More HCPSS Grads Enter College Immediately After High School

March 18th, 2016

College Enrollment and Completion Gaps Narrowing Among Student Groups

More Howard County public school students are entering college immediately after graduation, and college enrollment and completion rates are narrowing between students, according to new research by the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS). The HCPSS Division of Accountability studied the college attendance and persistence among recent graduates and has recommended specific strategies to improve the outlook for success after graduation for all students.

“All Howard County public school students are graduating better prepared to succeed in post secondary education and training,” said Superintendent Renee A. Foose. “At the same time, our system, and others nationally, are challenged to close persistent achievement gaps among student groups. This report provides the kind of deep data and careful analysis that helps us uncover the root causes of those gaps, and sheds light on effective ways to eliminate them.”

The March 2016 report, Post-secondary Outcomes for Graduates of the Howard County Public School System: 2008–2015, is the third in a series of annual research studies conducted by the school system. It provides the results of a detailed analysis of data provided by the National Student Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization that compiles college and degree attainment information for high school graduates throughout the nation.

The proportion of HCPSS graduates who enter college immediately after high school has notably increased, from an average of 76.9 percent for 2008 graduates to 80.9 percent for the Class of 2015. From 2008 to 2014, an average of 92.9 percent of fall college enrollees returned for a second year of college. More than 70 percent of 2008 and 2009 fall college enrollees earned a degree within six years of high school graduation.

The report reveals some positive trends in narrowing gaps in college enrollment and completion rates among student groups. For example, the gap in enrollment between students who receive free and reduced price meal services and their more economically advantaged peers narrowed nearly six percentage points over the seven-year period, from a 29.4 percentage point gap in 2008 to a 23.5 percentage point gap in 2015.

The report provides several recommendations for improving post-secondary outcomes. These include beginning in the earliest grades to identify students at risk for not becoming college- and career-ready and to address the underlying factors that inhibit academic achievement, examining the underlying causes for higher proportions of delayed enrollment among specific student groups, providing tools to assist students in identifying college or career matches based on academic data and career interests, and other approaches that reinforce strategies embedded in Vision 2018, the HCPSS strategic plan.