The “2020 College Equity Report” released today by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education provides important data that when compared to data results at 21st Century Charter School in Gary, Indiana, support GEO’s college immersion model.
The statewide annual report, which does not go into specific school data reports, shows only 38% of low-income high school graduates in Indiana go to college. To compare this data to 21st Century Charter School, we looked at statistics provided by the National Student Clearinghouse, the nationally recognized data warehouse for higher education statistics. According to NSC, 21st Century Charter School has an eight-year average of 55% of its students (most of whom qualify for federal assistance) going to college after high school graduation, a difference of 17 points compared to the state.
The ICHE report says 35% of Black students in Indiana complete dual credit and/or AP courses while in high school. The most recent data from the Indiana Department of Education reports 72.6% of 21st Century Charter School students earn college and career credits while in high school, more than double the ICHE numbers reported for Black students statewide. 21st Century Charter High School students beat the state’s overall numbers (no matter what demographic), too. The state average is 68.3%, 4.3 points below 21st Century Charter School’s numbers.
These data points demonstrate the effectiveness and importance of GEO’s college immersion model at 21st Century Charter School. Students who experience real college while in high school are more likely to go to college after high school graduation, even more likely than those taking dual credit or AP courses on high school campuses. Real college campus experience matters.
This is why families are flocking to enroll in 21st Century Charter School. The school has a record enrollment this year of nearly 1300 students, up from 1200 last year. Families know they can get more than a high school diploma, actually experience real college and earn real college credits that matter (at no cost to them).
GEO is implementing this model in Indianapolis at the invitation of Indiana Black Expo and in Baton Rouge at the invitation of the State of Louisiana, New Schools for Baton Rouge and local leaders. We currently have 3,500 students on track to receive real college opportunities at no cost to them.
Kevin Teasley
President
GEO Foundation