College enrollment and persistence in rural Pennsylvania schools (REL 2015-053)

This study analyzes average rates of college enrollment and first- to second-year college persistence among rural and nonrural regular public high schools in Pennsylvania for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 high school graduation cohorts. It describes the association of student-, school-, and college-level factors with enrollment and persistence outcomes. Key findings include: Rural schools had higher average college enrollment and persistence rates than city schools but lower rates than suburban and town schools. Rural–fringe schools had higher average college enrollment and persistence rates than rural–distant or rural–remote schools. Most graduates of high schools in all locales went to public four-year colleges and in-state colleges. Rural schools with a larger population of economically disadvantaged students had lower college enrollment and persistence rates than rural schools serving a smaller population of economically disadvantaged students—even after controlling for other factors.Research ReportPublishe