More than half of Louisiana adults now have post-high school credentials, a record high

The percentage of working-age adults in Louisiana with a post-high school credential or degree has reached an all-time high, and state leaders are optimistic that the progress will continue.

By the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, the percentage rose to 51%, nearly 4 percentage points above 2021, according to a report from the state Board of Regents, which oversees public higher education institutes.

That means more than 73,000 adults aged 25-64 have a postsecondary credential such as an associate or bachelor’s degree, a technical diploma or an industry-based certification.

The need for a credential beyond a high school diploma is important as more employers are seeking candidates with advanced training, said Tristan Denley, the deputy commissioner for academic affairs and innovation, during the December Board of Regents meeting. His analysis found 68% of job postings in the state over the last year listed a credential as a requirement.

“It is important that employers are able to find the employees that they need to meet the workforce needs that we have,” he said.

The U.S. attainment rate was 54.3% in 2022, which is the most recently available data, according to the Lumina Foundation, a private foundation that tracks the nation’s attainment rates.

Louisiana’s 51% is “very much influenced by the attainment of younger people in the state,” Denley said.

The attainment rate for adults 25-34 years old exceeds Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, he added.

About 71% of those with a credential or degree in the state are in high-demand careers such as logistics, health, applied technology or science, technology, engineering and math.

The Board of Regents set a goal in 2019 for 60% of working-age adults to complete some post-high school education by 2030.

To reach that, “another two Superdomes” — or about 200,000 people — need to receive a certificate or degree, Denley said. And to maintain that rate, about 85,000 people annually would need to earn a credential.

The state is “absolutely on track to get to that 60%,” Denley told board members.

The Board of Regents and Louisiana’s higher education institutions are working together on three strategies to reach that goal: increase college enrollment, improve college success and promote all credentials that employers are asking workers to obtain.

State scholarship programs and greater access to college-level classes for high schoolers can help push more students toward college, Denley said. Improving college success includes more work-based learning programs and enhancing math and English learning across the state.