CPS alumni college completion (48%) remains below the national average (64%), with 56% of immediate four-year and 32% of immediate two-year enrollees completing within six years¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Overall college completion rates for CPS alumni (48%) are below national averages (64%). → Mahaffie 2025 q2 i? By college type, 56% of immediate four-year enrollees and 32% of immediate two-year enrollees completed a degree or certificate within six years. → Mahaffie 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Mahaffie 2025¶

Mahaffie, S., Usher, A., Nagaoka, J., & McKoy, D. (2025). The Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools Students: 2024. To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/the-educational-attainment-of-Chicago-Public-Schools-students-2024

q2 · i? · associational · r?

The report finds CPS alumni's overall six-year college completion rate is 48%, sixteen points below the national average of 64%.

"overall college completion rates for CPS alumni (48%) are below national averages (64%)."

Mahaffie 2025 (2)¶

Mahaffie, S., Usher, A., Nagaoka, J., & McKoy, D. (2025). The Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools Students: 2024. To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/the-educational-attainment-of-Chicago-Public-Schools-students-2024

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Completion broken down by college type: immediate four-year enrollees completed at 56%, immediate two-year enrollees at 32% within six years.

"56% of immediate four-year enrollees and 32% immediate two-year enrollees completed a degree or certificate within six-years."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• A record high 7,368 students from the CPS class of 2018 graduated from college with a degree or certificate — related
• Among 2014 CPS graduates who immediately enrolled in college, 46% completed a credential within six years, with large gaps by enrollment pathway — related
• Six-year college completion among the CPS class of 2015 varied sharply by enrollment pathway: 55.8% for immediate four-year enrollees, 32.5% for immediate two-year enrollees, and 7.8% for delayed/non-enrollees — related
• CPS graduates' four-year college graduation rate remained roughly constant over seven years (46 to 48 percent) and well below the national rate — a broader claim this one bears on
• Immediate four-year enrollees were far more likely than immediate two-year enrollees to complete a four-year degree within six years (48 percent vs 7 percent) — related
• Six-year college completion rates for immediate four-year enrollees rose from 54 to 56 percent for the CPS class of 2013, double the rate for immediate two-year enrollees — related
• Four-year college graduation rates remained flat at about 49 percent for direct four-year enrollees, with much lower rates for two-year (8 percent) and delayed enrollees (4 percent) — related
• Students in foster care graduate from high school and enroll in college at substantially lower rates than their peers — related
• Among the CPS class of 2009, 76 percent enrolled in college within six years, and delayed entry was concentrated among two-year starters rather than four-year starters
• CPS class of 2024 students reached near-record highs in high school graduation (84%) and immediate college enrollment (66%), on par with national averages — related
• CPS four-year completion rates rose 7 percentage points over ten years while enrollees nearly doubled, but remained far below six-year rates — related