As state workforce efforts focus on increasing the number of Alabamians with a post-high school credential, one quiet but rapidly growing trend has emerged that is giving graduating seniors a kick start: More high school graduates are leaving school with college credits already earned.
It’s a shift hiding in plain sight inside the state’s annual report cards — and one of several factors that may help explain why, according to a recent analysis from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, college-going ticked up this year.
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Alongside PARCA’s analysis, recently-released state report card data captures the percentage of seniors earning college credit alongside other college and career ready indicators. And what that data shows is that the number of students earning college credit before high school graduation nearly doubled since 2019.
To see where those students are earning college credit, Alabama Daily News compiled report card data from the past six years to examine patterns at the state and district level.
Here’s a look at those statewide rates.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Trisha Powell Crain and originally published by Alabama Daily News.




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