characteristic No English2 level3 honors) courses Total of courses courses courses

 Total 0.7 10.8 55.9 32.7 9.2 7.6 15.9

Sex

 Male 0.6 12.3 60.5 26.6 8.4 6.1 12.0

 Female 0.7 9.3 51.5 38.5 9.9 9.0 19.6

Race/ethnicity

 White 0.6 7.5 56.5 35.4 9.5 8.3 17.6

 Black 0.5 15.4 60.2 23.9 8.3 6.2 9.4

 Hispanic 1.3 21.1 52.8 24.9 8.5 5.3 11.1

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 0.1 13.2 43.6 43.1 9.0 8.1 26.0

 American Indian 1.0! 16.1 61.7 21.2 2.9 1.6 16.8

Control of school

 Public 0.7 11.3 55.1 32.9 9.3 7.4 16.1

 Private 0.2 4.3 64.9 30.7 7.4 9.6 13.7

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Includes graduates who completed a general English course classifi ed as “below grade level” if they completed a greater percentage of “honors” courses than “below grade level” courses. 2

 Indicates that student transcript records did not list any recognized English courses; however, these graduates may have studied some English. If graduates took only English as a second language (ESL) courses for credit, they 

would be listed in this category.

3

 Low academic level courses include all general English courses classifi ed as “below grade level.” Graduates may have taken a general English course classifi ed as regular or “honors” and be classifi ed in the low academic level 

if the percentage of “below grade level” courses completed was the plurality of courses completed.

NOTE: For each graduate, the percentages of completed courses classifi ed as “below level,” “at grade level,” and “honors” were calculated. (Not all graduates completed 4 years of English.) After the percentage of graduates at 

each level had been calculated, the percentage of graduates who fi t the category requirement for each level was determined, as explained in Technical Notes and Methodology. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic 

ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School and Beyond Longitudinal Study of 1980 Sophomores, “First Follow-up” (HS&B:80/82); National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, 

“High School Transcript Study” (NELS:88/92); Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study”; and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2000 

High School Transcript Studies (HSTS).

Table SA-11. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by type of English course taken and selected characteristics: 2004

Advanced academic level1
High School Coursetaking

Page 28 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-12. Percentage distribution of high school graduates, by highest level of foreign language course completed and selected characteristics: 2004

 Year 1 Year 3 or Advanced

Characteristic None or less Year 2 higher Year 3 Year 4 Placement (AP)

 Total 15.5 16.1 33.9 34.5 19.1 10.1 5.4

Sex 

 Male 19.2 17.7 33.6 29.4 17.3 8.0 4.2

 Female 11.9 14.6 34.1 39.4 20.8 12.1 6.5

Race/ethnicity 

 White 14.1 15.6 33.0 37.2 20.6 11.4 5.3

 Black 15.9 22.5 42.0 19.6 13.3 5.5 0.8

 Hispanic 20.4 14.6 32.3 32.8 15.1 7.8 10.0

 Asian/Pacifi c Islander 10.8 12.3 26.4 50.5 27.2 14.2 9.1

 American Indian 41.6 19.4 23.9 15.1 9.3 5.3 0.5

Control of school 

 Public 16.5 16.8 34.1 32.6 18.1 9.3 5.2

 Private 4.3 9.0 30.6 56.1 30.2 18.2 7.7

NOTE: Foreign language coursetaking based upon classes in Amharic (Ethiopian), Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek (Classical or Modern), Hawaiian, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, 

Korean, Latin, Norse (Norwegian), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Yiddish. Some graduates in each category also studied more than one foreign language. The distribution of graduates among the various levels of foreign language courses was determined by the level of the most academically advanced course they completed. Graduates who had completed courses in different languages were counted 

according to the highest level course completed. Graduates may have completed advanced levels of courses without having taken courses at lower levels. See Technical Notes and Methodology for more details on these levels. 

Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002/04), “High School Transcript Study.”

