Ayers Scholars Program Setting the Pace in Tennessee’s Increased College-Going Rate
Parsons, TN – Top leaders from the Ayers Foundation Trust and its nationally-recognized Ayers Scholars Program joined other state leaders and partners today in congratulating the State of Tennessee and the Class of 2023 on a 2.4 percent increase in the statewide college-going rate.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) announced today a statewide college-going rate of 56.7 percent for the Class of 2023 – up from 54.3 percent for the Class of 2022.
“The future lives of these students and the future of our state economy and workforce are directly tied to the work so many of us are doing to create even greater opportunities for students to pursue education and training beyond high school,” said Janet Ayers, President of the Ayers Foundation Trust.
“And we’re very pleased to see in the counties where our Ayers Scholars Program is at work, we are helping set the pace in increasing the state’s overall college-going rate.”
An analysis of the information released by THEC this morning shows that the college-going rate in the high schools where the Ayers Scholars Program has been actively at work for many years was 66 percent for the Class of 2023 (or nearly 10 percent higher than the state average).
Perhaps even more impressive is the huge jump seen in just the past two years in the high schools where the Ayers Scholars Program has expanded as part of the Governor’s Rural Education Foundation.
The combined college-going rate in those expansion high schools the year before the Ayers Scholars Program entered was 45.93 percent. After just two years of intensive work and Ayers support, the college-going rate for the Class of 2023 in those same high schools has jumped nearly 12 percentage points – or 3 times higher than the average statewide increase (3.9%) in the college-going rate during that same period.
Thanks to Ayers Scholars Program support, some high schools saw even more impressive gains over the past two years: Lewis County High School, for instance, realized a 25.25 percent increase in college-going; Frank Hughes School in Wayne County experienced a 17.23 percent jump; and Union County High School in East Tennessee has seen a 15.15 percent increase.
“This success comes from the hard work of our dedicated Ayers counselors, and the students and schools they serve,” said Troy Grant, Chief Scholars Officer, Ayers Foundation Trust. “We are excited we can do our part in helping boost the state’s overall college-going rate.”
“We are grateful to the Ayers Foundation Trust and the Ayers Scholars Program for the terrific work they are doing in the state’s most economically distressed and at-risk communities and the opportunities they are creating for so many more students to realize their dreams and potential after high school,” said Dr. Steven Gentile, Executive Director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. “We look forward to working with them and all of our state and local partners to continue the significant college-going momentum we announced today.”
Founded in 1999 in a single high school, the Ayers Scholars Program now serves students in 33 high schools and two community colleges across 21 rural Tennessee counties in all three grand divisions of the state. By providing schools with full-time, trained advisors, counselors are able to give students the guidance and support they need, from 8th grade through college or another post-secondary path.
“We want to thank Governor Lee and the General Assembly for the investments they are making to expand and support the number of at-risk and distressed counties our Ayers Scholars Program can serve,” said Dr. Burton Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Ayers Foundation Trust. “We are pleased to see that these investments are paying off.”
For more information about the Ayers Scholars Program and the many programs of the Ayers Foundation Trust, please visit AyersFoundationTrust.org.