1. How Can High School Counseling Shape Students’ Postsecondary Attendance?
Exploring the Relationship between High School Counseling and Students’ Subsequent Postsecondary Enrollment

2. Introduction
Throughout the last decade, only two-thirds of high school completers attended postsecondary education within the same calendar year that they finish high school. 1
Many factors influence whether a student attends postsecondary education after high school including the students’ academic ability, family finances, and career aspirations. Information students receive from parents, peers, teachers, and counselors my also influence whether, when, and at what level they attend postsecondary education.
This report examines the relationship between the high school counseling context and students’ postsecondary attendance.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics. (2014) Digest of Education Statistics. Table Retrieved from

3. Research Questions
1. What is the relationship between the counseling context at a student’s high school and the student’s postsecondary outcomes? 2. What counseling context factors are associated with a student’s postsecondary outcomes, holding other student and school characteristics constant?

4. Outcome Measures
The study explored the effects of student and counselor characteristics on five postsecondary attendance-related outcomes, including whether a student:
Met one-on-one with a counselor to discuss college admission
Met one-on-one- with a counselor to discuss financial aid
Submitted a FAFSA before Fall 2013
Attended college in Fall 2013
Attended a Bachelor’s degree program in Fall 2013

5. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009
Data
High School Longitudinal Study of 2009
Nationally representative, longitudinal study of over 23,000 9th grade students enrolled in 944 public and private schools
Follows students through high school, postsecondary education, and into the workforce
Surveyed students, parents, school counselors, school administrators and math and science teachers
Incorporated a mathematics assessment which tested algebra, problem-solving, and reasoning skills
See the National Center for Education Statistics’ website for more information:

6. High School Longitudinal Study Timeline
Fall 2009
(9th grade)
Math Assessment and Surveys
Spring 2012
(11th grade)
Math Assessment and Surveys
Spring 2013
(12th grade)
Student/Parent Questionnaire
Expected High School Graduation
2016
Follow Up # 4
Expected College Graduation
2021
Follow Up # 5
This report analyzes data collected during the third wave of the study in 2013.

7. Part I An Overview of the 2013 High School Completers

8. Student Characteristics
Note: “Other race” includes non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Natives, non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, and students of more than one race.
Key Statistics for High School Completers:
51% female
53% White, 13% Black, 21% Hispanic, and 4% Asian
92% attended public high school
40% had parents with no postsecondary education
65% planned when they were in ninth grade to enroll in an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree program after high school
15% achieved a score in the lowest quintile on 11th grade mathematics exam
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

9. Counseling Program Characteristics
Note: Characteristics of the counseling programs in students’ ninth-grade schools were measured in 2012 when most students were in 11th grade.
Key Statistics for High School Completers:
16% attended a school where counselors spent 10% or less of their time on college preparation
92% attended a high school that held or participated in a college fair
78% attended a school that helped students and families complete the FAFSA
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

10. Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Key Statistics for High School Completers:
49% agreed that college was affordable
51% reported that a majority of their friends plan to attend a four-year college after high school graduation
42% had parents who expected them to earn a graduate degree
18% had spoken with a counselor in ninth grade about going to college
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

11. Student Outcomes Key Statistics for High School Completers:
78% reported that, during their senior year of high school, they met one on one with a high school counselor to discuss college admission
76% submitted a FAFSA by Fall 2013
80% attended postsecondary education in Fall 2013
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

12. Part II Connecting a School’s Counseling Context and Students’ Postsecondary Outcomes

13. Met with Counselor in
12th Grade to Discuss College Admissions

14. Logistic Regression Results:
Students’ Meeting with Counselor About College
The following had a significant effect on whether a student in 12th grade met with a counselor to discuss college admission:
Counseling Characteristics
Percentage of time counseling staff spent on college readiness
School held or participated in college fairs
Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Participated in a college prep program by 11th grade
Proportion of close friends who planned in 11th grade to attend a four-year college in Fall 2013
Parents’ expectations when child was in 9th grade for the child’s highest level of education
Student reported talking to counselor in 9th grade about college
Parent spoke with counselor by time child was in 11th grade about options for life after high school
Student Characteristics
School Type
Mathematics exam score
Parents’ highest degree attained
Race

15. Percent of Students Who Discussed College Admissions in 12th Grade with Counselor, by Counselor Characteristics
The amount of time counselors spend on college preparation corresponds positively with meetings with students.
Eighty-three percent of completers who attended schools where counselors spent 21% or more of their time on college preparation met one-on-one with a counselor to discuss college admission in 12th grade. By contrast, 71% of students at high schools where counselors spent 10% or less of their time on college preparation had scheduled meetings.
About 72% of students who attended a high school that did not offer a college fair met with a counselor to discuss college admissions, compared with 80 percent of students who attended schools that offered college fairs.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10,700-10,900 observations.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

