State Reports: (Vermont, 2006)

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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Vermont’s underperformance in educating its young population could limit the state’s access to a competitive workforce and weaken its economy over time. The state continues to fall behind in enrolling students in college by age 19—and this rate has dropped by double digits since the early 1990s. Moreover, the proportion of 9th graders graduating from high school within four years has declined and, of those who graduate, proportionately fewer are enrolling in college. Adult enrollment rates have also declined over the last decade. Since the early 1990s, colleges and universities in Vermont have become less affordable for students and their families. If these trends are not addressed, they could undermine the state’s ability to compete successfully in a global economy.

2006 REPORT CARD

Preparation
Participation
Affordability
Completion
Benefits
Learning

CHANGE IN VERMONT SINCE 1992


Preparation	Participation	Affordability	Completion	Benefits	Learning

What do the arrows mean?

	The state has improved on more than half of the indicators in the category.
	The state has improved on some, but no more than half, of the indicators in the category.
	The state has declined on most or all indicators.

STRENGTHS

Preparation

Vermont 8th graders perform very well on national assessments in math, science, reading, and writing, placing Vermont among the leading states on these measures. The state’s students have consistently performed very well on national reading assessments.
Low-income 8th graders also perform very well on national math assessments. Vermont is among the top-performing states on this measure.
Nearly two-thirds of secondary students in Vermont are taught by teachers with an undergraduate or graduate major in the subject they are teaching, which compares well with leading states.
Fairly large proportions of 11th and 12th graders take and score well on college entrance exams.

Affordability

The state is a top performer in the very high investment it makes in need-based financial aid. Nonetheless, the share of family income, even after financial aid, needed to pay for college is very large.

Completion

Compared with other states, Vermont has consistently performed very well on the proportion of freshmen at four-year colleges and universities returning for their sophomore year, despite a drop on this measure over the past 15 years.
Likewise, the state has performed very well on the proportion of students earning certificates and degrees relative to the number enrolled.

Benefits

Compared with other states, a very high proportion of Vermont residents have a bachelor’s degree, and the economic benefits to the state as a result are fairly large. The state has improved substantially on this measure over the past 12 years.

WEAKNESSES

Participation

Proportionately fewer 9th graders are graduating from high school in four years, and fewer are enrolling in college directly after high school. Over the past decade, the state’s decline on this measure has been among the steepest in the nation.
A small proportion of working-age adults enroll in college-level education or training, and Vermont has declined more than the nation as whole on this measure over the past decade.

Affordability

Net college costs for low- and middle-income students to attend public four-year colleges and universities represent about 61% of their annual family income. (Net college costs equal tuition, room, and board after financial aid.) These families earn on average $21,857 annually.
Vermont offers no low-tuition college opportunities.

Completion

The percentage of first-year community college students returning for their second year has declined substantially over the past 15 years, and Vermont’s current performance on this measure is only fair.