College-Going Rates of High School Graduates
Why is this measure important?
This is a measure for the percentage of high school graduates who attend college anywhere in the US the following fall semester.
What policy issues are associated with it?
The direct transition to college from high school is easier to address than non-traditional enrollment. Most postsecondary institutions are quite sophisticated in recruiting high school seniors. However, the issues of affordability and disparities of college-going patterns across counties and regions are what states usually grapple with. While the data are not available here, it is useful to look within the state of interest to compare college-going rates across counties, ethnicities, etc. to detect where problems are more severe.
What other factors should you consider?
This measures traditional college-going behavior. Therefore, it is useful to look at other measures of participation - linked below.
9th Graders Chance for College by Age 19
Part-Time Undergraduate Enrollment as a Percent of 25-44 Year Olds
Percent of Total Population Enrolled in College - 18-64 Year Olds
Data Sources/Related Links
http://www.nces.ed.gov
http://www.census.gov
