BERKELEY -- California is in danger of losing its educational edge in the international work force, according to a new assessment of higher education nationwide.

The state got mixed grades in a report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, with a warning that young people who will be taking over for retiring, and generally well-educated, baby boomers may not be prepared to compete globally.

The result is a "middling performance," center president Pat Callan said in a teleconference with reporters Wednesday -- not a dramatic fall from the days when California led the nation with its higher educational system, but not in step with a rapidly evolving, knowledge-based society.

"While we're stuck, everybody else is moving ahead," he said.

California got an "A" for participation -- it is a leader in the number of working-age adults enrolled part-time in college level education or training. It got a C- for affordability, not a high mark but better than other states, which mostly flunked. Callan said it was hard to measure the state's "roller coaster" fees at public institutions, since they tend to go up when the economy is at its worst and decrease or stay stable during good times.

Among the findings of "Measuring Up 2006," a biennial report:

* Only 35 percent of 9th graders are enrolled in college four years later, a measure that has not improved since 1992.

* About 19 percent of adults do not have a high school diploma or equivalent, compared to the national average of 14 percent.

* California has nearly doubled investment in need-based financial aid since 1993 as a percent of the federal investment in need-based financial aid. Still, California lags top-performing states.

* Just over 5 percent of adults ages 25-49 are enrolled part-time in college-level education or training.

* California ranks low internationally in certificates and degrees awarded compared to enrollment. The study found 14 out of 100 students completed certificates or degrees. That was 58 percent of the rate in the United Kingdom, the top-performing nation.