More grads need remedial courses

The number of Colorado high school graduates who weren’t academically ready to succeed in college-level curriculum went up during the 2014-15 school year, according to a Colorado Department of Higher Education remediation report.

The increase from 34.2 percent in 2013-14 to 35.4 percent in 2014-15 means 7,472 students who graduated in 2014 needed remedial college classes in 2014-15 out of the 22,853 graduates who entered college in Colorado, the report said.

Other highlights of the report:

• Math was the most frequent subject in which students needed remediation;

• About 39 percent of female college students weren’t college-ready compared to nearly 32 percent of college males;

• At two-year institutions, 82 percent of black, nonHispanic students and almost 70 percent of Hispanic students required remediation, while 52.5 percent of black, non-Hispanic students and 39 percent of Hispanic students at four-year institutions required remediation;

• More participants in the free and reduced lunch program required remediation compared with those not involved in the program, at 53 percent and 31.4 percent, respectively.

• The estimated cost to the state and estimated tuition cost to the student for remedial courses, combined, was about $39.3 million.