The Number Of High School Graduates Going To College Is Steadily Declining

The number of high school graduates who enroll in college - which peaked at 70.1% in 2009 - has been in a steady decline over the last few years, according to The New York Times.

This statistic is compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases a yearly report about the number of high school graduates who are enrolled in college the following fall. In 2013, 65.9% of that year's graduates were in college by October, down from 66.2% in 2012.

"Falling college enrollment indicates that upward mobility may become more difficult for working-class and disadvantaged high school graduates ... It's another part of the long-term scarring process of the Great Recession that has been partly hidden." Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, told The Times.

The percentages of high school graduates in college annually from the past five years show a sizable overall decline since the 2009 peak:

• 2009: 70.1%
• 2010: 68.1%
• 2011: 68.3%
• 2012: 66.2%
• 2013: 65.9%

The Times also highlights some more encouraging statistics, noting "that 51% of the high school graduates who did not go on to college had jobs by October, and that 74% were in the labor force, meaning they either were employed or were looking for work." Both of these percentages are up from the year before.

Read more at The New York Times >>