Missouri Students' Postsecondary Success Report

By: Misti Jeffers, Ph.D., Ashley Donaldson Burle, and Evan Rhinesmith, Ph.D.

In this report, we use publicly available data to describe trends in postsecondary success for those students who graduate from a Missouri public high school and subsequently enroll as a first-time, full-time student at one of Missouri’s public postsecondary institutions of higher education. To measure success, we examine college enrollment trends, early college academic performance (remediation rates and college GPA), early college persistence, and eventual college completion for the Missouri high school graduation classes of 2010 through 2019. When possible, we compare trends in Missouri to national patterns and trends. We also examine trends over time within the state of Missouri, providing an in-depth examination of how these results vary by geographic region and high school characteristics, including school locale, racial composition, and income levels by highlighting outcomes for the class of 2015—the most recent cohort of postsecondary enrollees to exhibit 6-year completion rates.

Key Findings:

1. While overall immediate college enrollment has been declining, about half of Missouri public high school graduates who enroll in college remain in-state as first-time, full-time students (FTFT) at Missouri public institutions of higher education (IHEs). This proportion has remained fairly stable from 2010-2019 and is higher than national trends.

2. Missouri in-state, public FTFT college enrollment for the high school class of 2015 varies substantially by region and high school characteristics (locale, racial composition, and level of income).

3. The early college academic performance (as measured by remediation rates and GPA) of Missouri FTFT, in-state college students at Missouri public IHEs has improved from 2010-2019.

4. The Missouri high school class of 2015’s college academic performance varies by region and high school characteristics, as students from high schools serving the highest percentages of Students of Color and low-income students were referred to remediation at greater rates.

5. Three quarters of Missouri's in-state, public FTFT postsecondary students persist to their second year of college.

6. The Missouri high school class of 2015’s college student persistence varies by region and high school characteristics (locale, racial composition, and level of income), with students from high schools serving the highest percentages of Students of Color persisting at the lowest rates.

7. Half of in-state FTFT college students complete any postsecondary credential at a Missouri public IHE within six-years. As immediate college enrollment rates declined from 2010-2015, postsecondary completion rates of in-state, FTFT students at Missouri public IHEs increased. Despite this increase, the actual number of individuals completing a postsecondary credential has remained relatively the same.

8. The Missouri high school class of 2015’s postsecondary credential completion at Missouri public IHEs varies by region and high school characteristics, with the most significant systematic disparities associated with high school racial composition income level.