Advanced academic level
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 29 

Subject and race/ethnicity 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

All exams 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9

 White 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0

 Black 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0

 Hispanic 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.5

 Asian/Asian American 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.4

Biology 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0

 White 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.1

 Black 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1

 Hispanic 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.2

 Asian/Asian American 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.5

Calculus AB 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.9

 White 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.0

 Black 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.0 1.9

 Hispanic 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.2

 Asian/Asian American 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.4

Chemistry 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8

 White 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.8

 Black 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.8

 Hispanic 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

 Asian/Asian American 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.1

English literature and composition 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9

 White 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1

 Black 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0

 Hispanic 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.3

 Asian/Asian American 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.4

Physics B 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.8

 White 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.9

 Black 2.0 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.7

 Hispanic 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.0

 Asian/Asian American 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.9

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.4 2.8 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3

U.S. history 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.7

 White 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.8

 Black 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9

 Hispanic 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0

 Asian/Asian American 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.8

 American Indian/Alaska Native 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3

NOTE: Total averages for all examinations and by subject area include other race/ethnicity categories not separately shown. Biology, calculus AB, chemistry, English literature and composition, physics B, and U.S. history are some 

of the most frequently taken AP exams. The grades for all AP exams range from 1.0 to 5.0, with 5.0 being the highest score. Data reported are for all students who completed an AP exam. The College Board collects racial/ethnic 

information based on the categories American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian/Asian American; Black/Afro-American; Latino: Chicano/Mexican, Puerto Rican, Other Latino; White; and Other. Hispanic refers to the sum of all Latino 

subgroups. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

SOURCE: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program. (1997–2005). National Summary Reports. 

Table SA-13. Mean score on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, by selected subjects and race/ethnicity: 1997–2005
High School Coursetaking

Page 30 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007

Table SA-14. Percentage of Advanced Placement (AP) examinations with a score of 3.0 or greater, by subject and race/ethnicity: 1997–2005

