Looming Declines in High-School Grads Will Mark ‘Inflection Point’ for Higher Ed

The number of high-school graduates will reach a record high in 2025 and then decline steadily for many years, according to a new report on the latest projections from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, known as WICHE. During that period, the number of students graduating from public high schools who identify as Hispanic or multiracial will continue to increase while the number of students of all other races and ethnicities will decline.

Those are among the key findings from the latest edition of “Knocking at the College Door,” an analysis WICHE has published every four years since 1979. The report examines birth rates, primary- and secondary-school enrollments, and high-school graduation data to project future graduates.