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BY JUSTIN PEEPER
More than out of four seniors who graduated from Wells County’s three public high schools this spring say they will attend college this fall — an increase of nine percentage points from the Class of 2008.
Wells County’s Class of 2009 has the second-highest number of seniors in the past five years who say they will pursue higher education.
“You usually have higher enrollment when jobs are fewer and far between,” said Ken Ballinger, a guidance counselor at Bluffton High School. “The colleges all realize this and know that bad economic times means good enrollment times.”
About 55 percent of Wells graduates say they will attend a four-year college, while some 21 percent plan to study at a two-year college or enter a technical, trade, associate, vocational or apprenticeship program.
The News-Banner spoke with guidance department officials at each public high school and received information on 361 seniors from the Class of 2009.
Of those 361 graduates, 197, or 55 percent, plan to attend a four-year college this fall.
That number is up 11 percentage points from 44 percent last year at this time. The number of graduates across the county, however, is down slightly. Last year, 372 seniors graduated from Wells County public high schools, 11 more than this year.
The top two graduates at each of the county’s three public high schools plan to stay in Indiana for college.
Approximately 75 graduates, or 21 percent of the total seniors, say they will attend a two-year college, pursue a technical, associate, trade or vocational degree, or enter an apprenticeship.
That number is actually down from last year, when 23 percent of the 372 graduates — 84 students — said they would do the same.
About 19 graduates, or 5 percent, have plans to join the military.
Approximately 70 graduates, or 19 percent, plan to enter the work force or fill their time with something else.
The number of graduates joining the military, entering the work force or filling their time with something else is similar to what The News-Banner discovered last year.
In 2008, approximately 101 students, 27 percent, were expected to enter the workforce or fill their time with something else.
Twenty-three of last year’s graduates, 6 percent, said they planned to join the military last year.
The single biggest difference this year is the increased number of seniors planning to attend four-year colleges.
The economy may be one factor increasing college enrollment, but it didn’t cause Ballinger to change the advice he normally gives students. He tells students that a degree or other credentials will always serve them, regardless of the economic times.
“I tend to tell kids that regardless of the economy, it’s a good idea to get your education first,” he said.
During the past five years, 1,807 students have graduated from Wells County’s three public high schools, an average of 361 each year.
The highest percentage of students who said they were going to college was back in 2007, when 77 percent indicated they would pursue higher education. The lowest year was in 2008 when 67 percent planned to attend college.
The five-year average for attending college for Wells graduates is 72 percent.
When calculating this year’s percentages, The News-Banner rounded up, and a margin of error exists.