Report: DOE Class of 2011 College Enrollment Increases

Hawai'i Department of Education logo.

By Rodney S. Yap

53% of Hawaii’s public high schools’ Class of 2011 enrolled in college for the Fall semester following their commencement, an increase of 3% over the previous years’ graduating class enrollment.

That’s according to a new study released Wednesay, May 16, by the Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education and the Hawai‘i State Department of Education.

“The College and Career Readiness Indicators report is an important tool that provides the information we need to see if our state is improving the college-going rate of our public high school students, and to gauge progress on their assessments and college remediation rates.  This information is invaluable to the Hawai‘i P-20 mission of 55% of working age adults having a 2- or 4-year college degree by 2025,” said Karen Lee, Executive Director of Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education.

“We are very pleased to see college-going rates and college preparation increase over the past three years.”

“Today’s report is encouraging, and the upward trend in college-going rates is a positive sign for the state’s economic outlook,” said DOE Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “The College and Career Readiness Indicators report provides school administrators and educators with a diverse set of data that will help inform critical decision-making to ensure our graduates are ready to enter college and compete in a global workforce.”

Hawaii P-20 logo.

Nanakuli High School increased its college-going rate by 12% over two years.  Kalani High School tops the state with 81% of their students entering postsecondary education followed by Mililani, Moanalua, Roosevelt, and Waiakea at 67%.

The University of Hawai‘i remains the top choice for students, with 40% of the Class of 2011 enrolled in one of ten UH campuses for the Fall 2011 semester.  This represents 80% of those graduates who entered college.

The College and Career Readiness Indicators (CCRI) report presents information on how well Hawai‘i public school graduates are prepared to meet the DOE’s Vision of a High School Graduate.  It is an annual collaboration between the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i, coordinated by Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education. The full reports can be found at:   http://www.p20hawaii.org/node/122.