Community college ‘deserts’ deter Texas students from getting a degree, report says [Video]

Distance from a community college is a key factor for students when deciding what to do after high school – and can lead them to leave their hometowns for college or not to pursue a degree at all, a recent study found.

Black, Hispanic, and low-income students are more likely to forgo college altogether when they are not close to a community college, which can have long-term effects on their earnings.

Living far from a community college, in contrast, often nudges White, Asian, and higher-income students to enroll in a four-year university instead, the study found.

The research study, released last month by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, looked at Texas students who graduated from a public high school between 2013 and 2017, tracked those who enrolled at a Texas public college and monitored their progress toward getting a degree. The researchers zeroed in on those living in community college “deserts,” or places where …