Teens Are Losing Faith in College, Giving Rise to Interest in the Skilled Trades

Four years after the Covid pandemic began, there are more than 900,000 fewer undergraduates enrolled in college. The overall rate of high school graduates choosing to enroll in college held steady in 2023, compared to a year earlier, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center — which Doug Shapiro, the Center’s executive director, said was “an optimistic sign.” Although the data shows the rate of high school graduates enrolling within a year of their graduation is significantly higher for students from low poverty high schools.