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Digest of Education Statistics
2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 302.46. Percentage distribution of fall 2009 ninth-graders, by high school locale in 2009, high school completion status, postsecondary enrollment and work status or plans, and postsecondary attainment status: 2013 and 2016
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year, high school completion status, postsecondary enrollment and work status or plans, and postsecondary attainment status Total High school locale in 2009
City Suburban Town Rural
1 2 3 4 5 6
2009 ninth-graders in 2013                              
Total 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
High school completion status (September 2013)                              
High school diploma or equivalent 92.0   (0.47) 90.4   (0.99) 92.4   (0.68) 90.7   (1.28) 94.4   (0.73)
High school diploma 89.0   (0.61) 88.0   (1.12) 89.4   (0.77) 86.6   (1.85) 91.2   (1.25)
High school equivalency credential 3.0   (0.30) 2.5   (0.49) 2.9   (0.34) 4.1   (0.99) 3.2   (0.73)
No high school diploma or equivalent 8.0   (0.47) 9.6   (0.99) 7.6   (0.68) 9.3   (1.28) 5.6   (0.73)
Enrolled in high school 4.2   (0.34) 5.1   (0.86) 4.6   (0.53) 3.4   (0.84) 2.8   (0.44)
Dropped out 3.8   (0.35) 4.5   (0.80) 3.1   (0.45) 5.9   (1.19) 2.9   (0.45)
                               
Postsecondary enrollment status or plans (November 2013)1                              
Taking or planning to take postsecondary classes 70.6   (1.03) 71.2   (2.00) 73.9   (1.38) 65.2   (1.93) 67.6   (1.58)
Taking or planning to take classes full time 59.3   (1.13) 57.6   (2.53) 63.2   (1.43) 53.4   (2.32) 59.1   (1.87)
Taking or planning to take classes part time 6.6   (0.42) 8.1   (1.02) 6.5   (0.60) 6.4   (1.09) 4.6   (0.62)
Undecided about whether to take classes full time or part time 4.5   (0.34) 5.4   (0.77) 3.9   (0.47) 5.3   (1.24) 3.8   (0.54)
Not taking and not planning to take postsecondary classes 19.4   (0.78) 17.6   (1.47) 17.7   (1.37) 21.9   (1.38) 22.9   (1.25)
Undecided about taking postsecondary classes 10.1   (0.54) 11.2   (1.10) 8.4   (0.84) 12.9   (1.51) 9.5   (0.99)
                               
Postsecondary enrollment and work status or plans (November 2013)1                              
Taking postsecondary classes and working for pay or planning to
    take classes and work for pay
37.2   (0.84) 37.6   (1.58) 37.7   (1.37) 38.1   (2.05) 35.4   (1.46)
Working or planning to work full time2 5.0   (0.36) 5.3   (0.86) 5.3   (0.58) 4.7   (0.92) 4.5   (0.57)
Working or planning to work part time 23.0   (0.69) 22.1   (1.36) 24.1   (1.07) 22.6   (1.84) 23.1   (1.08)
Undecided about whether to work full time or part time 8.9   (0.56) 10.2   (1.28) 8.1   (0.76) 10.8   (1.35) 7.6   (1.17)
Taking classes but not working for pay
    or planning to take classes but not work for pay
22.3   (0.74) 21.4   (1.60) 24.9   (1.38) 18.2   (1.71) 22.0   (1.27)
Working for pay but not taking classes
    or planning to work for pay but not take classes
13.5   (0.61) 11.4   (1.30) 12.9   (1.03) 13.6   (1.36) 17.0   (0.99)
Working or planning to work full time2 6.8   (0.40) 5.1   (0.83) 6.4   (0.66) 7.1   (1.07) 9.7   (0.85)
Working or planning to work part time 3.5   (0.30) 3.3   (0.65) 3.9   (0.42) 2.3   (0.55) 3.9   (0.59)
Undecided about whether to work full time or part time 3.1   (0.32) 2.9   (0.75) 2.6   (0.47) 4.2   (0.78) 3.3   (0.55)
Neither taking classes nor working for pay and not planning to do so 4.7   (0.38) 5.3   (0.92) 3.8   (0.53) 5.5   (1.09) 4.7   (0.64)
Undecided about taking postsecondary classes or working for pay 22.3   (0.66) 24.4   (1.36) 20.6   (1.10) 24.5   (2.15) 20.9   (1.05)
                               
