Higher high school graduation rates predicted in future

The number of students graduating from high school in the United States will rise steadily over the coming years, reaching a peak of 3.2 million in 2008-9, according to a recent study. \nIn Indiana, the number of public high school graduates is expected to increase from 56,156 in 2001-2002 to 65,245 in 2017-2018.\n"Graduation from high school is a necessity to future academic performance," said Mark Fletcher, principal of Bloomington High School South. "Students realize that education allows for more opportunities and freedom in how they want to spend the rest of their lives."\nThe number of applicants to IU has held steady at 20,000 for the past five years, said Mary Ellen Anderson, director of admissions for IU-Bloomington. \nOf those applicants, approximately 18,000 are admitted, and 6,700 to 7,000 of the accepted applicants enroll.\nAnderson said she does not expect IU to accept more students unless the administration mandates a change. \n"We are at capacity currently," Anderson said.\nFletcher said his school encourages students to connect with faculty to prepare them for the future and encourage them to graduate.\n"Our school is set up in such a way to provide as many connections to school as possible, through teachers, counselors and mentors," he said. "The mentor stays with the student throughout their four years in high school. This provides a safety net and a foundation for future education." \nFletcher noted the challenge of providing each student with the resources they need due to the recent budget deficit.\n"Since the class sizes are up, due to the state budget deficit, it is even more important we provide students with a strong connection to the school," Fletcher said.\nAround 70 percent of Bloomington South's students go on to four-year colleges and another 20 percent go on to two-year programs.\nAnderson said there is no way to know how the influx of high-school graduates will affect admissions without knowing the performance level of the high school graduates.\n"The increase would only affect us if the graduates are competitive for admissions," Anderson said. \nAnderson attributes the increase in high school graduation rates to higher birth rates and more emphasis on promoting graduation.\nThe number of new high school graduates peaked at 3.1 million in 1977, when baby boomers swept through the school systems, and then sank through the 1980s, bottoming out at 2.5 million in the early 1990s, according to the report. \nThe study was conducted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the College Board\n-- Contact senior writer Alli Stolper at astolper@indiana.edu.