BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho State Board of Education recently released its 2019 Education Fact Book.
Addressing areas like enrollment, tuition changes and high school graduation rates, the information takes a look at how levels of education across the state looked in 2019.
KTVB examined some of the key findings in that report.
One of the biggest changes in Idaho education over the years has been tuition. Numbers in the report show that since 2008, overall tuition and fees at four-year universities have increased 47%.
The university with the highest tuition increase was University of Idaho, raising their tuition rate 53% in the last 12 years. The lowest percentage increase was Lewis-Clark State College at 39%.
In that same realm, funding for higher education is coming more from tuition fees than state funding. And since the recession, those same institutions are seeing $20 million less in appropriated state funds than they did pre-recession.
Another important part of the report shows that statewide, enrollment numbers for post-secondary education continue to decline.
In 2016, more than 78,000 students were enrolled in higher education institutions. In 2019, that number is just more than 74,000.
However, Boise State spokesman Greg Hahn said the university has still seen growth in its students numbers.
“We have this kind of dramatic growth and that’s true of first-year retention rates, four-year graduation rate, six-year graduation rate," he said. "Now our president, Dr. Tromp, will be the first to tell you she is not satisfied with where that is and expects the university to keep working on it.”
On the flip side, the report shows high school graduation rates have continually risen since 2014, now hitting 81% as of 2019.
More high school students are also taking advantage of dual enrollment courses. In 2015, around 12,000 students took dual credits. That number steadily risen and now sits at more than 26,000 students.
Boise State had 6,198 students earn dual enrollment credit in 2019. Hahn said that's a benefit to both students and the university because it allows the student to get an idea of what a college course will be like - and hopefully helps prepare them to finish out their full college career.
“We know statistically, not just here at Boise State, but all over the state, if you come in with about six credits you’re more likely to stay on track and on time,” he said. “It’s been showing that it’s working. Our graduation rates are going up, our retention rates are going up and having 6,000 high school students across the state taking Boise State classes – and that’s just for us, let alone everybody else – it’s making a big dent.”
The full report from the Idaho State Board of Education can be viewed here.
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