Study: Minorities less likely to attend top public colleges

A new study of federal data finds that black and Latino students are far less likely to attend top public colleges than their white and Asian peers.

The Center for American Progress think tank reported Thursday that among all black students at U.S. public colleges in 2014, only 9 percent attended highly selective schools. For Latinos, the figure was 12 percent. By contrast, 19 percent of white students and 31 percent of Asians attended top schools.

Blacks and Latinos were more likely to attend community colleges and other schools with lower graduation rates. The Washington, D.C.-based think tank says minorities need greater access to elite schools to close achievement gaps between races.

States where blacks were least likely to attend top schools include North Carolina, Tennessee and Massachusetts.