Wayne schools release college numbers
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 16, 2007 1:46 PM
Exit surveys from Wayne County Public Schools showed that nearly 87 percent of 2007 graduates have college plans for the fall, officials announced this week.
The total reflects a 3 percent increase of students pursuing higher education over the previous year.
The seven public high schools had 1,144 graduates this year. Of those, 995 indicated plans to continue their education at a two- or four-year college.
Broken down further, 351 announced intentions to attend four-year public colleges in North Carolina, while 22 will go to out-of-state public institutions. Eighty-seven intend to go to four-year private colleges in-state, while three will enroll at out-of-state schools.
The largest number plan to attend a community college -- 492 in-state, six out of state. Thirty-four others noted plans to attend junior colleges, trade schools, business schools or nursing schools.
Schools superintendent Dr. Steven Taylor said it is exciting to see so many of the graduating students planning to further their education.
"As educators, it is our goal to ensure students are well equipped to handle the pressures and demands of life after graduation," he said. "It is rewarding when graduates elect to pursue rigorous challenges and expand their learning opportunities by attending schools of higher learning."
The remaining graduates noted they were either going into the military or directly to the workforce. Fifty-two checked that they had plans to go to work after high school, while 45 went into the military. The other 52 students who received diplomas were undecided at the time of the survey.