Recently, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a new Data Point report based on the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, a national study of more than 23,000 students in ninth grade in 2009). The findings provide insight into how students’ views on college affordability in high school are connected to their college enrollment and employment rates three years after high school. Highlights of the report are below:
- Students were more likely to attend college within three years of completing high school if they thought that their family could afford it.
- 58% of students who thought their family could afford to send them to college (“afforders”) in high school were enrolled in college three years later.
- 38% of students who thought their family could not afford to send them to college (“non-afforders”) during high school were enrolled three years later.
- Students were more likely to be employed (full-time or part time) instead of enrolled in postsecondary education if they thought that their family could not afford college during high school.
- 43% of non-afforders were employed three years after high school, compared to 32% of afforders.
