Record number of city high school grads enrolled in college, vocational school

NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza touted Monday the record success of city graduates enrolling in college and post-high school programs. Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin

The number of New York City public high school graduates enrolling in college and other programs increased last year to 59 percent, city Education Department officials said Monday.

That number includes students from the Class of 2017 who enrolled in two and four-year colleges, as well as vocational and public service programs. It is a 2 percent increase from the previous year.

The city touted a record-high 45,115 students from that class who entered college, crediting its College Access for All initiative which waived application fees to City University of New York Schools for students from low-income homes.

The statistics were included in the recently released 2017-18 School Quality Reports, which also included “snapshots” of individual schools in addition to state test scores.

“We are opening the doors of opportunity to young New Yorkers regardless of ZIP code, and we are giving them the start and skills they need to succeed in the 21st century,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.

The Education Department also said 51 percent of students in the 2017-18 school year — an increase of 3 percent from 2016-17 — were “college ready,” meaning they had graduated on-time and met CUNY standards for English and math.

Part of the increase could be attributed to changes CUNY made in 2017 to its requirements, but city officials are crediting “improved student achievement.”

“Today we celebrate our record college enrollment — a direct result of the hard work of our students, educators and families — and pledge to continue our gains,” NYC Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said in a statement.