College attendance by DV grads down by 10 percent

By Anya Tikka
MILFORD — Even as Delaware Valley High School students continue to stay in school and improve their SAT scores, their rate of college attendance has gone down by 10 percent.

Jennifer Cosentino, Guidance Department chair for the Delaware Valley School District, presented statistics at the last school board meeting in response to one of the most-asked questions: Where do DV graduates go when they leave?

The good news about SATs and drop-out rates was tempered by the news that the percentage of graduates continuing to post-secondary education is going down, from highs of 89 percent in 2005 and 90 percent in 2012, to this year’s 80 percent.

Those percentages are for “institutions of higher learning," Cosentino said. Add in the armed services, and the number jumps to 84 percent (see sidebar). Add those who take nondegree programs, and the number rises again to 89 percent.

Data on how many graduates go on to two-year colleges and how many to four-year colleges was not available, she said.

Some graduates go on to certificate or apprentice programs in beauty, welding, and other trades oriented fields, Cosentino explained.

Test scores upFrom 2009 to 2014, the latest figures on the slides presented by Cosentino, the school’s average SAT test results have steadily improved in all the three components: reading, writing, and math. The district is also scoring higher than schools statewide and nationally.

The graphs are calculated straight from the College Board figures, Cosentino said.

“Most colleges have a minimum SAT requirement," she said, responding to a board member who asked about the relevancy of SAT scores. "Some have optional requirements, and some want more information about students themselves."

Among the school’s Advance Placement course test results, 6 made it to the National Advanced Placement Scholar level, scoring 4 or higher in each test. Seventy-two altogether passed.

The district’s dropout rate currently runs at 0.77 percent and is on a downward trend. In 2010, the rate was only 0.48 percent, down from a high of 1.6 percent in 2013.