2009 ninth-graders in 2016                              
Total 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†) 100.0   (†)
High school completion status (February 2016)                              
High school diploma or equivalent 95.9   (0.35) 95.0   (0.73) 96.7   (0.48) 94.3   (1.15) 96.9   (0.46)
High school diploma 91.9   (0.55) 91.9   (0.96) 92.4   (0.68) 88.7   (1.80) 92.6   (1.05)
High school equivalency credential 4.1   (0.35) 3.1   (0.58) 4.3   (0.50) 5.6   (1.08) 4.3   (0.86)
No high school diploma or equivalent 4.1   (0.35) 5.0   (0.73) 3.3   (0.48) 5.7   (1.15) 3.1   (0.46)
                               
Postsecondary enrollment and attainment status (February 2016)                              
Had ever enrolled in postsecondary education 72.8   (1.02) 72.9   (1.88) 76.4   (1.38) 65.4   (2.08) 71.0   (1.44)
Had attained a postsecondary credential3 9.1   (0.52) 8.1   (1.06) 8.2   (0.78) 9.2   (1.52) 11.6   (1.07)
Was enrolled in February 2016 3.7   (0.27) 3.1   (0.56) 3.8   (0.43) 3.6   (0.91) 4.6   (0.60)
Was not enrolled in February 2016 5.3   (0.42) 5.0   (0.79) 4.4   (0.59) 5.6   (1.12) 7.0   (0.94)
Had not attained a postsecondary credential 62.9   (1.02) 64.0   (1.90) 67.4   (1.49) 55.2   (2.49) 59.0   (1.53)
Was enrolled in February 2016 46.9   (1.09) 46.4   (1.89) 52.2   (1.63) 38.7   (2.70) 43.9   (1.94)
Was not enrolled in February 2016 16.1   (0.55) 17.6   (1.29) 15.2   (0.92) 16.5   (1.28) 15.1   (1.03)
Had never enrolled in postsecondary education 27.2   (1.02) 27.1   (1.88) 23.6   (1.38) 34.6   (2.08) 29.0   (1.44)
                               
Postsecondary enrollment and work status (February 2016)                              
Enrolled and employed 33.3   (0.82) 30.3   (1.43) 37.2   (1.35) 29.6   (1.85) 33.5   (1.65)
Employed full time2 7.0   (0.38) 4.9   (0.52) 8.2   (0.60) 7.3   (1.14) 7.9   (0.97)
Employed part time 26.3   (0.74) 25.4   (1.25) 29.0   (1.24) 22.3   (1.96) 25.6   (1.47)
Enrolled but not employed 17.9   (0.65) 19.7   (1.32) 19.5   (1.14) 13.5   (1.68) 15.4   (0.95)
Unemployed4 4.6   (0.33) 5.5   (0.83) 5.2   (0.61) 2.7   (0.64) 3.7   (0.55)
Not in labor force5 13.3   (0.61) 14.2   (1.22) 14.3   (0.96) 10.8   (1.40) 11.7   (0.89)
Employed but not enrolled 35.6   (0.89) 33.9   (1.89) 32.9   (1.36) 41.2   (2.62) 38.8   (1.31)
Employed full time2 25.0   (0.77) 23.1   (1.55) 22.9   (1.15) 28.9   (2.06) 28.5   (1.07)
Employed part time 10.6   (0.54) 10.8   (1.23) 10.0   (0.81) 12.3   (1.68) 10.3   (0.86)
Neither enrolled nor employed 13.3   (0.70) 16.0   (1.35) 10.4   (0.76) 15.7   (1.93) 12.4   (1.08)
Unemployed4 7.3   (0.53) 8.6   (1.14) 5.9   (0.58) 9.7   (1.59) 6.5   (0.78)
Not in labor force5 5.9   (0.38) 7.4   (0.81) 4.5   (0.46) 6.0   (0.80) 5.8   (0.62)
†Not applicable.
1 Data collection for the 2013 Update occurred in summer and fall of 2013. Some respondents were surveyed prior to November 2013; therefore, they were asked about their plans for November instead of their actual status. These respondents had the option to report that they were undecided about their plans.
2 Full-time employment is defined as 35 hours or more per week.
3 Postsecondary credentials attained by respondents include certificates, associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees.
4 Unemployed respondents are those who were not working but were actively looking for work.
5 Respondents were not in the labor force if they were not working and were not actively looking for work.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding and missing data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), 2013 Update and Second Follow-Up. (This table was prepared May 2019.)

2018 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest