Demographics, Attainment, and Higher Education

• 84.4%of residents aged 25 and older hold a high school diploma or higher
• 42.1%hold a bachelor's degree or higher
• 41.2%New York State bachelor's attainment average
• 35.7%national bachelor's attainment average

The ultimate output of Brooklyn's fragmented K-12 system is reflected in the borough's demographic attainment data. Kings County, with a population hovering around 2.65 million, has made significant strides in educational attainment over the past two decades. As of recent census estimates (2020-2024), 84.4% of Brooklyn residents aged 25 and older hold a high school diploma or higher, and 42.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The bachelor's attainment rate is particularly notable, sitting slightly higher than the New York State average (41.2%) and roughly 20% higher than the national average (35.7%).^1,60

However, viewing Brooklyn as a monolith obscures profound neighborhood and racial disparities. Educational attainment in Brooklyn is heavily stratified along geographic and racial lines. In gentrified neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, Fort Greene, and Park Slope/Carroll Gardens, the share of residents holding a bachelor's degree easily exceeds 65% to 76.8%. In contrast, in neighborhoods historically impacted by redlining and systemic underinvestment, such as Brownsville, East New York, and parts of Bushwick, attainment rates are drastically lower, with massive segments of the population possessing a high school diploma or less.⁶²

The data reveals significant racial disparities in degree attainment. Across New York City, white and Asian residents achieve bachelor's degrees at rates that vastly outpace Black and Hispanic residents. While total attainment is rising—with Brooklyn adding over 162,000 degree-holding residents to its workforce between 2008 and 2018—the rising tide has not lifted all demographics equally. Roughly 40% of working-age Brooklyn residents still possess no college experience, translating to over 574,000 individuals—the most of any borough.⁶²

The Post-Secondary Ecosystem

To bridge these gaps, Brooklyn relies heavily on its robust network of higher education institutions. The borough is anchored by several campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, most notably Brooklyn College and Medgar Evers College. These institutions are engines of upward mobility, providing accessible, subsidized higher education to working-class, immigrant, and first-generation college students.⁶³

CUNY’s role extends directly into the high schools through programs like College Now and Early College offerings, which allow high school students to accrue free college credits, thereby increasing post-secondary readiness and reducing the eventual financial burden of a degree. Over the past two years, there has been a 10% increase in the number of high school students taking at least one CUNY course prior to graduation. Furthermore, CUNY's Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) has proven highly effective. When analyzing first-time freshmen, ASAP more than doubles associate degree completion rates compared to non-ASAP students, maintaining an average 3-year graduation rate of 47.4%.⁶⁵

Beyond the public CUNY system, Brooklyn is home to specialized private universities such as the Pratt Institute (renowned for art, design, and architecture), Long Island University (LIU Brooklyn), and the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, which serves as a vital pipeline for healthcare professionals in the borough. The interaction between the local K-12 system and these universities is symbiotic; high-performing specialized high schools funnel students into elite national universities, while traditional public schools lean heavily on CUNY to provide a reliable, localized pathway to the middle class.⁶³