Dive Brief:

• "The Condition of Latinos in Education: 2015 Factbook," a new report by Washington, DC-based think tankExcelencia in Education, pushes against the perception that Latino students are not proficient in English.

• The report, which shows encouraging results for Latino students in America, says that only 18% of Latino K-12 students are English language learners.

• The report also found that recent Latino high school graduates enrolled in college at a higher rate than their white and black peers.

Dive Insight:

In 2011, Latino students represented 24% (almost a quarter) of public school enrollment. This number is only expected to grow, with projections reaching 30% by 2023. The Excelencia in Education report looks at outcomes from pre-k through the workforce in order to get a clear understanding of how the "educational pipeline" affects Latino students.

"Every educational experience from early childhood to high school and into the workforce influences the potential for success," Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, told NBC News Latino. 

Brown's colleague, Deborah Santiago, vice president of the organization and author of the report, explained why it's so important for the public to see and understand the achievements of the Latino population. "It's really important that people believe we can make progress," she told NBC News Latino. "The data show Latinos are making good progress and we can do more."

Criticisms of the report are that it "soft pedals" the need to close the achievement gap. To that, Santiago says that their work is to highlight achievements and not negate work that still needs to be done. "I don't negate we have to address ELL and English language issues. Those are absolutely critical, but if the only action we take is around those, we are addressing a minority of Latinos, not the majority," she told NBC News Latino.

Recommended Reading

NBC News : Latino Education Gains Are Encouraging: New Report