Just 22 percent of 12th graders say they’ve ever taken a computer science course, according to an analysis of national data published this month. And more than half of seniors attend high schools that don’t even offer computer science.
The analysis, by Change the Equation, a nonprofit group that mobilizes the business community to improve science, technology, engineering, and math learning, examines data from the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which was given to 12th graders and included survey questions for students, teachers, and schools.
It found that only 44 percent of seniors have access to any computer science classes. Less than a quarter of seniors have access to Advanced Placement computer science courses.
The data also confirm that low-income students are less likely to have access to computer science courses than higher-income students. And black and Native American students were much less likely than Asian and white students to attend high schools offering the subject.
