Georgia students flock to UGA, Perimeter

By Laura Diamond

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For the first time, Georgia officials can say how many public high school graduates go to college.

It used to be officials only knew how many went to public colleges in Georgia. They didn’t track who went to private colleges or left the state.

But a report released Thursday shows 64.7 percent of the 2008 graduates enrolled in college. Between 2000 and 2007, 69.4 percent of the graduates enrolled. (That includes students who took time off after graduation.)

Did you know ...

● Davidson Fine Arts in Richmond County had the highest percentage of 2008 graduates enroll in college: 93.9 percent.

● Milton High in Fulton County was the highest for metro Atlanta at 93.1 percent.

● A Technical College System of Georgia school was among the 10 most popular choices for students from 165 of the state’s 181 school districts between 2000 and 2007. It was the No. 1 choice in 62 districts.

● Four of the 10 most popular out-of-state colleges in 2008 were historically black colleges and universities: Alabama State University, Tuskegee University, Florida A&M University and Benedict College.

Here are the five most popular colleges for the Class of 2008:

In-state

1. University of Georgia

2. Georgia Perimeter College

3. Georgia Southern University

4. Georgia State University

5. Kennesaw State University

Out of state

1. Auburn University

2. University of Alabama

3. Jacksonville State University

4. Alabama State University

5. Tuskegee University

Every district’s different

The report includes a district-by-district breakdown of where students who graduated between 2000 and 2007 went to college.

Atlanta

56.6 percent of graduates enrolled in college

73.4 percent stayed in-state and 26.6 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Atlanta Technical College, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University

Out-of-state favorite: Alabama State University

Cobb

78.3 percent enrolled in college

77.7 percent stayed in-state and 22.3 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Kennesaw State University, University of Georgia, Chattahoochee Technical College

Out-of-state favorite: Auburn University

Decatur

80.4 percent enrolled in college

63.9 percent stayed in-state and 36.1 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University, University of Georgia

Out-of-state favorite: Appalachian State University

DeKalb

66.3 percent enrolled in college

75.7 percent stayed in-state and 24.3 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University, DeKalb Technical College

Out-of-state favorite: Alabama State

Fulton

79.2 percent enrolled in college

70.1 percent stayed in-state and 29.9 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): University of Georgia, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University

Out-of-state favorite: Auburn

Forsyth

78.3 percent enrolled in college

85.9 percent stayed in-state and 14.1 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Gainesville State College, North Georgia College, University of Georgia

Out-of-state favorite: Auburn

Gwinnett

73.3 percent enrolled in college

85.2 percent stayed in-state and 14.8 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Georgia Perimeter College, University of Georgia, Georgia State University

Out-of-state favorite: Auburn

Marietta

68.9 percent enrolled in college

71.3 percent stayed in-state and 28.7 percent went out of state

Top 3 (in-state): Chattahoochee Technical College, University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University

Out-of-state favorite: Auburn

Sources: Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, National Student Clearinghouse