From 2019 to 2020, the percent of Worcester’s Burncoat High School seniors applying to college fell from 93% to 50% as the coronavirus pandemic altered nearly every corner of education.
A year later, that figure has continued to fall to 40%, said Sharon McLaughlin, an education advisor at Massachusetts Education & Career Opportunities, Inc., who added she hopes to see some increase before the end of the year.
The pandemic caused an initial dive in college enrollment numbers, which have yet to plateau despite most schools’ return to in-person learning.