Subject and race/ethnicity 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

All exams 64.5 64.1 63.5 63.7 61.3 63.1 61.5 61.5 59.4

 White 65.5 65.5 65.4 66.2 64.1 66.4 64.9 65.1 63.4

 Black 35.9 35.1 34.6 33.8 31.2 33.2 31.8 31.6 28.6

 Hispanic 61.1 59.5 57.4 55.9 52.5 52.5 50.5 50.1 46.7

 Asian/Asian American 67.0 66.3 65.0 65.0 63.2 65.0 64.1 64.2 63.5

 American Indian/Alaska Native 51.0 50.9 49.6 50.5 44.4 46.0 45.2 46.3 44.2

Biology 67.3 60.1 65.0 64.2 58.0 64.3 58.6 60.8 61.0

 White 68.9 62.5 67.0 67.0 61.7 68.2 62.1 64.5 64.5

 Black 35.9 32.3 35.9 33.1 26.9 32.1 28.6 29.6 30.2

 Hispanic 46.5 38.0 42.1 39.3 33.9 38.2 33.7 35.9 35.6

 Asian/Asian American 72.3 66.7 70.7 70.1 63.7 69.3 64.3 66.9 68.7

 American Indian/Alaska Native 58.0 51.7 54.9 52.1 42.6 48.2 41.5 40.6 43.3

Calculus AB 59.3 65.8 63.4 63.2 63.6 67.0 65.6 59.0 57.6

 White 60.5 67.9 65.7 66.2 66.7 70.3 68.9 62.3 61.1

 Black 31.7 36.1 33.7 34.4 33.6 37.3 36.6 30.1 28.4

 Hispanic 42.2 46.4 45.5 43.2 42.4 45.3 43.9 36.8 35.4

 Asian/Asian American 64.3 68.9 66.3 64.8 66.0 69.1 69.0 62.9 62.4

 American Indian/Alaska Native 50.1 54.7 49.6 48.3 47.1 52.1 47.5 42.4 42.1

Chemistry 58.1 57.8 56.9 58.0 57.4 56.9 56.2 56.4 55.4

 White 58.7 58.5 57.9 58.9 58.8 58.3 58.7 58.1 57.0

 Black 29.1 27.1 28.0 30.8 28.3 27.3 25.6 27.7 25.1

 Hispanic 35.3 36.7 30.0 32.7 31.8 31.9 29.9 31.0 31.1

 Asian/Asian American 63.9 63.9 62.1 64.9 65.1 64.7 62.4 64.5 64.8

 American Indian/Alaska Native 38.5 36.1 38.6 35.7 38.9 38.2 34.9 42.3 34.4

English literature and composition 68.9 68.1 68.2 68.1 63.1 66.0 62.6 64.9 61.9

 White 72.1 71.6 72.4 73.5 68.1 71.6 68.0 71.4 68.7

 Black 36.0 35.0 35.1 33.1 30.2 31.3 30.5 30.2 26.2

 Hispanic 46.8 46.5 44.6 42.9 37.5 39.6 38.3 38.5 36.3

 Asian/Asian American 70.0 69.8 67.6 69.7 63.3 65.9 63.4 64.4 63.2

 American Indian/Alaska Native 55.1 51.9 52.2 56.3 42.9 47.7 45.1 49.0 42.9

Physics B 59.8 65.9 61.8 58.2 58.7 59.4 59.8 57.0 59.2

 White 61.1 68.7 64.9 61.8 62.4 63.4 63.2 61.4 63.3

 Black 33.1 35.5 28.2 25.1 24.0 25.9 26.9 23.1 22.6

 Hispanic 41.8 41.2 35.3 32.6 33.4 32.7 35.3 30.7 31.7

 Asian/Asian American 61.1 65.3 62.5 57.9 59.4 59.8 61.6 57.1 63.2

 American Indian/Alaska Native 46.7 56.9 41.1 49.5 43.0 47.7 42.1 44.9 45.3

U.S. history 54.7 53.7 50.8 53.9 50.9 53.7 51.6 56.7 50.4

 White 56.2 55.1 52.9 57.2 54.6 57.6 55.8 61.3 55.1

 Black 29.3 29.1 25.5 28.3 25.1 28.3 25.2 29.6 23.8

 Hispanic 38.0 35.8 31.3 32.0 27.6 30.1 27.7 31.7 27.4

 Asian/Asian American 58.4 57.6 53.6 55.6 53.5 57.2 54.9 61.2 56.4

 American Indian/Alaska Native 37.9 42.3 38.0 42.7 38.9 37.6 37.8 42.1 36.7

NOTE: Total averages for all examinations and by subject area include other race/ethnicity categories not separately shown. Biology, calculus AB, chemistry, English literature and composition, physics B, and U.S. history are some 

of the most frequently taken AP exams. The grades for all AP exams range from 1.0 to 5.0, with 5.0 being the highest score. Data reported are for all students who completed an AP exam. The College Board collects racial/ethnic 

information based on the categories American Indian/Alaska Native; Asian/Asian American; Black/Afro-American; Latino: Chicano/Mexican, Puerto Rican, Other Latino; White; and Other. Hispanic refers to the sum of all Latino 

subgroups. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

SOURCE: The College Board, Advanced Placement Program. (1997–2005). National Summary Reports. 
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 31

Technical Notes and Methodology

DATA SOURCE AND ESTIMATES

The transcript data in this special analysis were 

obtained from a statistical sample of the entire 

population of students or schools. Estimating 

the size of the total population or subpopulations from a data source based on a sample of 

the entire population requires consideration 

of several factors before the estimates become 

meaningful. However conscientious an organization may be in collecting data from a sample 

of a population, there will always be some margin of error in estimating the size of the actual 

total population or subpopulation because the 

data are available from only a portion of the 

total population. Consequently, data from samples can provide only an estimate of the true or 

actual value. The margin of error or the range 

of the estimate depends on several factors, such 

as the amount of variation in the responses, the 

size and representativeness of the sample, and 

the size of the subgroup for which the estimate 

is computed. The magnitude of this margin of 

error is measured by what statisticians call the 

“standard error” of an estimate.

STANDARD ERRORS

The standard error for each estimate in this 

special analysis was calculated in order to 

determine the “margin of error” for these estimates. The standard errors for all the estimated 

means and percentages reported in the fi gures 

and tables of the special analysis can be found 

on The Condition of Education homepage at 

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe.

An estimate with a smaller standard error provides a more reliable estimate of the true value 

than an estimate with a higher standard error. 

Standard errors tend to diminish in size as the 

size of the sample (or subsample) increases. 

Consequently, for the same data, such as the 

percentage of students who scored in the top 25 

percent on the NAEP mathematics assessment, 

standard errors will almost always be larger 

for students who took calculus as their highest 

mathematics course completed than for students 

who took algebra I as their highest mathematics 

course completed because the latter represent a 

larger proportion of the population.

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Due to standard errors, caution is warranted 

when drawing conclusions about the size of one 

population estimate in comparison to another 

or whether a time series of population estimates 

is increasing, decreasing, or staying about the 

same. Although one estimate of the population 

size may be larger than another, a statistical 

test may reveal that there is no measurable 

difference between the two estimates due to 

their uncertainty. Whether differences in means 

or percentages are statistically signifi cant can 

be determined by using the standard errors of 

the estimates. When differences are statistically 

signifi cant, the probability that the difference 

occurred by chance is usually small; for example, it might be about 5 times out of 100. 

