Students Say K12 Education Leads to Higher College Enrollment, Preparation for Success

It’s no secret that K12 students are likely to be college-bound students. Many are high achievers, displaying the determination, talents, and unique brilliance an online education can nurture.

In fact, 90 percent of K12 high school seniors responding to a spring 2015 survey believe that their K12 curriculum has helped prepare them for future success.

“K12 and OHVA [Ohio Virtual Academy] have given me the ability to forge my own path, and the flexibility and encouragement to keep going,” says Jessica Syme, a Class of 2015 success story profiled in Learning Liftoff’s Class Acts Series. “Ohio Virtual Academy has given me a love of learning, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next!”

For the majority, the journey moves forward with college enrollment. In the April survey of 1,525 soon-to-be graduates, nearly nine out of ten (87 percent) said they planned to continue their education, with more than half of those planning to attend a four-year college or university.

That’s considerably higher than the 68.4 percent of recent grads (ages 1624) in the general population who graduated from high school between January and October 2014 and were enrolled in colleges or universities in October 2014, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

That’s a plus for K12 grads. Despite an ever-changing job market, there’s no doubt that college continues to have a major impact when it comes to careers and earning potential.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2013, young adults with a bachelor’s degree typically earned 62 percent more ($48,500 to $30,000) than high school graduates without a similar degree. In 2012, roughly 73 percent of those ages 25-34 with a bachelor’s degree or higher were employed in year-round, full-time jobs, compared to 60 percent of those with only a high school diploma.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicates that the unemployment rate for recent high school grads not enrolled in school was 28.8 percent, nearly twice the rate of recent graduates enrolled in college (14.5 percent).

One interesting trend, however, is the increasing number of high school seniors planning to start their college careers at two-year colleges. In 2012, the national rate for high school graduates enrolling in two-year schools immediately after graduation was 29 percent.

Of the 87 percent of K12 high school seniors planning to continue their education, 40 percent said they  would most likely attend a two-year college or vocational school, with 14 percent saying they will most likely continue their education by focusing on  vocational/technical/apprenticeship/certification programs.

Lydia DePillis, writing for the Washington Post noted: “Over the past few years high schoolers have also heard the message that getting a B.A. (bachelors degree) isn’t necessarily the best or the only way to find their place in the workforce. … People in two-year degree programs … might start to eat away at the number of kids doing the whole four-year enchilada.”

Unable to predict the future, there is no way to determine how many two-year college enrollees might eventually transfer to four-year colleges. What is becoming predictable is the way K12 students feel about their courses, their schools and their readiness to tackle whatever comes there way.

When the K12 high school seniors were asked to agree or disagree with statements about the K12 curriculum and their school:

  • 94% indicated they have benefited academically from the K12 curriculum
  • 95% indicated they have benefited academically from their school
  • 90% agreed that K12 curriculum helped prepare them for future success

To receive a free information kit about K12 schools or to speak with an enrollment consultant, visit K12.com.


Featured Image © K12 Inc.

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