Smaller Share of High School Grads Going to College

Neil Shah:

The recession convinced many young American high-school graduates to take refuge in college instead of try their luck in a lousy job market. New research indicates that trend may be unwinding.

The college enrollment rate -- the share of recent U.S. high-school graduates enrolling in college or a university in the same year -- dropped in 2012 to 66.2%, the lowest level since 2006, the Labor Department said in a report on Wednesday. For 2012 graduates, the rate dropped for both men and women, to 61.3% from 64.6% in 2011, and 71.3% from 72.3%, respectively.

The findings suggest some high-school graduates are becoming more confident about their job prospects after years of hiding out by going to college. When the economy sank into recession between 2007 and 2009, the college enrollment rate rose steadily to a record high of 70.1%. The implosion of America's construction industry, for example, meant fewer jobs for young men looking for work right out of high school. Now it appears some of these young graduates are going on the job market again.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 22, 2013 1:45 AM
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