Eighty-one percent of Wayne County students pick college
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 2, 2009 2:00 AM
More than 80 percent of Wayne County's recent high school graduates will attend colleges in the fall, according to an exit survey released this week by the district.
Of the 1,190 graduating seniors, 967, or 81.3 percent, indicated they will be going to either two-year or four-year schools.
Surveys indicated 294 students planned to attend four-year public colleges in North Carolina, and 10 planned to attend public institutions out of state. One hundred eighteen graduates had plans to attend private colleges in-state, while another 20 would seek their education at private colleges out of state.
District officials said 513 students intended to go to two-year community colleges in the state, and eight will attend comparable schools out of state. Four others plan to attend junior colleges, trade or business schools and nursing schools.
The remaining survey responses were for the military or workforce. Ninety-eight, or about 8.2 percent of the graduates, planned to enter the military, while 102, or 8.6 percent, planned to go directly to work. Twenty-three were undecided at the time of the survey.
"Our staff, along with the Board of Education, works tirelessly to prepare students for life after graduation," said Dr. Steven Taylor, schools superintendent. "As educators, it is always rewarding when graduates elect to pursue rigorous challenges and expand their learning opportunities by attending schools of higher learning."