U.S. high school graduates enrolling in college, by income 1980 and 2009
The statistic shows the percentage of high school graduates who enrolled in college in the fall immediately after their graduation, by income groups. Percentages were compared in the years 1980 and 2009. In 2009, 84 percent of high school students from wealthy families enrolled in college right after their graduation, while only 55 percent of their peers from low-income backgrounds did the same.