SPRINGFIELD — Only 39% of Springfield Public Schools’ Class of 2024 enrolled in college the fall after high school graduation, district officials reported at the October 2 School Committee meeting, marking a sharp decline from previous years and falling well below state and national averages.
Even more concerning, just 28% of those students returned for a second year, according to data presented by Dr. Yolanda Johnson, chief of student services at Springfield Public Schools, and her post-secondary success team.
“This slide reminds us that it is not enough to get students into college, but we must get them through college with a degree,” said one presenter during the district’s report on college persistence rates.
College enrollment has steadily declined since 2015. Officials said just 590 students from the 2024 graduating class enrolled in either two or four-year colleges, despite many more stating college as their intended path during surveys conducted prior to graduation.
School Committee Vice Chair LaTonia Monroe Naylor highlighted the gap between what students say they plan to do after graduation and what they actually end up doing. “So they’ll say at the end of the school year they’re going to college, and then something happens within those two months that they don’t make it there,” Naylor said. “It would be really good to know a little more about why they’re not there.”
Among the report’s key findings:
- Latino students, who make up the largest demographic in the district, had the lowest college enrollment rate at 34% in 2024.
- Female students outpaced males in college enrollment by 17 percentage points in 2024.
- Among the top 10 colleges Springfield students enrolled in immediately after graduation in 2024, 31% chose Springfield Technical Community College, followed by Western New England University (11%) and Holyoke Community College (8%).
Dr. Johnson emphasized that the issue is part of a broader economic and systemic challenge in the city.
“Graduating from high school is a landmark achievement for our students,” she said. “But Springfield Public Schools does not want this to be their last and only credential.”
The presentation highlighted a concerning long-term trend as well. For example, just 22% of the Class of 2017 earned a two or four-year college degree within six years of graduation — 10% completed a two-year degree, and 12% a four-year degree. The numbers for the Class of 2018 were even lower, with 11% earning a four-year degree and 8% earning a two-year degree.
“There is a direct correlation between educational attainment and annual earnings,” said Rosa Valentine, Director of the Multilingual Learners Program. “As a Latino person, this is heavy on my heart. When I look at these numbers and percentages, it really is heavy on my heart.”
School committee members discussed possible solutions, including improving outreach to recent graduates over the summer, increasing financial aid support, and even making FAFSA completion a graduation requirement — a proposal supported by Committee Member Joesiah Gonzalez.
“Ideally, to drive this number of 39% into a post-secondary pathway, this body [should] make FAFSA a requirement,” Gonzalez said.
Vice Chairwoman LaTonia Monroe-Naylor urged the district to engage students directly to learn why they make certain post-graduation choices — including how they perceive the value of college amid shifting economic realities.
“Everybody knows that that’s a conversation that’s happening right now across the world,” Monroe-Naylor said. “People are talking about whether or not college is the thing to do; and when you see so many entrepreneurs making millions of dollars who never made it through a college, it’s like people are wondering what should we do, right?”
Dr. Rose Boulay, Promise Program Administrator for Springfield Public Schools, said the district’s post-secondary support systems — including “summer melt” checklists distributed beginning May 1 to guide graduates through enrollment, as well as access to counselors and financial aid advisors — are already in place. She noted, however, that once students start summer jobs, many stop responding to calls or emails despite ongoing outreach efforts.
“Students often times find themselves in a real financial pinch by the time they get to sophomore year,” At-Large School Committee Member Denise Hurst added, “because they’ve been overpackaged by the institution for their freshman year and come sophomore year they don’t have any money and they can’t move forward.”
The school committee requested more disaggregated data by school, race, and program type to better understand disparities and pinpoint interventions. Several members also urged stronger follow-up with graduates one year after completion to see whether their stated plans were realized.
“We just want better outcomes,” said Dr. Johnson. “We want to close the gap on what kids actually say they’re going to do and what actually happens.”
The district’s post-secondary success team said it will continue to refine tracking tools, expand survey efforts, and explore more robust career pathway counseling — including for trade and entrepreneurial options — to ensure more students succeed beyond high school.