For this special analysis, differences between 

means or percentages (including increases 

or decreases) are stated only when they are 

statistically signifi cant. To determine whether 

differences reported are statistically signifi cant, 

two-tailed t tests, at the .05 level, were used. 

The t test formula for determining statistical 

sig nifi cance was adjusted when the samples 

being compared were dependent.

ROUNDING AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Although values reported in the supplemental 

tables are rounded to one decimal place (e.g., 

76.5 percent), values reported in this special 

analysis are rounded to whole numbers (with 

any value of 0.5 or above rounded to the next 

highest whole number). Due to rounding, total 

percentages sometimes differ from the sum of 

the reported parts, which may, for example, 

equal 99 or 101 percent, rather than the percentage distribution’s total of 100 percent.
High School Coursetaking

Page 32 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

MEASURING HIGH SCHOOL COURSETAKING

There are various ways to measure the academic coursework that students complete. For 

example, one can measure the number of 

courses a student has completed in different 

subjects (e.g., whether a student completed two, 

three, or four courses in mathematics). If one is 

interested in how common it is for students to 

complete certain courses, one can measure the 

percentage of high school students who have 

completed those courses. Yet another method 

is to measure the highest level of coursework 

completed in different subjects (e.g., whether a 

student’s most academically challenging mathematics course was algebra I, trigonometry, 

or calculus). Based on these three methods, 

analysts have created different measures to 

categorize high school coursetaking. This 

supplemental note describes the coursetaking 

taxonomies used in the Special Analysis of The 

Condition of Education 2007.

All of the coursetaking data used in the Special 

Analysis come from transcripts of graduates of 

public and private high schools, which were 

collected as part of the U.S. Department of 

Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Education Longitudinal 

Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), National Education 

Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), and 

the High School & Beyond study (HS&B). 

It is important to note that comparability 

cannot be perfect because (1) the Secondary 

School Taxonomy (SST), was revised in 1998, 

(2) these data come from different transcript 

collections, thus introducing the possibility of 

minor variations in the coding methodology 

even though steps were taken to replicate the 

data collection and coding methodology in each 

study, and (3) these data used slightly different 

sample selection criteria when determining high 

school graduation status.

The high school courses taken by students 

are organized according to the Classifi cation 

of Secondary School Courses (CSSC) and the 

Secondary School Taxonomy (SST). All courses 

in a student’s transcript are coded with a CSSC 

value after checking course titles on the student’s transcripts with course catalogs from the 

student’s high school describing the contents 

of those courses. These coded courses are then 

assigned to broader course groupings, forming 

the academic levels in each subject area, using 

the Secondary School Taxonomy (SST).

Course credits are expressed in Carnegie units. 

A Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement 

used for secondary education that is equivalent 

to the completion of a course that meets one 

period per day for one school year, where a 

period is typically at least 40 minutes.

Transcript studies are a reliable source of information but they do have limitations. One 

limitation is that transcript studies can describe 

the intended—but not the actual—curriculum. 

The content and instructional methods of one 

course taught in one school by a certain teacher 

may be different from the content and instructional methods of another course classifi ed as 

having the same CSSC code taught in another 

school, or even the same school, by a different 

teacher. Nevertheless, validation studies and 

academic research have shown signifi cant differences between the highest level of academic 

courses completed by students and their scores 

on tests of academic achievement (Chaney, 

Burgdorf, and Atash 1997).

ACADEMIC PIPELINES

Academic “pipelines” organize transcript data 

in English, science, mathematics, and foreign 

language into levels based on the normal progression and diffi culty of courses within these 

subject areas. Each level includes courses either 

of similar academic challenge and diffi culty or 

at the same stage in the progression of learning in that subject area. In the mathematics 

pipeline, for example, algebra I is placed at 

a level lower in the pipeline continuum than 

is algebra II because algebra I is traditionally 

completed before algebra II and is generally less 

academically diffi cult or complex. 

Classifying transcript data into these levels 

allows one to infer that high school graduates 

who have completed courses at the higher levels 

of a pipeline have completed more advanced 

coursework than graduates whose courses fall 

at the lower levels of the pipeline. Tallying the 

percentage of graduates who completed courses 

at each level permits comparisons of the percentage of high school graduates in a given year 

who reach each of the levels, as well as comparisons among different graduating classes.
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 33

In classifying students’ courses from their transcripts according to a pipeline, only the courses 

completed with a passing grade in a subject area 

are included and not courses attempted. The 

inability to identify the number and types of 

courses attempted is due to inconsistent school 

reporting procedures. For example, many students retake courses they fail. In these instances, 

some schools report all courses attempted, 

while others report only the last course taken, 

substituting the passing grade. The pipeline also 

does not provide information on how many 

courses graduates completed in a particular 

subject area. Graduates are placed at a particular level in the pipeline based on the level 

of their highest completed course, regardless 

of whether they completed courses that would 

fall lower in the pipeline. Thus, graduates who 

completed year 3 of (or 11th-grade) French did 

not necessarily complete the fi rst 2 years.

MATHEMATICS PIPELINE

Originally developed by Burkam and Lee 

(NCES 2003-01), the mathematics pipeline 

progresses from no mathematics courses or 

nonacademic courses to low, middle, and advanced academic coursework. Each level in the 

pipeline represents the highest level of mathematics coursework that a graduate completed 

in high school. Thus, a graduate whose highest 

course is at the low academic level progressed 

no further in the mathematics pipeline and did 

not complete a traditional algebra I course, a 

prerequisite for higher level mathematics in 

high school. The mathematics pipeline has 

eight levels; however, two of these levels can be 

combined to create a “middle academic level,” 

and the top three levels can be combined to 

create an “advanced academic level.”

No Mathematics

Includes graduates who completed either no 

coursework in mathematics or only basic or 

remedial-level mathematics. It is thus possible 

for a graduate to have taken one or more 

courses in mathematics, but to be placed in the 

no mathematics level.

Nonacademic Level

Highest completed courses are in general mathematics or basic skills mathematics, such as 

general mathematics I or II; basic mathematics 

I, II, or III; consumer mathematics; technical 

or vocational mathematics; and mathematics 

review.

Low Academic Level

Highest completed courses are preliminary 

courses (e.g., prealgebra) or mathematics 

courses of reduced rigor or pace (e.g., algebra 

I taught over the course of 2 academic years). 

Considered to be more academically challenging than nonacademic courses, courses at this 

level include prealgebra; algebra I, part I; algebra I, part II; and geometry (informal).

Middle Academic Level

The middle academic level is divided into two 

sublevels, each of which is considered to be 

more academically challenging than the nonacademic and low academic levels, though the 

fi rst level is not considered as challenging as 

the second level.

Algebra I/Geometry Level

Highest completed courses include algebra 

I; plane geometry; plane and solid geometry; unifi ed mathematics I and II; and pure 

mathematics.

Algebra II Level

Highest completed course is algebra II or 

unifi ed mathematics III. 

Advanced Academic Level

The advanced academic level is divided into 

three sublevels, each of which is considered 

more academically challenging than the nonacademic, low academic, and middle academic 

levels, though the fi rst level is not considered as 

challenging as the second level, nor the second 

level as challenging as the third.

Trigonometry/Algebra III Level

Highest completed course is algebra III; 

algebra/trigonometry; algebra/analytical 

geometry; trigonometry; trigonometry/

solid geometry; analytical geometry; linear 

algebra; probability; probability/statistics; 

statistics; statistics (other); or an independent study.
High School Coursetaking

Page 34 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

Precalculus Level 

Highest completed course is precalculus or 

an introduction to analysis.

Calculus Level 

Highest completed course is Advanced 

Placement (AP) calculus; calculus; or calculus/analytical geometry. 

SCIENCE PIPELINE

Unlike mathematics and other subjects, such 

as foreign languages, coursework in science 

does not follow a common or easily defi ned 

sequence. Depending on a school’s curriculum, 

students can choose from several courses with 

minimal sequencing requirements. Consequently, the method used to construct the science 

pipeline differs from that used to construct the 

mathematics pipeline. First, all science courses 

were placed in one of four groups based on 

subject matter: (1) life science (e.g., biology, 

ecology, zoology); (2) chemistry; (3) physics; 

and (4) all other physical sciences (e.g., geology, earth science, physical science). Second, 

a pipeline was constructed for each of these 

four groups. Third, the pipelines for chemistry, 

physics, and all other physical sciences were 

combined into a single pipeline (a physical science pipeline). Finally, the physical science and 

life science pipelines were combined to create 

a single science pipeline. The fi nal pipeline has 

seven levels; however, for the Special Analysis, 

two of these levels were combined into one 

category (low academic level).

