Who’s Going to College

Who’s Going to College? A new report from the Louisiana Department of Education shows how many students from the class of 2012 enrolled in college after high school. For the Class of 2012 (OPSB & RSD combined):

  • 58% of graduates enrolled in college right after high school.
  • By the fall of 2013, college enrollment went up 10 points to 68% of graduates.
  • This is 2 points higher than the state average of 66%.

Class of 2012 College Enrollment

High School Class of 2012 Total Graduates % Enrolled in College 1st Fall (2012-13) after Graduation % Enrolled in College within 16 Months of Graduation
Benjamin Franklin High School
158 91% 93%
Lusher Charter School
94 85% 89%
Sci Academy
48 77% 85%
Edna Karr High School
220 75% 82%
Sophie B. Wright Learning Academy 26 73% 77%
Warren Easton Senior High School 208 73% 82%
Eleanor McMain Secondary School 109 72% 83%
Orleans Parish (OPSB)
1,137
71%
79%
Lake Area New Tech Early College High School 122 67% 80%
N.O. Charter Science and Mathematics HS 103 67% 79%
OPSB & RSD Combined
2,271 58% 68%
Louisiana Statewide 36,705 56% 66%
McDonogh #35 Senior High/College Prep 182 53% 65%
Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School for Sci/Tech 27 52% 63%
Miller-McCoy 72 44% 47%
Recovery School District (RSD)
1,134
44%
57%
Walter L. Cohen High School 68 43% 56%
Algiers Technology Academy 64 41% 56%
John McDonogh Senior High School 83 41% 51%
O.Perry Walker Senior High School 266 41% 52%
Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School 75 40% 61%
Mc 35 Career/Arch, Design & Engineering High 63 33% 40%
Sarah Towles Reed Senior High School 108 31% 50%
G.W. Carver High School 90 22% 40%

 

This data includes enrollment in two-year and four-year colleges and universities, both in-state and out-of-state. The citywide totals (OPSB and RSD) include all 2011-12 graduates, although the list of schools includes only those high schools with 10 or more graduates and schools that were open in 2013-14.

View all New Orleans college enrollment data, including percentages at two- and four-year colleges and universities, or download the state’s report on all Louisiana high schools.

Who’s Graduating from College?

Unfortunately, most of the students who enroll in college will leave without getting a degree – either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. In this New York Times article, Paul Tough explains that whether a student graduates or not seems to depend almost entirely on just one factor – how much money his or her parents make. If you compare college students with the same standardized-test scores, you find that their educational outcomes reflect their parents’ income, not their test scores. At the University of Texas in Austin, they are successfully increasing their graduation rates with simple programs that help to build the confidence of low-income and minority students who are capable of graduating but may not believe it themselves. While this article is long, Educate Now! urges school leaders, charter board members and others to read it.

Tennessee Promise

Texas isn’t the only state that is working to increase the number of college graduates. Tennessee just passed a law that will provide free community college tuition to every high school graduate in the state. A third of Tennesseans have a college degree, and they hope to raise that to 55 percent. Tennessee will use $34 million a year from lottery funds to cover tuition for a two-year degree, which Tennessee’s governor says is a long-term investment in the state. Workers with a two-year degree earn about $57,000, while those with only a high school diploma make $35,000.