More Hamilton high school students going to college

Despite a decrease in student enrollment, the Hamilton County Schools system saw about a 3 percentage point increase in 2007 in the number of high school graduates who went to college, Superintendent Jim Scales said Monday.

Across the district, 72.9 percent, or 1,534 students, attended a two- or four-year institution. In 2006, 70 percent went on to college, Dr. Scales said.

“The good news is we have more and more of our students going to college after high school graduation,” he said during a news conference at East Ridge High School.

Dr. Scales attributed the increased college-going rate to quality teachers and principals, a local high school reform effort and strong community support.

Dan Challener, president of the Public Education Foundation, said the increased number of Hamilton County students enrolling in college would help with the community’s greatest challenge: economic development.

“There’s broad agreement that a well-educated work force is the key ingredient for strengthening and improving economic development,” he said.

Ninety percent of the Hamilton County Schools’ graduates who attend college are doing so in Tennessee, Dr. Scales said. The majority, 509 students, are attending Chattanooga State Technical Community College, 370 are enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and 120 attend the University of Tennessee, he said.

State Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, said he was glad to see more students studying in state and taking advantage of the HOPE scholarship.

“It fits well with the plan we laid out for the lottery scholarship program,” he said.

Although East Ridge High’s college-going rate of 60.4 percent is below the district average, principal Mark Bean said he was proud of his school’s 10 percentage point increase from 50.4 percent in 2005.

East Ridge graduate Ryan Buchner said the skills he learned as a student at his school’s construction academy helped prepare him for college. While Mr. Buchner’s construction skills improved, he said he realized he still wanted to go on to college.

“It made me realize I didn’t want to break my back going to work every day,” he said. “It’s worth four years of college to be able to sit in air conditioning every day.”

Hamilton County’s graduates in 2007 enrolled in colleges in 31 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, the West Indies and Japan, data show.

Dr. Scales said the district does not have data on how many Hamilton County high school graduates finish college.