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Pathways to Prosperity: Postsecondary Access and Success For Colorado's High School Graduates

For Colorado to meet its future workforce demands, we must put more residents on a path to achieve a postsecondary degree or credential. The Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) have set an ambitious goal that by 2025, 66 percent of Coloradans attain a postsecondary degree or credential, to address this need

A key strategy for meeting Colorado's workforce needs is ensuring that Colorado's high school graduates are enrolling and succeeding in career-connected postsecondary education. Colorado is one of only a few states that could, in theory, reach its educational-attainment goals through increased outreach and engagement of traditional-age students. However, for almost a decade, Colorado's college-going rate has remained stagnant. We, as a system, must do more to support college-access.

This report is issued annually by the Colorado Department of Higher Education pursuant to C.R.S. 23-1-113 it explores the high school pathways into postsecondary enrollment, postsecondary enrollment trends and progress toward a credential of recent high school graduates.

Data are available for the graduating classes of 2009 through 2020 and can be viewed at the state, district and school level. Consistent with the commitments outlined in Colorado’s goal to erase equity gaps, selected data are provided by gender, race/ethnicity, and income.

Email your questions to CDHE@dhe.state.co.us
 

 

Downloadable Data

  • HighSchool Cohort Data File
    This cohort consists of all students who graduated from high school in Colorado in a given year and is used primarily in Part I. CDE, SURDS and NSC the source of this data.
  • College Enrollee Cohort Data File
    This cohort consists of students who graduated from high school in Colorado in a given year and are attending an in-state institution that reports data into the SURDS system. This includes all public Colorado colleges and universities, plus Colorado Christian University, Regis University, and the University of Denver. This cohort is used in Parts II and III. CDE and SURDS are the only source of this data with the exception of persistence, where NSC data is used to identify student who enrolled in a private institution or out of state institution following their first year.
  • Developmental Education Data File
    This file includes the developmental education enrollment percentages of all students who graduated from high school in Colorado in a given year and are attending a public institution of higher education in Colorado. Source: CDE and SURDS
  • Developmental Education Outcomes Cohort DataFile

    This file includes leading indicators and outcomes for all students requiring developmental education and those not identified as having developmental need who graduated from high school in Colorado in a given year and who attend a Colorado institution of higher education. Source: CDE and SURDs