TOWSON, MD — The Baltimore County Public Schools class of 2013 reported receiving $139.1 million in college scholarship offers, according to a survey conducted by the school system’s Office of School Counseling. This amount of scholarships is $35.4 million higher than scholarships earned by 2012 graduates.
A total of 7,252 BCPS students graduated at the conclusion of the 2012-2013 school year. This figure represents a 164-student increase over the number of graduates in 2012.
Using data collected from BCPS’ 25 high schools, the survey reveals that, of the 7,252 students, 5,595 graduates (77.4 percent) plan to attend two- or four-year colleges. This approximates the 78 percent of 2012 graduates who had planned to attend college.
Among the 2013 graduates, 17 were National Merit finalists, and 24 received acceptance to Ivy League schools.
In addition, 681 graduates say that they will join the workforce, 292 graduates plan to begin military service and 256 graduates report that they will enter trade schools or apprenticeships.
“We are thrilled when students graduate from our schools prepared for college and careers,” said BCPS Superintendent Dallas Dance. “However, we are always looking to expand and improve the college- and career-readiness resources available to our students to ensure that, when our students graduate, they graduate as globally-competitive citizens. To help with this effort, we will be offering Naviance, a college and career software system, in all of our high schools. This tool will allow students and parents to better manage the college application and scholarship process.”
In addition to Naviance, BCPS promotes college- and career-readiness by maintaining a longstanding partnership with the College Board, which allows all Grade 8 and 9 students to take the Readistep assessment and all Grade 10 and Grade 11 students to take the PSAT in the fall. In addition, BCPS makes it possible for all Grade 11 students to take the SAT in the spring during the school day at no cost to them or their families.
Other BCPS college- and career-readiness activities include:
- Diploma to Degree, which enables selected students to earn both an associate’s degree from the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) and a high school diploma at the same time.
- The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) college prep program for students in the “academic middle.”
- Parallel enrollment, which allows students to take college classes while in high school.
- Gateway College Preparatory Project, which takes Grade 8 students from selected schools for one-day, college experiences at CCBC or Morgan State University.
- The Senior College Application Bootcamp, which premiered in 2013 and provides rising seniors and their parents with information and resources related to applying to colleges and for financial aid.