16. Percent of Students Who Discussed College Admissions in 12th Grade with Counselor, by Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Note: Programs that provided college preparation include college preparation camp, Upward Bound, Talent Search, GEAR UP, AVID, and/or MESA.
Whereas 84% of students who participated in a college preparation program met with a high school counselor to discuss college in 12th grade, only 76% of students who did not participate in such programs met with a counselor.
Among high school completers whose parents expected, when their child was in ninth grade, that a high school diploma would be their child’s highest educational attainment, 63 percent met with a counselor to discuss college admissions. In comparison, 84 percent of those whose parents expected them to earn a graduate degree had met with a counselor to discuss college admissions.
Among students who had not met with a counselor in ninth grade to discuss going to college, 77 percent met one on one with a counselor in 12th grade to discuss college admissions. In comparison, 83 percent of students who did meet with a counselor in ninth grade to discuss going to college met with a counselor to discuss college admissions in 12th grade.
Among students whose parents did not meet with a counselor by the time their child was in 11th grade to discuss options for the child’s life after high school, 73 percent met with a high school counselor to discuss college admissions. Among students whose parents did meet with a counselor, relatively more (81 percent) met with a counselor themselves.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10,200-12,300 observations for all analyses except whether a parent met with a counselor by 11th grade, which had a rounded sample size of 5,100..
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

17. Met with Counselor in
12th Grade to Discuss Financial Aid

18. Logistic Regression Results:
Students’ Meeting with Counselor About Financial Aid
The following had a significant effect on whether a student in 12th grade met with a counselor to discuss financial aid:
Counseling Characteristics
School had one or more counselors whose primary responsibility was college applications/selection
School offered informational meetings on sources of financial aid
Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Participated in a college prep program by 11th grade
Parents’ expectations when child was in 9th grade for the child’s highest level of education
Student reported talking to counselor in 9th grade about college
Parent spoke with counselor by time their child was in 11th grade about options for life after high school
Student Characteristics
Parents’ highest degree attained
Race
Sex

19. Percent of Students Who Discussed Financial Aid in 12th Grade with Counselor, by Counselor Characteristics
Fifty-three percent of students who attended a school without a counselor focused on college selection and/or admissions met with a counselor to discuss financial aid, compared with 57% of students attending schools with such a counselor. Also, 56% of students at schools which offered informational meetings met with a counselor to talk about financial aid.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10, ,000 observations.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

20. Percent of Students Who Discussed Financial Aid in 12th Grade with Counselor, by Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Fifty-two percent of high school graduates who did not participate in a program that provided college preparation met with a counselor to discuss financial aid, compared with 64% of those who participated in such a program.
Among high school completers whose parents expected, when their child was in ninth grade, that their child would graduate from high school but not attend college, 47% met with a counselor to discuss financial aid. In contrast, 57% of those whose parents expected them to earn a graduate degree met with a counselor to discuss financial aid.
Fifty-three percent of students who had not met with a counselor in ninth grade to discuss going to college met with a counselor specifically to discuss financial aid in 12th grade. In contrast, 60% of students who met with a counselor in ninth grade to discuss going to college also met with a counselor in 12th grade to discuss financial aid.
Fifty percent of students whose parents did not meet with a counselor to discuss options for life after high school met with a counselor during 12th grade to discuss financial aid, compared with 56% of students whose parents met with a counselor.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10, ,400observations for all analyses except whether a parent met with a counselor by 11th grade, which had a rounded sample size of 5,100..
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

21. FAFSA Submission by Fall 2013

22. Logistic Regression Results:
FAFSA Submission
The following had a significant effect on whether a student submitted a FAFSA by Fall 2013:
Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Student met one-on-one with counselor to discuss financial aid during 12th grade
Proportion of close friends who planned in 11th grade to attend a four-year college in Fall 2013
Parents’ expectations when child was in 9th grade for the child’s highest level of education
Student Characteristics
Mathematics exam score
Parents’ highest degree attained
In 9th grade, student planned to enroll in Associate’s or Bachelor‘s degree program after high school
Race
Sex
*Notably, no counseling characteristics were significant.

