Fewer LEUSD Grads In College Compared To State Average

More than half of all Lake Elsinore Unified high school students enroll in college or a university somewhere in the nation, but the district’s numbers fall below state averages, according to the latest data.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson reported today that within 16 months of receiving their high school diplomas, 74.4 percent of California’s 2008-09 grads enrolled in a college or university somewhere in the nation, according to California Department of Education data.

"In a knowledge-based economy, college and career training are becoming the price of admission to the job market, so it's good to see so many California graduates taking the next step on the path to success," Torlakson said in a released statement.

But locally, the numbers aren’t as promising. Just 60.3 percent of all 2008-09 LEUSD high school grads moved on to a postsecondary institution, according to the CDE figures.

The 2008-09 school year is the most recent for which data is available.

The LEUSD’s figures hover above the county, however, where just 56.8 percent of the 2008-09 high school grads moved on to college, according to the CDE.

Within the LEUSD high schools, saw 69.9 percent of its 2008-09 grads enroll in a postsecondary institution, followed by at 65.2 percent and 61.4 percent, according to today’s figures.

During the 2008-09 school year, the district also operated continuation and alternative high schools, some of which saw lower college enrollment rates.

Doug Wells, LEUSD administrator, Assessment & Accountability, says the district is working hard to prepare students for life after high school, whether it is at a college or university or entering the work force, and he expects the district will take the lead in years to come.

“With two National Demonstration School AVID programs (Lakeside High School and Elsinore High School), a comprehensive complement of Career/Technical Education programs at all high schools and the prospect of expanding advanced programs to promote students becoming internationally competitive, the college going rate is an area of accountability where we look forward to becoming leaders in Riverside County and the state,” Wells said.

Indeed, the district has been making gains, with continued improvement in academic testing.

All three district high schools also showed gains in API scores for the 2010-11 school year, with Elsinore up 32 points over the previous year at 808; Lakeside edged up 8 points to 796, and Temescal Canyon gained 3 points to 795.