A total of 205 W.F. West High School seniors graduated on Saturday, June 14.
For the sixth year in a row, 100% of them are admitted to college or vocational programs. The only exceptions are three students who have signed up for the military who will obtain a college credential after staying in for two years. The other 202 were admitted directly to college or a job program.
College could mean a one- or two-year college or educational institution, or it could mean a four-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree. Some may also be admitted into apprenticeship programs.
The Chehalis School District long ago reached the goal it established with the beginning of the Student Achievement Initiative (SAI) over a decade ago, which was to raise the percentage of W.F. West High School students who went on to earn a postgraduate living wage credential from 20% to 60% by 2022. Now, the goal is “75 by 35,” according to an email from Chehalis School Board President J. Vander Stoep, meaning that by the class of 2035, 75% of students will go on to earn a credential.
The goal was set because more than 70% of family wage career jobs in the U.S. require a credential beyond a high school diploma. That percentage is going up as the economy gets more reliant on science and technology, Vander Stoep said.
“The goal of SAI isn’t to force any kid to go to college. It’s to give them a choice,” Vander Stoep stated. “If they graduate high school with a poor education, they won’t be successful in college — so they really don’t have a choice. The Chehalis Student Achievement goal is to up the quality of teaching and learning K-12 so that when the student graduates, it means something, that they have been so well educated and prepared that they really do have a viable choice. They can choose to go into the workforce immediately, or to raise a family right away, or go to and succeed in a post-high school educational program.”
This year, the Chehalis School District can add two students into a new success category thanks to I-5 Cars. Two students earned the auto mechanic credential offered through Ford at W.F. West.
The Chehalis Foundation is an important supporter of the SAI with scholarships and support for career and technical training, STEM programs and more.
The success of the SAI effort has caused other organizations to invest in Chehalis education, including the Washington Student Achievement Council, which provides more than $1 million a year to help children and parents from lower income families aim for higher student achievement.
“I can report there is no other effort of this scope supporting career and college prep for students, K-12 and beyond, in any of the other 295 Washington public school districts and very few, possibly none, of this scope nationally,” Vander Stoep said.
Prior to 2013, only 20 to 30% of graduates were going into any college program. Today, 28% are planning to start in a four-year program and 49% plan to go into a college or vocational program.
Here’s more from the W.F. West class of 2025:
• 28% of graduating seniors plan to attend a four-year college or university
• 49% of graduating seniors plan to attend a two-year college or vocational program
• 15% of graduating seniors plan to join the workforce
• 5.5% of graduation seniors plan on completing apprenticeships
• 2.5% of graduating seniors plan to join the military
