High School Benchmarks

 The High School Benchmarks report series is designed for secondary education practitioners and policymakers to be able to benchmark key postsecondary outcomes of their high school graduates as measured by enrollment, first-year persistence, and eventual completion of a postsecondary credential. Secondary education practitioners can use these benchmarks to evaluate and monitor progress in assisting students to make the transition from high school to college. The student outcomes are disaggregated by high school characteristics based on income level, minority enrollment, and locale to ensure that the postsecondary outcomes provided can be relevant to the specific needs and characteristics of different types of high schools.

National Highlights

• Immediate postsecondary enrollment rates increased particularly among graduates of low income and high minority high schools. Despite these early signs of recovery, the overall enrollment rate is still below pre-pandemic levels.
• The 2020 graduates who did not go to college immediately during the first pandemic fall, for the most part, still remained unenrolled two years later according to our special analysis.
• Disparities in STEM completions continued, with graduates of low poverty high schools most likely of any high school type completing a STEM credential, especially in Engineering.