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The College Enrollment Gap

Leading school districts are beginning to track college enrollment and retention rates. The measure makes clear to students, parents and staff that the purpose of high school education and graduation is a successful life after high school.

This marks a significant step forward in efforts to get more young people to college, particularly those from low-income communities. Up until this point, our education system has not systematically ensured that all young people who are college-ready actually make it to college. National data indicates that low-income students who got A’s on a standardized test went to college at the same rate as top-income students who got D’s on the same standardized test.

Schools that address this college enrollment gap are signaling their commitment both to delivering a rigorous, high quality education to all students, and to connecting that education to a promising future in college and beyond. When academic rigor is combined with a comprehensive effort to ensure that all young people have the tools and motivation to make it to the next level of education, schools have put all the critical pieces together to help their students achieve in high school and beyond.

When school districts make college going a priority and post-secondary planning an expectation for all students, all college-capable students can, and do, enroll in college at rates comparable to their high-income peers.