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
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