Report finds growth in Hispanic population, work needed to address learning gaps

Data from the fifth edition of the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs Hispanic Profile Data Book shows the Hispanic population is growing across the state faster than any other ethnicity, with Bonner County leading by percentage at 70% growth.

That lead is in large part due to the relatively low percentage of Hispanic people in the county to start with, which increased up 3% of the population as of 2019, said Mauricio Cardona, an associate at the Davillier Law Group in Sandpoint and contributor to the report.

Statewide, Hispanics make up 13% of the population, compared to the national average of 18%. However, growth in the Hispanic population in Idaho is relatively on par with the rest of the nation, said Juan Saldaña, community resource development specialist for the ICHA.

In the past decade, Hispanic populations grew in Idaho by 30%, compared to 12% growth among non-Hispanic populations. However, that growth has slowed in recent years.

Idaho’s Hispanic population is also younger than non-Hispanic, those under 20 making up 40% of the population, 20-64 55% of the population and 55 and up 5% of the population. Non-Hispanic groups in Idaho are 26% under 20, 56% 20-64 and 18% 65 and up.

The state’s Hispanic population is also 71% native-born, 9% foreign-born, naturalized U.S. citizens, and 19% foreign-born, non-U.S. citizens.

In north Idaho, many Hispanic residents are second-generation immigrants, while Southern Idaho, where migrant farmworkers are more common, hosts a higher percentage of Hispanics as a whole and first-generation residents.

For ICHA, which collects data to help inform legislators, one of the biggest priorities is to address learning gaps, Cardona said. Although Idaho’s Hispanic high school graduation rate increased in the 2017-18 school year to 76%, Hispanic students still lag behind the average when it comes to standardized testing scores.

Although Hispanics make up only 13% of Idaho’s population, they account for 18% of K-12 enrollment.

Among high school students, one program that’s gained traction in recent years is the annual Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit, hosted by ICHA. The conference includes leadership and college fairs, as well as the opportunity to apply for college scholarships. Students apply in the morning and, by the afternoon, find out if they’ve received a scholarship.

Currently, no school districts in North Idaho offer shuttles to the conference, Cardona said, though individuals have traveled there. A few years ago, one mother from Coeur d'Alene traveled to the conference with her three children, who ended up with scholarships to Boise State University.

Although the Hispanic student population is low, Cardona is hoping that will change in the near future.

“I've attended a couple of them and it is very encouraging,” he said. “You know, a lot of a lot of kids, especially in rural Idaho, don't ever get the opportunity to attend a college fair.”

One of the major challenges, Cardona said, is connecting first- and second-generation Hispanic families with various social services they may be unaware of, or at times be apprehensive to seek out  — especially when it comes to first-generation parents.

“Especially for newer arrivals, there is an insular group mentality,” he said. “A lot of times they don't realize that there are services available for their children, especially.”

Two other programs available for young students are the migrant education program and the English Learning program.

From 2019-2020, Idaho’s MEP served roughly 4,800 migrant students, an increase of 34% from 2015-2016. 18% of those students were 5 years or younger, and 48% were in grades K-6. 280 students were identified who should be in school but were not. The true number of students eligible for MEP is higher but unknown.

Continuing work in early childhood education, particularly among English Language students, is an important step in reducing the learning gap for Hispanic and Latino students, Saldaña said.

“A lot of our students are typically left behind,” he said, “even though they make massive gains by the end of the school year.”

The 2019-2020 school year also saw roughly 22,000 students, or 7% of K-12 enrollment, participate in an English Language program. Of those students, 81% spoke Spanish as their first language.

The report also found that unemployment among Hispanic populations dropped by nearly 11%, Cardona said. Hispanics are also more likely to be in the labor force, with 70% of Hispanics working in the labor force versus 61% of non-Hispanics in 2018.

Despite that, because Hispanics often work lower-paying jobs — with a high percentage of workers in natural resources including agriculture, as well as manufacturing jobs, they are earning, on average, less than non-Hispanics.

Median earnings for full-time, year-round work for Hispanic people in Idaho was $35,000 in 2018 for Hispanic men — roughly $15,300 less than non-Hispanic men, and $25,600 for Hispanic women, a $13,300 drop from the median earnings for non-Hispanic women.

Still, household income as of 2018 was up by around 8%, and median household income increased by 22%.

“I think the way Hispanics are contributing to our society right now is a result of generations’ work toward assimilation and tracks toward higher employment and higher education,” Cardona said.