What percentage of Minnesota high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education in the year following graduation?
The rate at which recent high school graduates enroll in college is known as the college participation rate.1 Specifically, this indicator shows the percentage of Minnesota high school graduates enrolling in postsecondary education within a 12-month period following high school graduation. Minnesota’s performance on this measure may indicate the effectiveness of college awareness initiatives and the success of college recruiting and outreach targeted to Minnesota high school students. College participation is also heavily influenced by the academic preparation of high school students. Minnesota ranked ninth in the nation in 2006, with 68 percent of the state’s 2005-2006 high school graduates enrolling in college directly from high school.2 All state participation rates rose between 2004 and 2006. Minnesota’s college participation rate is notably strong, since it also has one of the highest high school graduation rates in the nation. Larger proportions of this age group are graduating a
