Of the 3.1 million students ages 16 to 24 who graduated from high school between January and October 2023, 1.9 million (61.4%) were enrolled in colleges or universities in October of that year, according to a recent analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s a bit lower compared to the 62.0% rate in October 2022 and far below the pre-Covid rate of 66.2% in October 2019.
The proportion of high school graduates ages 16 to 24 attending a four-year college or university compared with those attending a two-year college has been rising in recent years, the agency says in its opens in a new windowEconomic Daily publication. Among those enrolled in a college or university, 74.6% of recent high school graduates went to a four-year institution in October 2023, compared with 25.4% who went to a two-year college. The percentage for community colleges has been steadily declining since its 36.9% rate in October 2018. The sector reached its high point in October 2012, when 43.4% of 16-to-24-year-olds attended a two-year college in the fall after graduating high school that spring.
The report is based on BLS’s Current Population Survey, a nationwide survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on employment and unemployment. The opens in a new window October 2023 data shows that among recent high school graduates who enrolled in community college, half (50.8%) were also working. Overall, 57.6% of two-year college students were in the workforce, compared to 43.7% of four-year college students.