2007 Silicon Valley Projections - Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Education
Bay Area, 2005). However, the rate at which Latinos and other
population subgroups in Silicon Valley and throughout
California are enrolling in college preparatory classes, in
colleges and universities, and filling high growth industry
jobs is lagging.
In light of our changing economy and demographics, how can
all California students meet increasing expectations and be
part of a vibrant innovation economy?
Competition from all sides
How California and Silicon Valley Match Up
California’s K-12 schools continue to fall behind their counterparts
nationwide on indicators like per pupil funding, student-teacher
ratio, and counselors per student.
Although the high school graduation rate in California is
comparable to the other technology regions in the country at
84.9% (using the federal NCES definition)—and as with
other aspects of educational achievement in the state, Silicon
Valley is higher than the state average (90.1%)—the number
falls within ethnic subpopulations. Moreover,
California students as a whole continue to make gains in math
and English, as demonstrated through the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). However, when
looking at states with other high tech centers, California students
have a lot of ground to make up in the “proficient” and
“advanced” levels.
Student & Workforce Demographics:
How California and Silicon
Valley are Changing
Silicon Valley’s student population is changing. In 2004,
Latino students surpassed white students in the region as the
largest student group. In less than a decade, the California
Budget Project estimates that 54% of K-12 enrollment in
California will be Latino students, a trend that will no doubt
be felt in Silicon Valley.
Student Enrollment & Percentage of English Language Learners
430,000
27
Number of Students
410,000
390,000
370,000
350,000
330,000
310,000
290,000
270,000
25
23
21
19
17
Percentage of Students
250,000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
SV Student
Population
Percentage of
ELL Students,
California
Percentage of
ELL Students,
Silicon Valley
15
Sources: Table, National Center for Education Statistics, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Graphs, CA Dept. of Education, SVLG
19