Ohio’s high school students are enrolling in college classes more now than ever before – but not all of the state’s students are taking part.
Predominantly white, wealthier counties – including Northwest Ohio’s Putnam County and Southern Ohio’s Washington County – lead the state with the highest percentage of their students participating in Ohio’s College Credit Plus program, according to the most recent annual report published by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
And as Signal Statewide reported last month, far more white Ohio high schoolers are taking college courses compared to their Black peers, mirroring national trends.
Two years ago, Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber’s office found that lower participation rates for low-income and/or students of color were, in part, due to barriers such as limited high-speed internet access and less support from their districts.
That same report also pointed out that K-12 districts and the state’s education department could do more to let students and families know about these opportunities.
“Despite the enormous advantages of the program, the fact is a wide disparity exists among school districts in how well this program is embraced,” Faber said in a news release when the report was released in 2022.
Ohio’s three biggest counties each have single-digit participation rates
This offering, commonly known as dual enrollment, allows students to take college classes while still in high school for free or at relatively low costs. They can then transfer those credits to a higher education institution or earn a degree or certificate.
In Putnam County, about a third of its 1,900 high school students took these courses during the 2022-23 academic year. That made it the county with the highest participation rate in the state during that time frame.
The county’s median household income clocks in at close to $79,500, about $12,500 higher than that of the state. Nearly 98% of the county’s nearly 35,000 residents are white, compared to 81% of state residents.
Meanwhile, 14 of Ohio’s 88 counties saw participation rates in the single digits. That list includes the counties where the state’s most populated cities — Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus — sit.
And Vinton County, one of the state’s least populous and most rural counties, had about 60 students take these courses. That’s about 10% of its total high school students.
That means more students are taking classes there compared to neighboring counties of Ross (8%), Pike (9%), and Jackson (8%). Yet Vinton’s number is far lower than that of nearby Meigs (17%) and Athens (19%) counties.
The map below details participation rates, as well as total number of students and the number of College Credit Plus participants, in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
What type of coverage is missing when it comes to higher education in Ohio? Our reporter Amy Morona wants to know what you think! Send her a note by filling out this form.