High School Benchmarks
National college progression rates for high schools participating in the National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker service
September 19, 2023
This eleventh annual report provides the most current data on high school graduates’ postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion outcomes. These data are the most relevant benchmarks for monitoring and evaluating progress in assisting students to make the high school to college transition and earn a credential in a timely manner.
The current report examines college enrollment for the high school graduating class of 2022, persistence for the class of 2020, and completion for the class of 2016. Large gaps persist between higher- and low-income high schools on all fronts.
This year’s report also includes a special follow-up analysis on the Class of 2020 that examines the continued impact of the pandemic on college enrollment.
For the first time, the High School Benchmarks report is presented as a data dashboard-only publication. Data contributing to these analyses are available for download.
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.
High School Benchmarks
High School Graduating Classes of 2016, 2020, and 2022
Compare postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion rates by high school characteristics using the tabs at the top of the dashboard.
