The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires each district to survey exiting seniors about their intentions after high school—specifically, whether students plan to obtain additional education, secure employment, or pursue other activities. This graduate follow-up survey asked Career and Technical Education (CTE) students from the class of 2021 about their experiences after graduation. Key takeaways include:

  • Out of 1,030 CTE students who provided contact information on the Senior Exit Survey, 193 students provided a valid response to the CTE Graduate Follow-up Survey (a 19% response rate).
  • Compared to the graduating class of 2020, more CTE graduates were enrolled in school the next fall (55% vs 62%), and fewer students who were not enrolled in school the next fall were unemployed and seeking work (23% vs 15%).
  • 47% of students enrolled in school who responded to the survey were also working part- or full-time, and 74% of those not enrolled in school who responded to the survey were working part- or full-time.
  • About a quarter of students who responded to the survey, and who were working part- or full-time, were employed in a job directly or closely related to their CTE field of study (21% for those enrolled in school and 32% for those not in school).