Four-year gains outpace nation in all racial-ethnic groups

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The college enrollment rate of Chicago Public Schools graduates has climbed 6.5 percentage points over the last four years –outpacing the national rate in almost every category—since the district created a department aimed at boosting the number of students who go on to colleges and universities across the country, officials announced Tuesday.

Mayor Richard M. Daley and CPS officials on Tuesday announced that half of all CPS graduates in the Class of 2007 had enrolled in a college or university within the first year of high school graduation. The CPS Department of Postsecondary Education and Student Development also announced that even bigger jumps have been gauged in the number of students attending four-year universities and in the number of male students attending college, particularly among black and Latino graduates.

“Our schools have worked so hard over the past several years to lift students’ expectations, to help them see high school graduation not as an ending, but as only the first step toward a successful career in their chosen field,’’ Mayor Daley said at John Hope College Prep High School, 5515 South Lowe Ave., which has seen an increase of 20.6 percentage points in its college enrollment rate since 2004.

“The conversations in all of our high schools across the city are changing from ‘How do I get to graduation day?’ to ‘Where is the best place for me to continue my education?’” the mayor said.

In 2007 alone, the overall number of CPS graduates enrolling in post-secondary institutions rose by 2.1 percent over the previous year. Since 2004, when the CPS post-secondary department began tracking the college enrollment rate of graduates, the overall number has steadily climbed by about 2 percentage points.

The data, gathered from the National Student Clearinghouse, also shows that the percentage of CPS students attending four-year institutions also has steadily increased since 2004, from 60.2 percent to 68 percent in 2007. While two-year colleges are the appropriate choice for some students, in general students are much less likely to drop out of four-year colleges. The percentage of students attending college full-time also rose: from 68.2 percent of enrolled students in 2006 to 71.3 percent in 2007.

CPS has also seen a higher percentage of students enrolling in highly selective colleges, including Big Ten Conference universities (29.8 percent increase), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (9.8 percent increase), Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a group of liberal arts colleges which includes Carleton, the University of Chicago and Grinnell College (25.7 percent) and Associated Colleges of Illinois, which includes Lake Forest College and Knox College (24.4 percent).

“Our post-secondary department has developed a lot of great programs in a short time to help more of our students realize the dream of getting a college education,’’ said Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools. “In some cases, they’ve been helping kids overcome non-academic hurdles, like completing their financial aid forms, and in other cases, they have focused on ensuring that our students finish high school.”

A small portion of CPS’ overall gain in college enrollment over the past year – 0.5 percent – can be attributed to the inclusion of East-West University students, who had not been counted by the NSC previously.

College enrollment also continues to increase across all GPA categories since 2004, with the greatest increases coming from students with a 2.5 to 2.9 GPA (7.6 percent increase) and students with a 2.0 to 2.4 GPA (6.3 percent increase).

Meanwhile, CPS has considerably outgained the nation in every category since 2004:

• CPS’ overall college enrollment has gone up 6.5 percentage points, vs. the nation’s 0.5.
• Male students’ enrollment has increased 8.2 points, vs. the nation’s 4.7.
• Female students’ enrollment has increased 5.1 points, vs. the nation’s decrease of 3.2.
• African-American students’ enrollment has increased 7.4 points vs. the nation’s decrease of 5.9.
• Latino students’ enrollment increased 5.5 points vs. the nation’s 2.0

Postsecondary and the NSC also continue to track CPS graduates as they progress through college; retention numbers will be available later this year.

Duncan also reminded eighth-graders to sign up for Freshman Connection, a free summer program to be held at the eighth-graders’ destination high schools.

“That freshman year, that first year of high school is absolutely crucial,” Duncan said. “There are very bright students who get off-track for graduation during their freshman year, and never get back on. We want to do everything we can to get our students accustomed to the high school environment, so that they’re able to truly thrive there.”

CPS is offering incentives for eighth-graders who sign up and complete Freshman Connection. Students who registered before the early deadline of April 18 received iTunes gift cards. Students who attend the program and have two or fewer absences will receive mp3 players. CPS will also provide free CTA passes for every student in the program who needs one.

The Chicago Public Schools is the nation’s third-largest school system. It includes more than 600 schools and serves about 409,000 students.