While there’s no conclusive count of San Benito High School
seniors from the class of 2005 who plan to attend college this
fall, a recent survey suggests the number may be up over last
year.
Hollister – While there’s no conclusive count of San Benito High School seniors from the class of 2005 who plan to attend college this fall, a recent survey suggests the number may be up over last year.
This year 69 percent of seniors completed a survey asking whether they planned to atend college, compared to 61 percent last year. Of this year’s seniors who responded, 84 percent had college plans for the fall, compared to 69 percent of last year’s respondents.
Of the seniors who completed this year’s survey, 357 planned to attend either a 2-year or 4-year college next year. That number is up from 224 students last year.
The majority, 62 percent, of students headed to college will attend community colleges, predominantly Gavilan College. Superintendent Jean Burns Slater said the survey results were good news for the district, but said more could be done.
“There’s always more that can be done,” Slater said. “But our whole community is doing more and more to encourage students to go to college.”
As part of the school’s plan to develop a “going to college” attitude among students, it will initiate direct faculty-to-faculty conversations between high school teachers and professors at Gavilan Community College to bring SBHS teachers up to speed on what the college expects.
Slater said she didn’t know how many SBHS fail to complete their studies at Gavilan. Direct conversations between faculty members at the two institutions will help SBHS teachers prepare their students to improve achievement test scores, helping them get better placement in college classes, she said.
Slater said the school has joined with Gilroy Unified School District in applying for a California Student Opportunity and Accessibility Program Grant, which will provide poor and first-generation students with more opportunities to get into college.
A web site, designed by parents, will also help athletes to find information about scholarships in small private colleges throughout California, Slater said. She was excited about the web site, www.sbhscollegeconnection.org, and the efforts of parents to make it available to students. Slater said efforts such as this are signs that the “community is changing.”
Of students enrolled in grade 12 at SBHS in 2003-2004, the last year for which the California Department of Education provides statistics, 96 percent graduated. The statewide average for that year was 87 percent.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com.
