Education and the Model Minority Myth
The label “model minority” has been used for decades. It perpetuates a detrimental stereotype that Asian Americans (AA) are more academically and financially high achieving than other racial and ethnic groups. This has multiple damaging effects:
- The expectation from teachers, peers and others that one is academically high achieving can create psychological stress and pressure. Young people who intensely internalize the model minority myth are especially vulnerable to its harmful effects at this formative stage of life. A 2021 study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence also notes that it is “dehumanizing as it punishes those who deviate from the stereotype and the narrow definition of success.”
- According to a recent report from the Center for American Progress, Pacific Islander youth have also reported experiencing the “model minority” stereotype from teachers. These young people describe being perceived as either:
- model students with their academic needs ignored; or
- disappointments if they don’t live up to expectations and are discouraged from attending four-year universities.
Education Data on Asian American Students
Read on for disaggregated stats on the experiences of AA and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students.
High School Dropout Rate
The latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that while the aggregated high school dropout rate for all AA young people ages 16 to 24 is only 2%, the rate is 6% for Cambodian Americans, 9% for Nepalese Americans and 20% for Burmese Americans. Among all Pacific Islanders ages 16 to 24, the rate is 7% (not available by NHPI population).
School Discipline
Punitive or unfair school discipline practices, such as disproportionate suspensions from school, are associated with poor student outcomes like dropping out of school. A 2022 Center for American Progress report found that Pacific Islander students, specifically, were suspended at a higher rate (4.5%) than AA (1%) and white (3.4%) students. Pacific Islander boys were suspended at an even higher rate — 6.2%. (While these data were not disaggregated by NHPI population, little national attention has focused on school discipline for NHPI students.)
English Proficiency:
A Pew Research article reported that less than 4 in 10 Americans of Bhutanese (36%) and Burmese (38%) descent ages 5 and older were proficient in English, compared to more than 8 in 10 Americans of Japanese, Filipino and Indian descent (85%, 84% and 82%, respectively).
College Attendance for Young Adults:
As shown in the table below, the National Center for Education Statistics also reports that more than two-thirds (71%) of all AA young adults ages 18 to 24 have completed at least some college, although the same is true for half (50%) of Burmese young adults and just over half of Laotian (54%) and Hmong (55%) young adults. The figure was lower — 42% — for Pacific Islander young adults.
Table One: Asian American and Pacific Islander Educational Attainment by Select Groups (2019)
Population |
Ages 18 to 24 Completing at Least Some College |
Ages 25 and Older With a Bachelor’s or Higher Degree |
| All Pacific Islanders Combined | 42.4% | 19.2% |
| All Asian Descent Combined | 71.1% | 55.9% |
| Bangladeshi | 68.6% | 49.5% |
| Bhutanese | S | 17.1% |
| Burmese | 50.1% | 26.6% |
| Cambodian | 56.8% | 23.7% |
| Chinese (including Taiwanese) | 75.9% | 58.1% |
| Filipino | 68% | 50.1% |
| Hmong | 54.7% | 24.5% |
| Indian | 74.0% | 76.2% |
| Japanese | 69.6% | 53.8% |
| Korean | 73.1% | 58.4% |
| Laotian | 54.2% | 17.0% |
| Nepalese | 58.0% | 46.5% |
| Pakistani | 70.8% | 59.5% |
| Thai | 58.1% | 46.0% |
| Vietnamese | 69.6% | 32.2% |
S: Figure not reported due to either too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation was 50 percent or greater. Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2021 Table 104.40.
College Attainment for Adults 25 and Older
Among AA adults, those of Indian descent are the most likely (76%) to have at least a bachelor’s degree, while those of Laotian and Bhutanese descent are the least likely (both 17%). A 2021 article by the Pew Research Center reported this statistic for additional AA groups not shown above, and it found that those of Malaysian, Mongolian and Sri Lankan descent are also among the most likely to have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Among Pacific Islander adults, about 1 in 5 (19%) have completed this level of college.
A Note About Language
We use the term “Asian Americans” in this post to refer to both Asian immigrants and U.S. citizens of Asian descent, as the term reflects the vast majority of this population, especially among children.
