A Diploma Must Lead to Economic Opportunity | Opinion
Summary
A national survey of more than 5,000 U.S. public high school graduates found that many pursued education or training after graduation, but fewer than half of those who began a two- or four-year degree completed it. The article also reports differences in employment and earnings, including among graduates of charter and district-run schools, while noting that the survey cannot show that school type caused those differences.Key Facts
- Nearly three-quarters of recent public high school graduates pursued some form of education or training after graduation.
- Among graduates who pursued a four-year degree, 48 percent completed it; among those who started a two-year degree, 39 percent completed it.
- Twenty-four percent of employed graduates worked in service and customer-facing roles, while 12 percent worked in STEM fields.
- Fewer than half of surveyed graduates said their high schools had adequately prepared them for postsecondary coursework.
- A September 2026 U.S. Census Bureau working paper reported that graduates from the most AI-exposed college majors saw a five-percentage-point decline in initial employment likelihood and a 13 percent decline in initial earnings after generative AI emerged.
- The Harris Poll surveyed more than 5,000 public high school graduates who left school between 2015 and 2025; the author's organization commissioned the survey.
- Among working alumni within 10 years of graduation, charter school graduates reported average annual earnings of $106,764, compared with $84,199 for district-school graduates.
- Homeownership was reported by 33 percent of charter school graduates and 23 percent of district-school graduates; the article cautions that survey results do not establish that school type caused the differences.
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