Only 23 Percent of Latino Students Ready for College

Among the high school class of 2012, 43 percent of all SAT test takers met the reference measurements of College & Career Readiness SAT Benchmark, only 23 percent of Latino students met the measure.

College Board President Gaston Caperton said the report should serve as a call to action to expand access to rigor for more students.

"Our nation's future depends on the strength of our education system," Caperton said. "When less than half of kids who want to go to college are prepared to do so, that system is failing. We must make education a national priority and deliver rigor to more students."

According to a College Board report, 754,922 minority students in the class of 2012 took the SAT, up from 600,830 in 2008; 46 percent of all first-generation college goers are underserved minority students; 62 percent of Hispanic/Latino SAT takers are first-generation college goers; 48 percent of African American SAT takers are first-generation college goers.

Among SAT takers in the class of 2012, 45 percent were minority students, making this the most diverse class of SAT takers ever. Among public school SAT takers in the class of 2012, 46 percent were minority students.

Among the SAT class of 2012, 36 percent of all students reported their parents' highest level of education as a high school diploma or less. Underserved minority students accounted for 46 percent of first-generation college goers. Conversely, underserved minority students accounted for only 20 percent of SAT takers in the class of 2012 who reported their parents had a postsecondary degree.

"Taking a college entrance exam is a critical step on the road to higher education, but many traditionally underserved students face financial, familial and geographic barriers that can prevent them from testing," James Montoya, vice president of relationship development for the College Board, said. "Low-income students are less likely to have parents who went to college, less likely to participate in rigorous courses and less likely to have completed a core curriculum. Providing these students with the support and resources they need is crucial to meeting our nation's long-term college completion goals."

About 1 in 3 Latino students who took the SAT had taken an AP Honors Math, English, or Natural Science course.

Overall, the average GPA of a Latino student in High School is 3.22. That is second to last, above African American students who averaged a 3.05 but behind the Asian population which averaged a 3.52 GPA in 2012.