IDAHO STUDENTS' COLLEGE PROSPECTS

The Brookings Study

Back In August, Boise Schools posted an entry on the Data Points blog entitled "Findings of the Brookings Study and Our Idaho Reality". In the study, the Brookings authors explained that they look at rates of "some college attendance" in communities to evaluate where the economic health of those communities stands and where it may be going. They expect that in tech-heavy communities like Boise, 80% of students must have completed some college for the community to thrive.

Boise was one of the communities they evaluated, but they used Idaho statewide data to evaluate  economic prospects. The Data Points post used college-going data from the State Board of Education to take a look at where Treasure Valley schools stand.

According to the Boise post, in which they looked at individual high schools around the state, college-going is related to poverty at the high school level. So high schools like Eagle, Boise, Timberline, Mountain View, Rocky Mountain, and Centennial, all in the Boise and West Ada Districts, and all with very low free/reduced lunch percentages, all have "some college completion" rates close to or above 80%  three years after high school graduation. 

Other high schools in the valley such as Borah, Meridian, and the Nampa, Caldwell, and Vallivue schools, have much lower "some college completion" rates, and much higher percentages of free/reduced lunch.

An example of a district that has high percentages of free/reduced lunch and high "some college completion" rates is Parma, a district just west of Caldwell. A district benefactor established what equates to a "Promise Scholarship" fund many years ago which has helped Parma maintain a high "some college completion" percentage. 

It's an interesting post, well worth reading.

RISE/TVEP Senior Exit Survey

This week, RISE/TVEP will release its Senior Exit Survey results and have a meeting surrounding the results. It's another fascinating report, featuring data for the students of Treasure Valley large high schools, absent West Ada, which opted not to participate.

This year's exit survey saw some changes to particular questions, which means that results from previous years are not comparable and should not be compared to 2019 results. The questions asked in this version are, from our perspective, much improved. Over 4300 Treasure Valley students participated in the survey.

The Senior Exit Survey was administered by Dr. Jean Henscheid (principal investigator for the project), Dr. Matt Vaarstra, and Dr. Christie Fuller

Among the most important findings from this year's survey:

• 68% of students planned to continue their education immediately after high school - 48% at a 4=year college, 16% at a 2-year college, and 4% at a trade or technical school. Fewer than 50% of Idaho's seniors typically actually do "go on".
• Almost 60% of seniors indicated that they decided whether or not they'd go on in 11th or 12th grade.
• 76% of students indicated they had completed the FAFSA.  The majority said they had no issues completing it.
• Not wanting to take on debt is the most important factor for students as they decide what to do after high school.
• Though 81% of students said they planned to pay for college with scholarships...a quarter said they had not applied for any scholarships.
• 70% said they plan to work while going to college.
• Most high school seniors say they need help with money and with "adulting".
• More and more seniors are working part-time and taking AP or dual credit courses; fewer are involved in leadership opportunities, clubs and sports, or apprenticeships and internships.

The Senior Exit Survey provides excellent information and supports much of what the Boise District noted about the Brookings study. Money for college  is a primary factor for Treasure Valley high school students, and they are leery of taking on debt. They also clearly indicate the need for advice on how to do college and how to do "adulting".