Only 37% of the state’s high school graduates went straight to college last fall — the lowest rate since at least 2014. State Board of Education officials aren’t exactly sure what happened.
Higher Education

Lewis-Clark State career program helps students cover college costs
The program provides on-the-job training and income to help cover tuition and other expenses.

College of Southern Idaho celebrates designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution
The college is using its new designation as a “springboard” to map out future efforts to serve Idaho’s Hispanic students, top officials say.

Analysis: The college entrance exam is falling out of favor
Idaho’s colleges and universities are no longer required to look at entrance exam scores. Does it make sense to require all high school students take these exams, at a taxpayer expense of $1 million a year?

Analysis: Report raises important questions about two fast-growing programs
In one year, Idaho spent about $3 million on coursework and scholarships for students who didn’t pursue college. Legislative researchers take a hard look at the state’s popular Advanced Opportunities and Opportunity Scholarship programs.

State Board makes tuition freeze official
For a second consecutive year, the four-year schools will hold the line on in-state, undergraduate tuition.

U of I training teachers to provide dual-credit cybersecurity course
Students won’t be hacking into computer systems in CYB 110, but they will be getting an introduction into what cybersecurity means.

Spring slump: Higher education enrollment continues to fall
The state’s eight public colleges and universities lost more than 4,000 students from fall semester to spring semester, a 7.4 percent decline.

Analysis: Funding higher education, on the basis of anecdotes and narrative
Narratives are powerful, but anecdotal. They’re not a good foundation for a budget. And next year’s higher education budget could directly affect the courses available to college and university students, and faculty and staffing at the four-year schools.

Analysis: By staying silent, the State Board loses the education narrative
On Thursday, new State Board President Kurt Liebich called the 2021 session a missed opportunity — with little attention paid to learning loss in the wake of the pandemic.