Trinity Collegiate School reports 90% of its African-American graduates enroll in college
African-American college enrollment remains consistently low nationally and in South Carolina. Black students currently comprise only 9.5 percent of undergraduate enrollment at South Carolina colleges and universities. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, of the 3.2 million high school graduates ages 16 to 24 in 2019, only 66.2 percent enrolled in college (four-year, two-year, or armed forces). Only 50.7 percent of black high school graduates in the U.S., however, actually enrolled in college. “Success for African-American students is more than just graduating high school,” says Trinity Collegiate School Director of College Counseling Weston Nunn. “Success means not only being accepted to college but ultimately enrolling and graduating. At Trinity Collegiate School, we are developing a database in order to better track our African-American student success post-graduation.” Over the past five years at Trinity Collegiate, 100 percent of its 31 African-American seniors have graduated from high school. All of the African-Americans have been accepted to four-year colleges or universities. Of these 31 students, 28 (90 percent) enrolled in college. The overall college enrollment rate for all Trinity Collegiate graduates is 97 percent. “We know our African-American students will graduate from high school and be accepted to college if they come to Trinity,” says Mike Teasley, Director of the Trinity Collegiate School Office of Diversity and Cultural Affairs. “But what interests us now is what level of success are they having in college.” Of the 90 percent of students who enrolled in college, reports Nunn, 79 percent currently remain in college, have graduated or have entered the military (three graduates) but with a plan to return to college. Of those students who did withdraw from college, all are currently employed (for whom the school has follow-up data). “African-American families invest in a Trinity education,” Teasley says, “because they want their sons and daughters to go to college.” “The success of our African-American graduates is a reflection of the strong academic programs at Trinity Collegiate School,” says Head of School Ed Hoffman. “With 21 AP courses and one of only a few schools in South Carolina to offer a pre-AP program,” Hoffman continues, “we are well equipped to meet our school’s mission of preparing our students to lead productive lives in a global society.”