Grads go to college in record numbers
More students than ever are enrolling in college after graduating from Hamilton County schools, according to data released Thursday.
About 76 percent of the county’s 2016 spring graduates enrolled in a two- or four-year college last fall, which is about a 5 percent increase from 2015.
“We are seeing more and more students having more and more options,” said Dan Challener, president of the Public Education Foundation.
In 2005, the Hamilton County Department of Education and PEF began tracking the number of high school graduates who went to college, and at the time just 58 percent of the county’s students were enrolling in
two- or four-year institutions.
Hamilton County Schools Interim Superintendent Kirk Kelly said the increase is the result of collaboration.
“This is an excellent example of the entire community coming together,” he said.
Challener added that the community has increased awareness about the benefits of earning a post-secondary degree through initiatives such as Chattanooga 2.0 and programs like STEPUP Chattanooga, which provides low-income high school students with paid summer internships. Colleges and technical schools also have gotten better at recruiting students, and Tennessee Promise offers a free two-year degree from any of the state’s 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology, or any eligible institution offering an associate’s degree.
Despite the large share of Hamilton County graduates enrolling in two- or fouryear colleges, just about 50 percent of those who enroll will earn a degree within six years, data shows. And just 38 percent of county residents have any post-secondary degree or credential, preventing them from holding many of the jobs paying more than $35,000 in the county.
Challener said the business community and local colleges are working to find ways to better support and incentivize students to finish their diplomas or credentials.
Stacy Lightfoot, PEF vice president of college and career success, said it’s important students don’t just go to any college, but find the place that is the right fit for them.
The district’s college and career advisers, which are placed at every high school, are a huge reason more students are choosing to continue their education, Lightfoot said. Those college and career counselors are helping match the right schools with the right students, and are constantly keeping up with trends and new programs at colleges across the country, she said.
“The more the advisers know the more they can pass information on to a students’ friends and family,” Lightfoot said. She said that helps overcome some of the barriers that make it difficult for students to apply for college.
Cindy Adamz, college and career adviser at Soddy-Daisy High School, said she loves being able to tell students about new schools and careers options they hadn’t considered.
Years ago, Adamz helped raise money for a very bright, low-income student to visit numerous Ivy League schools. The student had never been far outside of Chattanooga and was in shock visiting cities like Boston, but eventually ended up graduating from Harvard and has a successful career in California, she said.
Justin Robertson, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said as a principal at Red Bank High School it was important to provide students with a vision for the future.
He said the district is working to help excite and prepare students for life after high school sooner. For example, the district’s Mechatronics and Polytechnic Academies allow high school students to start earning industry credentials along with their high school diplomas.