Only 16% of low-income students graduate with a bachelor’s degree (compared to 66% of their more affluent peers).
This matters because half of all San Francisco students are low income, and a college degree is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Research studies show that on average, Americans with bachelor’s degrees (and without graduate degrees) receive the following benefits in comparison to high school graduates never attending college:
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Lifetime earnings are, conservatively, twice as high.
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The incidence of poverty is 3.25 times lower.
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The probability of being employed is 14% higher.
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Life expectancy is seven years longer.
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