College enrollment declines amid COVID-19 pandemic, report finds

The percentage of 2020 high school graduates immediately attending college this fall declined by 21.7% compared to 2019 graduates, a newly released report on “High School Benchmarks 2020” found.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s eighth annual report “High School Benchmarks 2020: With a COVID-19 Special Analysis” published Dec. 10 found that COVID-19 impacted immediate college enrollment rates.

“Public college enrollment among graduates of low-income high schools declined at disproportionately higher rates, revealing impediments to college access during COVID-19,” the report said.

The report examined high school graduating class of 2019’s immediate college enrollment, class of 2017’s persistence and class of 2013’s completion. 

“In response to the increasing need for up-to-date enrollment information during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s report features a special look at how the pandemic has impacted the immediate college enrollment rates for the 2020 high school graduates,” the report said.

The report said that preliminary data shows “little evidence that COVID-19 impacted high school graduation.”

“The preliminary High School Benchmarks report for the class of 2020 shows that graduates of higher-income, low-minority and suburban high schools continue to demonstrate higher levels of college enrollment than their counterparts from low-income, high-minority and urban high schools,” the report said. “During COVID-19, enrollment gaps not only remain, but disparities are magnified particularly for students from low-income high schools.”

Kim Cook, executive director of the National College Attainment Network, said in the Dec. 10 webinar “Is the High School to College Pipeline Broken? The Data Says Yes” that the report confirms the worst fears of spring and summer of disruptions for students.

“The data confirms the early warning signs we experienced – declines in FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) completion, declines in fee-waiver applications, declines in testing sites, declines in college applications – were indeed the proverbial canaries in the coal mine of what was to come for high school class of 2020 and likely the class of 2021. If we fail to respond to this crisis of opportunity, equity and economic health of our country, this data must be an urgent call to action," Cook said.