of area grads going
to four-year colleges
Between 35% and 71%
of area grads going
to four-year colleges
BY JOLENE HART
Staff Writer
As high schools adjust to the growing importance of their role as a steppingstone to higher education, greater emphasis is being placed on college preparation.
But even with the focus on earlier preparation to encourage college attendance, do our schools rate adequately in the post-graduate spectrum?
The state Department of Education reports in its 2001-02 report card that 81.2 percent of New Jersey’s public high school graduates planned to continue their education at a two-year or four-year college.
In 2003, however, the post-graduation education rates at some local public high schools are struggling to reflect those numbers.
According to the report cards, released by the state last week, some 71.1 percent of East Brunswick High School graduating students in 2003 intended to continue their education at a four-year college or university. An additional 19 percent planned to attend a two-year college. These figures, among the highest in the area, have remained stable for East Brunswick in recent years.
In neighboring South River, only 35.9 percent of graduating students planned to attend a four-year school, while 31.7 percent reported that they would pursue a two-year college degree. The combined rate is comparable to past percentages of students continuing their education after graduating from South River High School, although the trend in the borough is moving toward a more even split between two- and four-year colleges.
The report cards note, however, that a large number of South River seniors — 13.4 percent — remained undecided, a number that could have significantly changed the figures for 2003.
Other schools in the area have shown more moderate percentages.
Spotswood High School, a school with a high 98.7 percent graduation rate, reported that 50.8 percent of students were going on to attend a four-year college or university, with 36 percent attending a two-year college.
Monroe (48.4 percent to four-year colleges, 35.4 percent to two-year schools), Sayreville (48.5 percent to four-year schools, 35.4 percent to two-year colleges) and Old Bridge (49.3 and 30.8 percent) reported rather steady rates over the past three years. Growth and loss have come in smaller percentage points since 2001 and 2002, the years referenced in the report cards.
What factors are contributing to these varying post-grad education rates? While there is no strict trend that claims responsibility, strong curriculum and extracurricular offerings, as well as early guidance from parents and counselors, weigh in with the most influence, according to school officials.
Districts that offer college-prep courses, including an array of advanced placement (AP) courses, generally produced more students who planned to continue their education after graduation from high school.
According to Myron Small, Guidance Department chairman at East Brunswick High School, the school offers 21 AP courses, and more than 800 AP tests were administered last year. The district is planning a new program, a "senior college experience," to further bridge the gap between high school and college.
"There is a tremendous amount of parental support in public education in East Brunswick, and that’s a critical piece," Small said.
East Brunswick High School offers a year-round college counselor at its College and Career Center, a facility that Small believes is unique in the area.
"Students also meet with college counselors at least three times each year," Small said.
As the curriculum offerings at each school closely rely on sufficient student enrollment, smaller districts such as South River are placed at a disadvantage.
South River High School does not offer AP courses, but has established a partnership with Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, that allows students on an accelerated course path to earn college credit.
"This can help out enormously with college tuition costs. Students can earn up to 18 credits," said Paul Coleman, principal of South River High School. According to Coleman, the school has been working to inform students about college prep and advanced courses as early as eighth grade.
"We are a small but very nurturing school. We have been very proactive in promoting the importance of going to college," Coleman said.
While each of the six schools fell within a few points of the state average for SAT scores — 518 mathematics and 500 verbal in 2002-03 — East Brunswick students averaged above those scores (593 mathematics and 549 verbal).
Small again cited a combination of parental support and quality education.
"This is instilled at an extremely young age," he said.
Other area schools most commonly showed a slight increase in SAT scores, with the movement bringing schools closer to meeting the state average score.
In recent years, Monroe Township High School has scored above the state average SAT scores. In 2003, Monroe earned average scores of 513 in mathematics and 502 in verbal.
South River students’ average SAT scores in mathematics have risen steadily in the past three years — from 464 in 2001 to 487 in 2002, to 511 in 2003, bringing them near the state average math score of 518. Average SAT verbal scores in South River also rose from 474 in 2001 to 476 in 2002 to 498 in 2003.
Average SAT scores at Sayreville War Memorial High School and Old Bridge High School decreased slightly, after increasing from 2001 to 2002.
Sayreville students scored an average of 496 in mathematics and 486 in verbal — down from 505 in math and 490 in verbal in 2002. Old Bridge students earned an average of 511 in mathematics and 494 verbal — an overall decrease from 524 math and 502 verbal in 2002.
The percentage of students who took the SAT reached a three-year high in Sayreville, Old Bridge, Spotswood and East Brunswick.