By Wendy Greenberg
As Princeton High School’s (PHS) 2025 graduates continue their next chapters, the school’s College Counseling Office has compiled a Matriculation Report with a snapshot of what they chose and how they got there.
The report has proven valuable for the counselors so they can be more knowledgeable in advising students, said Nipurna Shah, college and career counselor, who compiled the report.
The Matriculation Report 2025 shows, for example, student interest in applying to public colleges and universities, especially Rutgers, and schools in the South; an increased use of college applications other than the common application; stronger preference of early action as opposed to early decision applications; and a strong placement in four-year colleges of PHS under-resourced students.
Guiding those next steps after graduation, which actually begins junior year or even before, is a big job for the counselors, each of whom follows and advises about 220 students, said John McMichael, supervisor for school counseling and student wellness. McMichael and Shah gave a synopsis at the September 30 School Board meeting, where Kimberly Tew, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, credited the counselors with helping students “land where they’re supposed to land once they have graduated from high school.”
The Class of 2025 had 396 graduates who were accepted to 371 colleges and universities, according to the report. They are attending 150 colleges and universities in 29 states and three countries outside the U.S. — France, Canada, and Scotland.
Eighty-five percent are attending a four-year college, and seven percent are attending a two-year college, with eight percent attending trade school, serving in the military, or taking a gap year.
Seven percent attending two-year colleges is a “pretty robust number,” said Shah in a telephone interview, and reflects a national trend of seniors considering community colleges or two-year schools, which is cost-effective.
Among the four-year college attendees, 84 graduates are attending public out-of-state colleges or universities, and 51 graduates are attending public in-state colleges or universities. Twenty-six are attending private not for profit schools in-state, and 166 are attending private not for profit schools out-of-state. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has traditionally been the most applied-to school, and this year is no exception, with 186 applications submitted from PHS students. Princeton University received 82 applications. “We are New Jersey strong and proud at PHS,” Shah said.
Public out-of-state schools like University of Pittsburgh (62 applicants), University of Michigan (70 applicants), Penn State University (68 applicants) and University of Maryland (45 applicants) have high numbers of applicants, as do universities in the South, pointed out Shah, such as University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (30), and Georgia Institute of Technology. Northeastern University, a private university in Boston offering a practical work experience, had 75 PHS applicants.
Many schools accept what is called a common application, noted Shah, but the student is limited to applying to 20 schools on a single profile. At PHS, applications via the “Common App” dipped slightly, but applications directly to colleges increased. Nationally, more colleges have developed their own unique applications.
In total, applications increased by 4.7 percent, “indicating a modest rise in interest or outreach,” states the report.
The report also noted a decline in Early Decision (where a student makes a binding commitment by applying early), in favor of Early Action, and some subcategories of early action, which some schools offer. “I would say that 50 or 60 percent took the non-binding route,” said Shah.
Shah and McMichael are particularly proud of the under-resourced student numbers. For under-resourced students (the dataset represents all students who are currently enrolled in the Free and Reduced Lunch program), 51 percent will be at four-year colleges and 31 percent at two-year colleges.
Shah is a co-leader of the Generation One group (students whose parents did not attend college) and works closely with those students. In fact, she said, in November there is an “instant decision” event: 11 colleges in New Jersey and Temple University in Philadelphia will interview students who have previously applied, and give them a decision within 15 minutes.
The matriculation report breaks down students by ethnicity, with white and Asian students attending the most two-or four-year colleges, and notes that “Black and Hispanic students demonstrate robust engagement in post-secondary education with 84 percent and 82 percent, respectively attending either a two-year or four-year college.”
Some 58 percent of students with Individualized Education Plans (26 students) are attending four-year colleges; and 18 percent (eight students), a two-year college.
The report, said Shah and McMichael, gives a good snapshot to the district, and helps counselors identify viable and popular college and post-secondary choices, so they can “dig deeper” to get information on those colleges, they said.
The mission of the counseling office, stated in the report, is, in part, to “provide personalized guidance resources, and support to help students navigate a wide range of options — including four-year colleges, two-year colleges, technical and vocational programs, employment opportunities, gap year experiences and other postsecondary endeavors.” And, to “foster a culture of equity, access, and informed decision-making, ensuring every student feels seen, supported, and confident as they transition from high school to their next chapter — whatever that may be.”
The report can be found online at princetonk12.org/princeton-high-school.