Long Beach Students Improve in College Measures

More Long Beach students are succeeding in preparing for, entering and thriving in college, according to a progress report on the five-year-old College Promise program.

Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), Long Beach City College (LBCC) and California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), developed the program to increase higher education opportunities for local students. 

The institutions' report, “A Breakthrough in Student Achievement,” tracked three student achievement measures, specifically college preparation, college access and college success. 

Among the results:

• The number of LBUSD graduates completing non-remedial, college-level English at LBCC increased by 500 percent over the previous year, according to the report.

• The number of LBUSD students completing college-level math at LBCC grew by 200 percent over the previous year.

• The number of LBUSD students who entered CSULB as freshmen increased from 519 in fall 2008 to 743 in fall 2012, or more than 43 percent.

• Every demographic group showed improvement, with some of the largest relative gains made by Latino and African American students.

“The collaborative partnership between our three institutions has provided a seamless transition for local students to be college-ready, leading to the successful completion of college-level courses and put them on the path to economic opportunity,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley in a statement.

See the full report (PDF) in the photo box above. More information on College Promise is also available on the program website.

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