Some interesting statistics:

High school students who take advanced math double their chances of earning a postsecondary degree:

59% of low-income students who took advanced math in high school earned a bachelor’s degree.
36% of low-income students who did not complete the rigorous high school course of study earned a bachelor’s
degree.


Completing advanced math courses in high school has a greater influence on whether students will graduate from college than any other factor—including family background.

Students who take math beyond Algebra II double their chances of earning a bachelor’s degree.

College students who took Algebra II or beyond during high school are more than twice as likely to report feeling prepared for the math they are expected to do in college.

They also perform significantly better in a range of college courses, including physics, chemistry and even biology.

See more at http://www.achieve.org/files/Achieve-MathWorks-FactSheet-All%20StudentsNeedAdvancedMath.pdf