College enrollment up for some Maui high schools

Report shows how pandemic impacted college enrollment for class of 2022

College enrollment among Hawaii public school students has slowly recovered following the COVID-19 pandemic, with 2022 graduates of Lahainaluna, Maui and Baldwin high schools seeing higher enrollment rates than in 2018, according to a recent report.

The pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions to the class of 2022 and their high school careers, from the abrupt switch to online learning in the fourth quarter of their sophomore year to returning to in-person instruction in the last quarter of their senior year, experiences that impacted the most recent graduating class’ post-high school college enrollment, according to a College and Career Readiness Indicators report published this month.

Since 2009, the report has provided information on the academic achievement of public school graduates and how well they have transitioned to college.

“The class of 2022 experienced the brunt of the pandemic, which disproportionately impacted our most vulnerable populations,” state Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Tammi Oyadomari-Chun said in a news release last week. “We pay close attention to trends in CCRI outcomes since the CCRI provides the most consistent data of post-high outcomes of our graduates. The data are used to inform planning and support at the school and state levels as well as our partnership with the UH.”

College enrollment rates have risen slightly to 51 percent after dipping to 50 percent at the start of the pandemic, but the rate for the class of 2022 is still four percentage points lower than pre-pandemic levels.

College enrollment among Lahainaluna and Maui High 2022 graduates, by contrast, improved 5 percentage points from 2018 — 49 percent of Lahainaluna and 55 percent of Maui High students enrolled in a college somewhere in the U.S. Baldwin also saw a slight increase from 50 percent to 51 percent.

Meanwhile, college enrollment rates declined at Molokai High School (from 54 percent in 2018 to 30 percent in 2022), Hana High School (53 percent to 35 percent), King Kekaulike High School (from 55 percent to 50 percent) and Lanai High School (from 50 percent to 48 percent).

Across Hawaii public schools, Maui High had the biggest improvement (23 percentage points) in students graduating with honors in 2022 at 51 percent compared to 28 percent in 2018. Aiea and Kauai high schools were second and third at 45 and 43 percent, respectively, the report said.

Pandemic impacts and recovery have differed for various student groups. Native Hawaiian students saw the largest declines in college enrollment rates, decreasing from 44 percent in the class of 2019 to 35 percent in the class of 2020, and further dropping to 34 percent in the classes of 2021 and 2022.

The statewide on-time high school graduation rates also have dipped slightly from 86 to 85 percent.

The report also provides insight into how public school graduates have transitioned into college-level coursework at the University of Hawaii.

Among class of 2022 students who enrolled at UH campuses, 46 percent had completed a college-level math course in high school or enrolled in college-level math in their first semester, a one percentage point drop from the class of 2021.

However, for English, the percentage of students who completed a college-level English course in high school or enrolled in a college-level English course in their first semester dropped six percentage points to 59 percent, the lowest level since 2016.

“The headline of this year’s CCRI is that we are not seeing as many of our students continuing their education after graduation as in the past,” said Hawaii P-20 Partnerships for Education Executive Director Stephen Schatz. “What gives us reason for optimism is we have alignment among the DOE, UH and the broader education community to ensure that our students have more opportunities to further their education after high school and find good careers right here at home in Hawaii.”

Still, UH President David Lassner said that the university system is working to build pathways from high school to college and the workforce.

“Our 10 campuses have great programs for high school graduates, whether they envision becoming teachers, welders, doctors or entrepreneurs,” Lassner said. “And regardless of the pathway they choose, we want our public school graduates to know that there is a place for them at UH.”