23. Percent of Students Who Submitted FAFSA by Fall 2013, by Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Only 61% of students who did not meet with a counselor during 12th grade to discuss financial aid submitted a FAFSA, compared with 91% of students who met with a counselor.
Among high school completers who reported that a minority of their friends planned to attend a four-year college, 70% submitted a FAFSA, compared with 82% of students reporting that a majority of their friends planned to attend a four-year college.
Only 51% of high school completers whose parents expected their highest education to be a high school diploma completed a FAFSA, compared with 80% of completers whose parents expected them to earn a bachelor’s degree and 83% of those whose parents expected them to earn a graduate degree.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10, observations for all analyses except whether a parent met with a counselor by 11th grade, which had a rounded sample size of 5,100..
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

24. Postsecondary Attendance in Fall 2013

25. Logistic Regression Results: Postsecondary Attendance in 2013
The following had a significant effect on whether a student attended postsecondary education in 2013:
Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Student met one-on-one with counselor to discuss financial aid during 12th grade
Proportion of close friends who planned in 11th grade to attend a four-year college in Fall 2013
Parents’ expectations when child was in 9th grade for the child’s highest level of education
Student Characteristics
School type
Mathematics exam score
Parents’ highest degree attained
In 9th grade, student planned to enroll in Associate’s or Bachelor‘s degree program after high school
Race
Sex

26. Percent of Students Who Attended Postsecondary Education in Fall 2013, by Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Only 65% of students who did not meet with a counselor in 12th grade to discuss college admissions or financial aid attended postsecondary education in Fall 2013, compared with 87% of students who met with a counselor.
Among high school completers who reported that less than half of their friends planned to attend a four-year college, 70% attended postsecondary education. In contrast, 88%of students who had more friends planning to attend a four-year college attended postsecondary education themselves in Fall 2013.
Among high school completers whose parents expected that their child would not pursue education beyond a high school diploma, 40% attended postsecondary education. Eighty-seven percent of completers whose parents expected them to earn a bachelor’s degree and 90% of those whose parents expected them to earn a graduate degree attended postsecondary education by Fall 2013.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10, ,400 observations for all analyses except whether a parent met with a counselor by 11th grade, which had a rounded sample size of 5,100..
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

27. Bachelor’s Degree Program Attendance in Fall 2013

28. Logistic Regression Results:
Bachelor’s Degree Program Attendance in Fall 2013
The following had a significant effect on whether a student enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program in 2013:
Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Student met one-on-one with counselor to discuss financial aid during 12th grade
Participated in a college prep program by 11th grade
Proportion of close friends who planned in 11th grade to attend a four-year college in Fall 2013
Parents’ expectations when child was in 9th grade for the child’s highest level of education
Student Characteristics
School type
Mathematics exam score
Parents’ highest degree attained
In 9th grade, student planned to enroll in Associate’s or Bachelor‘s degree program after high school
Race

29. Percent of Students Who Attended a Bachelor’s Degree Program in Fall 2013, by Student Characteristics Counselors May Influence
Only 36% of students who did not meet with a counselor during 12th grade to discuss college admissions or financial aid attended a bachelor’s degree program in Fall 2013, compared with 57% of students who met with a counselor.
Forty-nine percent of high school graduates who did not participate in a program that provided college preparation attended a bachelor’s degree program, compared with 53% of those who participated in such a program.
Among high school completers who reported that less than half of their friends planned to attend a four-year college, 30% attended a bachelor’s degree program. In contrast, 66% of students who had more friends planning to attend a four-year college attended a bachelor’s degree program themselves in Fall 2013.
Parents’ postsecondary expectations were also related to bachelor’s degree program attendance. Some 7% of high school completers whose parents expected that their highest education would be a high school diploma attended a bachelor’s degree program, compared with 55% of students whose parents expected them to earn a bachelor’s degree and 67% of those whose parents expected them to earn a graduate degree.
Notes: Estimates are weighted by W3W1W2STU, and the rounded sample size was 10, ,400 observations for all analyses except whether a parent met with a counselor by 11th grade, which had a rounded sample size of 5,100..
Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), Base Year, ; First Follow-up, ; and 2013 Update. Restricted Use File.

30. Key Findings
Several characteristics of the counseling programs in students’ schools were related to whether students met one on one with a high school counselor to discuss college admissions or financial aid.
Whether a student met one on one with a high school counselor to discuss college admissions or financial aid was related to the student’s likelihood of completing a FAFSA, attending postsecondary education, and attending a bachelor’s degree program.
Student characteristics that counselors may be able to influence were also related to students’ postsecondary outcomes, including:
whether a student participated in a program that provided college preparation
the proportion of the student’s close friends planning to attend a four-year college
parents’ expectations in ninth grade for their child’s highest postsecondary degree attainment,
whether the student spoke with a counselor in ninth grade about going to college,
whether parents spoke with a counselor about their child’s options for life after high school by 11th grade.

31. Notable Numbers
Students who met with a counselor to discuss financial aid were 6.8 times more likely to submit a FAFSA than those of students who did not meet with a counselor.
Students who reported that a majority of their friends planned to attend a four-year college had 75% higher odds of attending college than those who reported fewer friends planned to attend a four-year college.
Students who met with a counselor to discuss college admissions or financial aid had odds of pursuing a bachelor’s degree program that were twice as high as those of students who did not meet with a counselor to discuss these topics.