No Science 

Includes graduates who did not complete any 

courses in science or who completed only basic 

or remedial-level science. It is possible for a 

graduate to have taken one or more courses 

in science but to be placed in the no science 

level.

Low Academic Level 

The low academic level is composed of two 

levels, each of which is considered to be more 

academically challenging than no science.

Primary Physical Science 

Highest completed course is in basic physical sciences: applied physical science; earth 

science; college preparatory earth science; 

or unifi ed science.

Secondary Physical Science and Basic Biology 

Highest completed course is astronomy; 

geology; environmental science; oceanography; general physics; basic biology I; or 

consumer or introductory chemistry.

General Biology

Highest completed course is general biology I; 

secondary life sciences (including ecology, zoology, marine biology, and human physiology); 

or general or honors biology II.

Chemistry I or Physics I

Highest completed course is introductory 

chemistry, chemistry I, organic chemistry, 

physical chemistry, consumer chemistry, general physics, or physics I.

Chemistry I and Physics I

Highest completed courses include one level 

I chemistry course (see above) and one level I 

physics course (see above).

Chemistry II or Physics II or Advanced Biology

Highest completed course is advanced biology, 

International Baccalaureate (IB) biology II, IB 

biology III, AP biology, fi eld biology, genetics, 

biopsychology, biology seminar, biochemistry 

and biophysics, biochemistry, botany, cell and 

molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, 

anatomy, and miscellaneous specialized areas 

of life sciences, chemistry II, IB chemistry II, IB 

chemistry III, AP chemistry, physics II, IB physics, AP physics B, AP physics C: mechanics, AP 

physics C: electricity/magnetism, or physics II 

without calculus.

ENGLISH PIPELINE

English language and literature courses do not fi t 

neatly into an ordered hierarchical framework. 

Instead of building on previously studied content, 

the English curriculum is stratifi ed by the level 

of academic challenge and intensity of work required within a specifi c content area rather than 

among different courses. For example, within 

the general English curriculum, most schools 

have three tracks that vary by level of academic 
High School Coursetaking

Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 | Page 35

challenge: below-grade- level or low academiclevel courses, at-grade or regular courses, and 

above-grade or honors courses. Thus, unlike the 

mathematics and science pipelines that are based 

on progress within a content continuum (e.g., 

algebra I, geometry, algebra II, trigonometry, and 

calculus), the English pipeline is constructed to 

refl ect the proportion of coursework completed 

by graduates in each track. It refl ects the quality of a graduate’s English coursetaking rather 

than the progression from low-level to more 

challenging coursework. The English pipeline 

has seven categories; however, for the Special 

Analysis, two of these levels were combined into 

one category (low academic level).

No English

No courses classified as English were ever 

completed by the graduate. It is possible for 

a graduate to have taken one or more unclassifi ed English courses and be placed in the no 

English level. For the most part, these unclassifi ed courses were English coursework for 

blind and deaf students or English as a Second 

Language courses.

Low Academic Level

The low academic level is divided into two sublevels, the second of which is considered to be 

more academically challenging than the fi rst.

50 Percent or More Low Academic-Level 

English

The number of completed courses classifi ed 

as low academic level, when divided by the 

total number of completed low academic-, 

regular-, and honors-level courses, yields a 

percentage between 50 and 100.

Some, but Less than 50 Percent Low Academic-Level Courses

The number of completed courses classifi ed 

as low academic level, when divided by the 

total number of completed low academic-, 

regular-, and honors-level courses, yields a 

percentage less than 50. It is possible for a 

graduate to have also completed less than 50 

percent honors-level courses and be classifi ed under this category if the percentage of 

low academic-level courses completed was 

equal to or greater than the percentage of 

honors-level courses completed.

Regular

All completed English courses classifi ed at 

grade level; no low academic-level or honorslevel courses.

Advanced Academic Level

The advanced academic level is divided into 

three sublevels.

