FARGO – Three out of four Class of 2015 seniors at Fargo North, South and Davies high schools said they planned to attend a four-year college after graduation, according to the school district's annual senior survey.
The survey, taken by 637 seniors, found that 12.7 percent planned to go to a vocational/technical school, 2.8 percent into military service, 4.7 percent into the work world and 4.7 percent had other plans, according to results presented Tuesday to the School Board.
Nearly 60 percent of seniors planned to attend college in North Dakota. The bulk of them (151) planned to attend North Dakota State University, followed by 69 eyeing the University of North Dakota.
Forty-seven students said they were headed to Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead, another 34 to the University of Minnesota, and 31 planned to attend Concordia. All of those numbers were up from 2014.
When the 2015 graduates hit the work world, 56.5 percent expect to stay in Fargo, compared with 65 percent in 2014.
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Most of the seniors, 88.9 percent, felt they had gotten a high-quality education. By subject: 86.5 percent said they had quality instruction in reading, 84.7 percent in writing, 85.8 percent in math and 91.6 percent in science.
An emphasis on honesty may be paying off, as 91.3 percent of students said academic integrity is important. That compares with 73.9 percent in 2014. However, the 2014 survey also allowed 22.1 percent to say they had no opinion. The "no opinion" option was dropped for 2015.
Other results include:
• 90 percent of students felt their teachers cared about them.
• 88.2 percent felt safe at school every day.
• More 2015 seniors (83) were working 16-20 hours a week, than their 2014 counterparts (65). However, fewer students were working 21 hours or more a week. About a third of students surveyed, 214, reported not having a job during the school year.
