In the United States education is compulsory (i.e. required) through high school. In theory high school is intended to prepare our youth for adulthood; teaching them life skills, critical thinking skills and an ability to work with others. However, for a majority of high school graduates, that purpose has evolved into preparation for college.
According to one school district in New York “High school provides many different opportunities and experiences to become more marketable for colleges.” If the purpose of high school now is to become attractive to colleges, do high schools focus too much on college and is this contributing to the student debt crisis?
The Shift to Higher Education
In 2021 roughly 63% of high school graduates moved on to college after graduation, up by more than 20% versus 1980 graduates. Since the mid-twentieth century high school graduation rates have climbed along with college enrollment rates.
Parents and schools have impressed upon recent generations (specifically Gen Y aka Millennials & Gen Z) that white collar jobs (generally attained with a college degree) are more likely to lead to a successful life than blue collar jobs. As such, the trades (construction, plumbing, electrical etc.) have been somewhat stigmatized, sometimes seen as an option for those who wouldn’t or couldn’t go to college.
With the recent attention on unprecedented student debt, mindsets are changing, and more and more students are looking to alternative paths than college. Trade schools are regaining respect, community college and online schools are being considered and gap years are growing in popularity as students carve out new roads to success, paths that will cost less.
Teaching to the “College Admissions” Test
While students are beginning to change, schools are still the same. School districts are often criticized for “teaching to the test”, focusing curriculum and lessons in such a way that students will perform better on tests. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) classes have grown in popularity, while home economics, wood, metal, and auto shop classes and even drivers’ education classes have all but disappeared. Classes for real world skills such as money management are often overlooked to make room for more college prep courses like AP Calculus.
Many kids are now even “double accelerated” in some subjects, meaning they can start high school level classes in middle school so they can take college level (AP – Advanced Placement) classes in high school. Course planning is designed to show college readiness and often includes extra years of math and foreign language to help stand out in the admissions process. In fact, to ensure kids are college ready, 22 states require students to take an SAT or ACT test (without cost) before they can graduate. High school appears to have defaulted to become an automatic opt-in to the "college track" type of environment.
College Application Assistance
College application season typically runs from fall to spring, meaning High School seniors will be sending off applications shortly after returning for their last year and hearing back from colleges before attending graduation ceremonies. A survey conducted in February 2024 of 1,000 students by Edvisors revealed that high schools are playing a large part in helping students apply to and get into college but not doing enough to communicate the financial implications that come with attending college.
The Survey Results:
- 83% Students acknowledged that their high school helped them with information on college admissions
- Most of this assistance came Senior Year when college applications are due
- Assistance came both from a college counselor on campus as well as directly in class from teachers
- A majority of the students felt they received enough information to help them apply for college but not enough to know their options for paying for it.
Is this Focus on College Good or Bad?
College clearly has many benefits. It teaches and trains students to go out into the world and work in specific fields that match their interests and passions. It creates higher earning potential for graduates and fosters an environment to establish a professional network to leverage after graduation. It serves as a transition between childhood and adulthood, where independence and responsibilities are given but contained within a somewhat controlled environment.
Unfortunately, college is not free. Unlike high school where everyone can attend for free (at least in public high schools) college comes with a price tag. This is especially true for students looking to attend elite private schools where it can cost upwards of $80,000 per year for 4-5 years. The average college graduate has over $30,000 in student loan debt. Young adults are starting out in this world in debt.
High schools with their emphasis on college, however well intentioned, may be sending some kids off into a situation that they can’t afford; and we have to wonder, are the kids making informed decisions or going along with it simply because it can seem the only path to success.
Maybe if high school focused more on preparing our youth for adulthood; teaching them life skills (like creating a budget) and critical thinking skills (like weighing the costs of a specific college degree vs the return on investment) we might have students working smarter not harder on their life goals.
Students should go to college, not because they feel like they are on some ride that starts in middle school and ends with a college degree, but because college will help them achieve specific goals. They should choose college intentionally, with much consideration and thought, and do what is right for them individually and not what is generally expected of kids after high school.