Computer science remains one of the most segregated fields in academia. The annual Taulbee survey shows that though females used to make up 37% of computer science majors in the earlier 1970s, this number has dropped significantly. According to the NSF, in 2005, women accounted for only about 15% of undergraduates receiving bachelors degrees in computer science. There is also a dramatic underrepresentation of Latinos and African Americans studying computer science, with only 4% and 3% of computer science bachelors degrees being awarded to students from these ethnic groups.
Yet, an examination of who is studying computer science in high school illustrates that this disparities in participation begins before college. Comparing the representation of females and students of color in California schools and United States schools with their representation in the AP Computer Science A and AB exams shows that AP Computer Science remains a highly segregated field, both by gender and by race.
Since the creation of the Computer Science Equity Alliance, computing participation has increased in LAUSD dramatically in APCS. These results are quite encouraging, especially since more students are studying computer science in LAUSD while state and national trends show decreasing enrollment at the high school and college levels.
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