North Carolinians Remaining in High School, 1930-1955

From the 1957 Annual Report of the School of Agriculture, N.C. State College, Raleigh

Considering the trend toward longer school enrollment, it was found that in North Carolina, 90.6 per cent of  14- and 15-year-olds were enrolled in school in 1950. This compared with 83.5 per cent in 1940 and 79.1 per cent in 1930.

In the 15- to 16-year age group, the percentages enrolled were 65.9 in 1950, 55.4 in 1940 and 49.3 in 1930.

This trend was borne out by studying median school grade by age for North Carolina males. In the 55- to 64-years-of-age group in 1940 the median school grade was 6.1. By 1950 this had risen only to 6.6. On the other hand, the median school grade for the 25- to 29-year-age group was 7.7 in 1940 and had climbed to 9.2 by 1950.

It was also found in studying North Carolina enrollment trends that only 33 per cent of the students who had started to school 11 years earlier entered the 11^th grade in 1940. By 1955 this had climbed to 60 per cent.

In considering these trends and in the light of the historic roll which N.C. State College has played in fostering the growth of understanding among all the people of the state, the staff members of the School of Agriculture believe it is imperative that our instructional programs of the future reflect the needs of our changing society.