Some, but Less than 50 Percent Honors-Level 

Courses

The number of completed courses classifi ed as honors level, when divided by the 

total number of completed low academic-, 

regular-, and honors-level courses, yields a 

percentage less than 50. It is possible for a 

graduate to have also completed less than 50 

percent low academic-level courses and be 

classifi ed under this category if the percentage of low academic-level courses completed 

was less than the percentage of honors-level 

courses completed.

50 Percent or More, but Less than 75 Percent Honors-Level Courses

The number of completed courses classifi ed 

as honors level, when divided by the total 

number of completed low academic-, regular-, and honors-level courses, yields a percentage of 50 or greater and less than 75.

75 Percent or More Honors-Level Courses

The number of completed courses classifi ed as honors level, when divided by the 

total number of completed low academic-, 

regular-, and honors-level courses, yields a 

percentage between 75 and 100.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PIPELINE

Coursework in a foreign language follows an 

ordered, sequential path. Most high school 

students who study a foreign language progress 

along such a path, which is typically a sequence 

of four year-long courses in the language. Not 

all students do this, however. Some students 

begin their studies in the middle of a sequence 

because they have prior knowledge of the 

language. Some repeat the same year of study. 

And a few (about 7 percent of 1988 graduates) 

study more than one language. The highest 

level of completed coursework in the foreign 
High School Coursetaking

Page 36 | Findings from The Condition of Education 2007 

language pipeline thus may not indicate the 

total number of years a graduate has studied a 

foreign language or languages. The distribution 

of graduates among the various levels of foreign 

language courses was determined by the level of 

the most academically advanced course those 

graduates completed.

The foreign language pipeline originally did 

not classify all foreign language study: before 

2004, only courses in French, German, Latin, 

and Spanish were counted because these were 

the most commonly offered foreign languages. 

The next four most commonly offered foreign 

languages (Italian, Japanese, Hebrew, and Russian) each accounted for less than 1 percent of 

1988 graduates who studied foreign languages 

in the unweighted NELS:88 sample that was 

used to create the pipeline. Adding these four 

languages to the four most common languages 

in the pipeline originally made less than 0.1 

percent difference in the percentage of graduates who studied a single language, though it 

made more difference (yet less than 1 percent 

difference) in the percentage of graduates who 

never studied a language and who studied more 

than one language.

Beginning with 2004 transcript data, the foreign 

language pipeline expanded its defi nition of 

foreign language coursetaking to include any 

classes in Amharic (Ethiopian), Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Czech, Dutch, 

Finnish, French, German, Greek (Classical or 

Modern), Hawaiian, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, 

Korean, Latin, Norse (Norwegian), Polish, 

Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, 

Turkish, Ukrainian, or Yiddish. Compared with 

the pre-2004 defi nition, this expanded defi nition 

increased the percentage of students who had 

completed a foreign language course at year 3 or 

higher by 1 percent. It decreased the percentage 

of students classifi ed as having completed no 

foreign language study by 1.8 percent. 

Under both defi nitions, the foreign language 

pipeline has six categories. For the Special 

Analysis, however, two of these levels were 

combined into one category (year 2 or less).

None

No courses classifi ed as foreign language study 

were ever completed by graduate. Only courses 

included in the foreign language pipeline defi nition are counted as foreign language study (see 

above), so it is possible for a graduate to have 

taken one or more courses of some other foreign language and be placed in this category.

Year 1 (1 year of 9th-grade instruction) or less

Graduate completed no more than either a full 

Carnegie unit (1 academic year of coursework) 

of 9th-grade (year 1) foreign language instruction or half a Carnegie unit of 10th-grade (year 

2) foreign language instruction.

Year 2 (1 year of 10th-grade instruction)

Graduate completed either a full Carnegie unit 

(1 academic year of coursework) of 10th-grade 

(year 2) foreign language instruction or half a 

Carnegie unit of 11th-grade (year 3) foreign 

language instruction.

Year 3 (1 year of 11th-grade instruction)

Graduate completed either a full Carnegie unit 

(1 academic year of coursework) of 11th-grade 

(year 3) foreign language instruction or half a 

Carnegie unit of 12th-grade (year 4) foreign 

language instruction.

Year 4 (1 year of 12th-grade instruction)

Graduate completed either a full Carnegie unit 

(1 academic year of coursework) of 12th-grade 

(year 1) foreign language instruction or half a 

Carnegie unit of 13th-grade (year 5) foreign 

language instruction.

AP Instruction

Graduate completed an AP foreign language 

course.