These nationally representative surveys were conducted by and YouGov and involved 1,000 parents with children ages 12 to 30 and 1,000 young adults ages 18 to 30.

In short, while parents in many polls think their kids鈥� schools , both groups in these new studies are critical of the overall performance of the education American students are receiving. And rather than affirming the often heard 鈥渃ollege for all鈥� mantra, both groups support creating more pathways and practical programs that prepare young people to lead decent lives after their schooling is finished. 

First, when asked to evaluate how well K-12 public school achieve eight goals, only one 鈥� teaching academic skills and knowledge 鈥� received a rating of excellent or good from more than half the parents and young adults:

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Second, neither parents nor young adults think very much of what higher education advocates consider strengths of colleges and universities:

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On some of these strengths, attitudes vary by partisan affiliation, with Democrats more likely than Independents or Republicans to cite higher education鈥檚 strength. 

Conversely, there鈥檚 near unanimity regarding what was cited as higher education鈥檚 primary weakness:. Over 8 in 10 parents (83 percent) and 7 in 10 young adults (76 percent) say it’s too expensive, an opinion held across political affiliations. There’s far less agreement about the other attributes described as weakness in the surveys, and there are partisan differences, with Democrats generally more concerned about access and Republicans more concerned about academic content. 

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Finally, parents and young adults are dissatisfied with the options offered by the current K-12 and postsecondary systems. More than 8 in 10 (85 percent) parents 鈥渟trongly agree鈥� or 鈥渟omewhat agree鈥� that there should be 鈥渕ore educational options available for my child,鈥� with strong support for non-college career pathways after high school. 

These options include a three-year apprenticeship leading to a 鈥渧aluable credential and a well-paying job.鈥� This preference is linked with the educational attainment of parents, with those having college degrees more inclined to opt for a four-year college program for their child.

It may surprise some education advocates that these surveys found respondents eager for a practice some have long discredited 鈥� tracking within high schools. The surveys recognized that the term 鈥渢racking鈥� might have negative overtones, so they presented half of respondents with that word and half with the alternative phrase 鈥渄iverse pathways.鈥�

Respondents asked to choose between two approaches to high school: one where schools 鈥渦se [tracking/diverse pathways] to offer students different pathways based on their aptitudes and interests,鈥� and a second with 鈥渁 goal of bringing all students along to the same end point, which is typically preparation for college.鈥�

Tracking was overwhelmingly popular, and the terminology was irrelevant. Overall, 86 percent of parents supported the first approach, regardless of whether it was described as 鈥渢racking鈥� or as 鈥渄iverse pathways.鈥� Young adults were similarly supportive. 

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In sum, both parents and young adults are critical of the overall performance of K-12 and postsecondary education, and groups want educational experiences for young people that are broader than the singular 鈥渃ollege for all鈥� mantra implies. That includes creating more education options. 

Bruno V. Manno is senior adviser to the Walton Family Foundation鈥檚 K-12 Program. Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to 蜜桃影视.

Many of the seniors who she had supported through the spring college admission process at Capital High in Madison, Wisconsin 鈥� where about three-quarters of students are Black or Hispanic, and 4 in 5 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch 鈥� opted to abandon their post-secondary plans for fall. Even students who had won scholarships, she learned, decided not to enroll.

鈥淪urvival became the key,鈥� Matt told 蜜桃影视, explaining that, instead of college, many students picked up jobs to help their families make ends meet. 鈥淭hey became 鈥� the breadwinning part of the family.鈥�

When the fall of 2021 rolled around, very few of those students were ready to return to their studies. One was working as a security guard, others were in fast food, another disclosed to the Wisconsin counselor that his mental health had taken a downturn during quarantine and that he couldn鈥檛 consider moving away from his family for college. 

The pandemic, Matt said, 鈥渢hrew a wrench鈥� into many students鈥� higher education plans.

Similar trends have played out for countless students across the country, new data reveal: More than a year after a surge of 2020 high school graduates chose to scrap or postpone their college plans, only a tiny fraction have now re-enrolled to pursue higher education.

Just of students who opted to take time off after completing high school in 2020 matriculated a year later in 2021, meaning the vast majority did not take short-term 鈥済ap years,鈥� but rather have put college plans on an extended pause 鈥� or nixed them altogether. 

Nearly 1 million 2020 grads in the dataset, which comes from the , did not immediately enroll in college the following fall. Because the Clearinghouse tracks roughly half of the nation鈥檚 high school seniors, the true population-wide number may be closer to 2 million.

Those are worrisome statistics for experts who say the further that high school graduates delay post-secondary education, the more difficult their transition back to school becomes.

鈥淚n normal times, we know that the longer students stay out of school, the harder it is for them to come back and restart,鈥� said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the Clearinghouse鈥檚 research center.

The nation鈥檚 first high school class to graduate amid the pandemic saw a considerable dip in college-going, with only 39 percent immediately enrolling in higher education compared to 43 and 42 percent of the 2018 and 2019 classes, respectively.

Because of the increased pool of students who did not go straight to college, observers had hoped to see a bump in what they call 鈥済ap year enrollment,鈥� or the share of students who matriculate a year later. But the 2 percent return rate is slightly lower than previous years.

鈥淭here was a great expectation that this was a temporary blip due to the pandemic,鈥� Shapiro told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淵et, here we are a year later 鈥� and hardly any of those students who stayed out last year have come back.鈥�

There were steeper drop-offs in the share of graduates taking time off rather than enrolling in college in high-poverty schools attended mostly by students of color compared to predominantly white and affluent schools 鈥� and the numbers did not self-correct a year later. 

Those disparities are yet another example, said Mauriell Amechi, a policy analyst with New America, of how COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on those who were already most vulnerable.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic has and will continue to exacerbate some long-standing inequities facing historically underserved and marginalized populations in the American education system,鈥� Amechi told 蜜桃影视. 

If decreased shares of students of color are able to access college amid the pandemic, he said, that鈥檚 a racial equity issue with consequences that will reverberate for decades.

鈥淪tudents that delay enrollment are less likely to pursue a college education,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e can’t allow this issue to go unaddressed because it would only contribute to growing disparities in the American workforce.鈥�

Back in Madison, there鈥檚 some optimistic news from Capital High, albeit anecdotal. Recently, Matt has been hearing from 2020 graduates who are now ready to return to their studies. Multiple students have reached out asking for transcripts and letters of recommendation. 

鈥淎ny student who had been college bound, I don’t think that they gave up on the dream completely,鈥� she said.

Matt 鈥� who was named 鈥� distributes her contact information to graduating seniors, knowing that many don鈥檛 have parents who are familiar with the college process. She works with about 200 students at a time, comfortably within the 250-student maximum recommended by the American School Counselors Association, meaning she has the bandwidth to provide some extra help, even post-graduation. 

Nationwide, however, high school counselors work with an average of , and only 1 in 5 high schoolers attend a school sufficiently staffed with counselors. In such cases, many graduates seeking to finally enroll in college after multiple years off may have to navigate the path on their own.

Even for Matt鈥檚 students, she worries the extended time away from academics could make for a rough re-entry process.

鈥溾�嬧�婭f you鈥檙e not practicing math everyday you start losing those skills,鈥� she explained.

Given that, colleges and universities should make plans to help students re-adjust to school and studying, she said.

It鈥檚 an idea that Shapiro, at the Clearinghouse, echoes.

鈥淚f these students are to come back next year or two years further down the road,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hey’re going to need more attention, more help, to make that transition.鈥