Email |

Local students' college graduation rate 40 percent

Published November 28th, 2009 | 5 Comments

Nearly 40 percent of area 2003 high school graduates who enrolled in a Tennessee public college or university received a degree by the fall of 2008, according to figures provided to the Times-News by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

But approximately 37 percent of the students who enrolled in a college or university withdrew before getting a degree within five years. The remaining 23 percent were still in an undergraduate program after the fall of 2008.

THEC provided data on students from the 2003 high school classes in Sullivan, Washington and Hawkins counties.

More than half the students from one Sullivan County school — Sullivan South — had earned a certificate or degree by the fall of 2008.

While another Sullivan County school — Sullivan North — was at the other extreme with a little more than 23.4 percent in that category.

Jack Barnes, director of schools for Sullivan County, said a lot has changed since 2003, and he believes all four county high schools will have better outcomes in the future.

The standard measure these days is to allow five or six years to get a bachelor’s degree, Barnes said.

“Everybody is going to be better prepared to go in and meet the demands of a four-year or two-year school,” Barnes said.

He said the Diploma On Time program, which started last year at Sullivan Central High School and expanded to all four schools this year, allows students who are behind in attaining the 28 credits required for a Sullivan County diploma to receive a state diploma with 20 hours of credit.

Those students can’t go directly to a four-year school, Barnes said, but they can go to a technology center or community college and eventually can transfer to a four-year school.

In addition, for this year’s freshman class, the state has beefed up minimum requirements to include four years of math and other academic rigor through the Tennessee Diploma Project.

“I think we’re going to produce a better student,” Barnes said.

In the past, high school officials have said part of the reason for high school graduates dropping out or having to take remedial or development courses was that the high school curriculum in Tennessee did not match what knowledge and skills students needed to succeed in college.

Barnes said the hope is the Tennessee Diploma Project will make a large improvement in that area.

In addition, he said North this year for the first time became a Title 1 school, since more than 50 percent of the study body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That federal program will provide more money for programs at North.

The THEC data on the local 2003 graduating classes showed that as of the end of the 2007-08 school year, of 2,747 high school graduates who enrolled in public institutions between the fall of 2003 and the fall of 2008:

•1,021 — 37.2 percent — withdrew without any certificate or degree as of the fall of 2008. That compares with a state total of 18,728 — 38.6 percent — out of 48,496 graduates.

•1,087 — 39.6 percent — got a certificate, associate degree or bachelor’s degree by the end of 2007-08. This includes 167 who were enrolled in graduate school in the fall of 2008. The state total was 19,057, or 39.3 percent.

•644 — 23.4 percent — were still enrolled as undergraduates in the fall of 2008. The state total was 10,711, or 22.1 percent.

The graduating class with the highest rate of getting at least a certificate was Sullivan South High School at 163 of 284 students — 57.3 percent.

Close behind was University School in Johnson City at 38 of 77, or 49.3 percent, and Kingsport’s Dobyns-Bennett High School at 179 of 377, or 47.5 percent. The lowest was Sullivan North High School at 32 of 138, or 23.2 percent, with Volunteer High School at 55 of 173, or 31.8 percent.

The percentages could be different if the data from students who went to private or out-of-state schools was considered, and THEC officials said they plan to have that information available in the future.

Among those schools with the highest withdrawal rates, Volunteer had 83 of 173 — 48 percent — drop out, while North had 67 of 138 — 48.5 percent — drop out.

Discuss This Story

Be the first to comment: Sign In or Create Profile .

This tells me that 60% of parents are fooled by their children into extending their youth so that they don't have to go to work. People want to keep their children from facing reality so they think their kid has it.... It is only 40% people... Teach them a trade and make them use their hands and brains at the same time. That is why we can't fill the positions that the Hispanic fill, the reasons that factories go overseas, the reason that Eastman went to hell. NOBODY want to do any work...

grumpy old man | 11/29/2009 - 7:42 PM - ( Comment

Suggest Removal )

Kevin, the fees at the university are per semester. You pay 50% more if you take 6 years instead of 4. Also, financial aid such as tuition grants stops after the 4th year, so the cost can suddenly becomes quite expensive in that 5th year. However, the university only has to pay the administrative cost of evaluation and enrollment once, so encouraging students to piddle on increases their profit.

The cheapest way to get a 4 year degree is to get it in 4 years. Actually, students who were not pot heads in high school and who bothered to take a AP courses can graduate in 3 years.

Right now students arrive at college and the first thing most have to do is enroll in remedial math and english classes.

Jeremiah Jones | 11/29/2009 - 3:31 PM - ( Comment

Suggest Removal )

At the rate costs have cone up, it probably does take 5 or 6 years to get that bachelors degree nowadays.

Our standard of living in this country is declining, even before people graduate college.

Kevin D | 11/29/2009 - 10:52 AM - ( Comment

Suggest Removal )

When they graduate high school in England they are eaqul to a Junior in College in the USA.

Why is that allowed to go on ?

Get the non education stuff out of school.

Move all sports to the boys and girls clubs then spend all day in classes learning no excerising.

James Wilson | 11/29/2009 - 8:58 AM - ( Comment

Suggest Removal )

"The standard measure these days is to allow five or six years to get a bachelor’s degree."

This is not the standard. And given that less than 40% graduate at all within this period, it can not even possibly be the average.

Jeremiah Jones | 11/29/2009 - 12:18 AM - ( Comment

Suggest Removal )

To comment, you must register.

Comments are the sole responsibility of the registered user participating in online discussions. You agree not to post comments off topic, abusive, obscene, defamatory, vulgar, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned.

Click here to review our complete user agreement.

Times-News Online on Facebook