May is the month for most school graduations, and although final data about the class of 2023 will not be known for some time, there is already much to celebrate. These students have earned diplomas and degrees at a time when educational attainment has never been higher or more valued.
Despite the impact of the COVID pandemic, the U.S. Census reports that in 2021, Kansans 24 and older who had completed high school reached 91.9 percent of the population, those with any college education reached 66.5 percent, and those with a four-year degree or higher reached 34.8 percentage – all higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019 and each number an all-time high in Kansas history.
When people worry that Kansas education is failing, comparing it to previous generations is crucial. A higher percentage of Kansans now have a four-year college degree than had graduated high school in 1940. More Kansans now have any level of college education, including one- or two-year degrees, than had graduated high school in 1970.
These education levels reflect changes in economic needs and rewards. In the 1970s, about two-thirds of jobs required only a high school diploma or less. Today, two-thirds of jobs require more than a high school diploma, and those demands are only expected to increase. Virtually all growth in real income has gone to those with some education beyond high school.
Are higher graduation and college completion rates just a function of grade inflation and lower standards? What we know is that employers value more education. In 2021, Kansas high school graduates, on average, earned about 11 percent more than employees without a high school diploma; those with some college but less than a four-year degree earned 30 percent more; those with four-year degrees earned 81 percent more, and those with graduate degrees earned 117 percent more.
The reverse is true of the poverty rate. In 2021, Kansans without a high school diploma had a 20 percent poverty rate; high school graduates 15 percent; less than four years of college, 9 percent and those with a four-year degree or more, 4 percent. The same is true of employment. Nationally, the unemployment rate for jobseekers who haven’t completed high school is 5.4 percent; for high school grads only, 3.9 percent; with some college, 2.9 percent and with a four-year degree, 1.9 percent.
Based on current earnings by educational level, Kansans in 2021 earned $8.5 billion more than they would have at 1990 education levels, and poverty was reduced by about 20 percent.
Even those numbers are dwarfed by the impact of education on household wealth, which includes retirement savings, home equity, and other investments and business income. Jobs requiring more education tend to provide more benefits and higher salaries to save and invest. According to a 2020 U.S. Census report, the median household wealth for a family whose highest educational attainment is less than high school is less than $5,000. Suppose the highest educational level in the household is high school only. In that case, median wealth jumps to over $40,000, rising to $72,000 for some college and $116,000 for a two-year degree, $233,000 for a four-year degree, and nearly $460,000 for a graduate degree.
While there are individual exceptions, the clearest economic data we have is that each step of education means more opportunities for jobs, higher income and more financial security.
Kansans are reaping these benefits because schools are graduating more students, and more students will earn higher-skill credentials. For the class of 2022, the four-year graduation rate for all Kansas public school districts reached 89.1 percent, the highest ever. That's up 8.4 percent from 2010, and every group that has lagged behind the average – low-income and disabled students, English Language Learners, and significant minority groups – have all increased even more.
More students completing high school means more students can go on to postsecondary programs. Although public school enrollment has increased by only about three percent over the last 20 years, since 2009, the number of high school graduates has increased by 11 percent, and the number of postsecondary credentials awarded to students under age 24 by Kansas colleges and universities increased by 34 percent. That increase has been boosted by the number of students earning credentials while still in high school through dual and concurrent enrollment programs with colleges. Since 2009, the number of credentials earned by students under age 19 has increased by 128 percent, from 2,494 to 5,590 – meaning about one in six high school graduates have earned a college degree or certificate at the same time they receive a high school diploma.
These credentials do not include other educational achievements, such as industry-recognized credentials and certificates for workplace skills, work-based learning like internship and job shadowing, earning credit through high school career pathways and developing skills through clubs, activities and projects. Kansas high schools have been expanding all of these programs to help better prepare students for college, citizenship and the workforce.
These efforts are part of the State Board of Education's Kansas Can vision, which focuses on the outcomes of academic readiness, high school graduation and postsecondary success, supported by personalized learning and individual plans of study, giving students' academic, personal and interpersonal skills for success, and stronger ties with parents, business and communities.
There is more to be done. Despite these improvements, too many students still don't finish high school or get the preparation they need to be successful in education or employment after high school. Some educational outcomes have not recovered from COVID disruptions. Kansas students will have to compare with graduates from other states working hard to give their students an academic edge.
But it's an excellent time to recognize our graduates at all levels – and the families, educators and friends supporting them – who have achieved an accomplishment that will pay benefits for the rest of their lives.
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