This is the lowest percentage in at least the last decade
A report from the Arizona Board of Regents indicates that less than half of Arizona High School graduates went on to college last year. This is the lowest percentage of high school students moving on to college in at least the last decade. Last year, about 46% of Arizona’s 2020 public high school class enrolled in a two- or four-year college, down from about 53% in 2019 and compared with 66% nationally in 2019.
According to the analysis from the Board of Regents, if these “patterns continue, more than 75% of current ninth graders will have only a high school diploma or less six years after their class graduates. The analysis also says that the low college entrance rate “poses a significant concern for the state’s economic future, which is expected to demand more educated workers.”
Arizona has set a goal of having 60% of adults with any postsecondary certificate or degree by 2030. Arizona is now at 46%, compared with 45% in 2019.
Source: Arizona Republic report by Alison Steinbach, December 13, 2021.