Springfield Public Schools officials presented data Thursday showing a drop in the share of graduates enrolling in college the fall after graduation and low multi‑year completion rates, and described a multi-pronged strategy to increase post‑secondary enrollment and degree attainment.

Dr. Yolanda Johnson, who led the district presentation on the priority area of post‑secondary success, said the district has established school‑based post‑secondary teams to focus on four priority areas and to align local actions with research on college and career readiness. "Getting all students to their hall of fame requires collaboration both at central office and at the school level," Johnson said.

Rosa Valentin, director of Multilingual Learners and a member of the post‑secondary team, highlighted disparities in attainment and enrollment. "As a Latino person, this is heavy on my heart," Valentin said while reviewing district data showing lower degree attainment and college persistence among some student groups.

District slides shown to the School Committee reported that only 39% of the class of 2024 enrolled in college the fall after graduation and that just 28% returned for a second year. Graduation cohorts followed out six years showed cumulative post‑secondary degree attainment for cohorts in the mid‑teens (for 2‑ and 4‑year completions combined). The presentation also listed the top institutions where recent graduates enrolled, with 31% of the class of 2024 enrolling at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), followed by Western New England and Holyoke Community College.

Presenters said the district will pursue several steps to address the gaps: (1) implement and support school‑level post‑secondary success teams that include principals, counselors and teachers; (2) increase professional development so staff can deliver consistent college and career information; (3) expand and revisit summer "melt" work that helps seniors complete enrollment steps after graduation; and (4) produce disaggregated, school‑level follow‑up data for committee review. Assistant Superintendent Poe described the summer‑melt work as a checklist and hands‑on support for students after they deposit at a college (orientation sign‑up, housing, bill review, financial aid steps and promissory notes), with staff contacting students by phone and email and using social media and text messaging when possible.

Committee members asked for additional breakdowns and for follow‑up materials. Vice Chair Bruno Naylor and several members requested hard numbers behind the percentages and school‑level disaggregation so the committee could see patterns across schools and special populations. Committee members also urged the district to collect more student voice—surveys or focus groups—to understand why students who say they will attend often do not enroll or persist.

Superintendent (name not specified) commended the post‑secondary team and said the district will refine summer‑melt supports and continue to track FAFSA completion and scholarship use. The presentation concluded with a district commitment to circulate additional data and to return with implementation details and recommended next steps.