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Why This is Important

The Maine Marks developers believe strongly that completion of a post-secondary education program is vital for Maine's long-term economic growth and for fulfilling the aspirations of Maine's young people.

 

Where We Stand

Compared with other states, a very large percentage (75%) of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities return for their sophomore year. Likewise, a very large percentage of first-time, full-time college students complete a bachelor’s degree within six years of enrolling in college. Only a fair proportion of students complete certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled. Over the past decade, the percentage of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities returning for their sophomore year has declined. Although Maine has been one of the fastest declining states on this measure, its current performance still ranks as very good relative to other states.

 

 

Data Source and Context

Data is taken from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Measuring Up 2006. This source consists of a national report card for higher education and fifty state report cards. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve post-secondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2006 is the fourth in a series of biennial report cards. In this report card, "higher education" refers to all education and training beyond high school, including all public and private, two- and four-year, for-profit and nonprofit institutions. For more information, see the website at: http://measuringup.highereducation.org.

 

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Why This is Important

Obtaining additional education after completing high school increases employment opportunities and income potential for young people. Increasing the aspirations of Maine students is a primary goal of many of Maine's educational policymaking groups.

Where We Stand

The percentage of high school graduates planning to attend post-secondary school grew somewhat between 1996 and 2005. These figures include graduates from all public high schools, from private high schools with at least 60% publicly funded students, and from state-funded schools. Separate tabulations for all other private schools in the state show that about 92% of their graduates intended to enroll in post-secondary programs over this same period.

 

In comparison, slightly different data on youth transition to college is available from the National Center for Education Statistics for the nation as a whole from 1996 to 2003. The percentage of high school graduates enrolled in college the October after finishing high school for those years was 65.0% in 1996, 67.0% in 1997, 65.6% in 1998, 62.9% in 1999, 63.3% in 2000, 61.7% in 2001, 65.2% in 2002, 63.9% in 2003, 66.4 in 2004, and 68.4 in 2005.

 

 

Data Source and Context

The source of Maine data for this indicator is the Maine Department of Education. Figures include high school graduates who intend to or are enrolled full- or part-time in post-secondary programs, according to a survey administered by local educational units and submitted in the fall following graduation. The rate is calculated as a percent of all students graduating (including regular diploma, other diploma, high school equivalency, or certificate of completion) during the previous school year or subsequent summer school. The data is available on-line at http://www.state.me.us/education/enroll/grads/gradspost.htm.

 

U.S. data is from the National Center for Education Statistics’ annual publication, The Condition of Education (available on-line at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/list/i3.asp).

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Why This is Important

The level of educational attainment of Maine citizens is critically important to the State’s quality of life and economic well-being. The long-term economic competitiveness of Maine is directly linked to the skill and education level of its workforce.

 

Where We Stand

In 2006, an estimated 56% of Maine people over the age of 25 had at least a Bachelor’s Degree, compared with a national rate of 64%. Maine’s percentage has been fairly static since 2000, and Maine has continued to lag behind the national rate. Maine also has consistently ranked last among the six New England states on this measure since 1996.

 

 

Data Source and Context

Data is taken from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Measuring Up 2006. This source consists of a national report card for higher education and fifty state report cards. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve post-secondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2006 is the fourth in a series of biennial report cards. In this report card, "higher education" refers to all education and training beyond high school, including all public and private, two- and four-year, for-profit and nonprofit institutions. For more information, see the website at: http://measuringup.highereducation.org