More public school graduates are entering college.

According to the Louisiana Department of Education, back in 2012 the number of public school graduates from our state entering college was around 20.457. In 2018 that number increased to around 25,083, a 23% increase in just 7 years.

Louisiana is one of four states in the country that has matched requirements to receive a high school diploma with admissions eligibility for the state public university system.

The department stated that the increase is due to black students pursuing higher education. Nearly 2,500 more black graduates from the class of 2018 enrolled in higher education than did from the class of 2012.

As it turns out, the age old, "a high school diploma just won't do anymore," is true. Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed in a statement praised the news, saying a high school diploma is no longer enough in today’s “rapidly changing economy.”

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