Just 53% of Indiana high school grads went to college in ’20

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The pandemic prompted the proportion of Indiana highschool graduates pursuing school or different post-secondary coaching to fall by six share factors, to 53%, in 2020, the state’s Fee for Greater Training mentioned.

That drop additionally marked an 18% decline from the place it stood in 2015, the fee mentioned in its Faculty Readiness Report launched Thursday.

“Indiana’s sharp one-year college-going decline is alarming, and we’ve to deal with it as such. We all know particular person lives and the state’s financial system rely upon and thrive with an informed society,” mentioned Chris Lowery, who grew to become Indiana’s commissioner for larger training in April.

The report reveals that the beforehand incremental decline within the share of scholars going immediately from highschool to some type of school — from lower than one-year certificates via four-year levels — sped up in 2020, doubtless because of the impression of the pandemic. Over 5 years, the full decline was 12 share factors.

The decline within the college-going charge for 2020 from the earlier college 12 months meant about 4,000 fewer highschool graduates went to varsity than the 12 months earlier than, the report mentioned. The drop was absorbed virtually totally by the state’s public schools as a result of practically the identical variety of Indiana highschool grads went to personal or out-of-state colleges as within the earlier 12 months.

In 2015, 65% of Indiana highschool graduates went to varsity or into different post-secondary coaching.

Lowery mentioned the state “should look past the standard approaches to training for each youth and grownup learners.”

“This calls for extra intentional partnerships with our larger training establishments and employers, in addition to strengthened insurance policies and programming aligned to pupil success,” he mentioned.

The report really useful routinely enrolling all eligible college students within the twenty first Century Students program. At present, fewer than half of eligible college students enroll in this system, regardless of its success at making certain that college students have entry to and are ready for school.

The report additionally really useful rising funding for the Frank O’Bannon Grant, which yearly helps over 30,000 Hoosiers afford school. Funding for the grant was reduce considerably through the 2007-2009 Nice Recession. The report known as for returning grant ranges to the inflation-adjusted pre-Nice Recession ranges of 2008-09, which might quantity to a 35% enhance.