An important national report out this week from Agency, a school choice advocacy organization, sheds new light on the professional, educational, and life outcomes of recent public school graduates. Outcome data are decidedly “mixed,” as Agency noted in the press release accompanying the report.
For instance, less than half of recent public high school graduates are working full-time, the report found. In addition, recent graduates’ top employment sector—service or customer-facing jobs—is dwindling, not growing.
Does a student’s public school model matter for young adult outcomes? The report seems to suggest it does, illuminating striking earnings differences between charter and district graduates. Within 10 years of graduation, charter alumni are earning $22,000 more annually, on average, than district alumni. Among students of color, the difference is even larger. Charter graduates of color earn almost $55,000 more per year, on average, compared to their peers who did not graduate from charter schools.
Charter alumni are also more likely to own their own home (33% compared to 23%). They are “slightly more likely” to earn a degree (38% compared to 31%), according to the report. Agency assessed associate, bachelor’s, and graduate degree attainment.
Source: Agency.
“Surprisingly, the type of public school these young people attended mattered more than other factors such as race and socioeconomic factors,” Agency founder and CEO Debbie Veney wrote in the report. Veney is a former communications leader at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
‘Turning the Tassel’ design and goals
The report, “Turning the Tassel: What Generation Z Says About Life After High School Graduation,” includes survey data from 5,000 public school students who graduated from district and charter schools between 2015 and 2025. The Harris Poll, which conducted the survey, did not query private school graduates.
Survey questions focused on outcomes including salary, educational attainment, home ownership, and civic engagement.
In the press release, Veney said the report sought to direct the conversation about school performance toward more current data points:
“Historically, the performance of public schools in America has been largely measured by graduation rates and standardized test scores … Maybe it’s time to look at some other data points, too. While these are important measures, they do not tell the full story. They are backwards-looking metrics that say nothing about how well students fare after high school graduation. And that’s what we wanted to know.”
Other key survey outcomes
Less than half of recent public school graduates are working full-time while 37% are working part-time or looking for work. According to the survey:
- 49% are working full-time
- 19% are looking for work
- 18% are working part-time
- 14% are not looking for work and are pursuing education
Where are recent graduates working? These are the sectors, according to the report:
- 24% in service and customer-facing jobs
- 19% in education, health care, and caregiving roles
- 16% in skilled trades and labor
- 12% in office and professional roles
- 12% in STEM fields
Source: Agency.
Read the full report here. View the executive summary. See more from Yahoo! Finance.
Above photo: Shutterstock.
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