The Supreme Court recently acknowledged a state’s right to ban race preferences in college admissions, stoking liberal fears of declining university enrollment for minorities. But the statistics show surging numbers of students of color pursuing higher education—even in states that banned affirmative action years ago.

 In California, voters ended race preferences in 1996, but whites are now under-represented in the prestigious University of California system, where black, Latino and Asian students represent 73 percent of incoming freshmen. At UC campuses, both Asians and Latinos are more numerous than whites. Nationwide, 69 percent of Hispanic high school graduates enroll in college, compared to 67 percent of whites. Among African-American high school grads, 62 percent go to college—an historic high.

 Numbers show that—despite limits on affirmative action programs in a dozen states—minorities are participating in higher education in unprecedented numbers.

 That’s news worth celebrating.