Transitions to Wage Labor and Postsecondary Education Among Puerto Rican Youth

The Education Longitudinal Study is used to examine Puerto Ricans' and whites' transitions out of high school and into young adulthood to weigh their relative chances of attending college and earning incomes above the poverty line. We found that Puerto Ricans and whites that expected to attain a bachelor's degree or more and that reached a higher level of math are significantly more likely to enroll in four-year and two-year colleges or universities. Puerto Ricans and whites with higher standardized test scores are more likely to enroll in four-year but not twoyear colleges. Puerto Ricans from affluent contexts are more likely than those from less affluent areas to attend four-year colleges and earn incomes above poverty. White and Puerto Rican females are more likely to be in poverty.