By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT–After they walked off the Staples High football field, diplomas in hand last June, the Class of 2025 spread out to 153 different post-secondary institutions.

Two members of the class stayed close, attending Fairfield University, just six miles from home. Another is across the globe at the University of Western Australia, a good 20-hour plane ride away.

“There is a lot to be proud of,” Staples Director of Guidance Bill Plunkett told the school board on Thursday.

In all, out of 405 graduates, 94 percent are at four-year colleges and 95 percent of them, according to district officials, say they are happy with their decision.

Overall, while big size and name universities continue to be popular destinations, Plunkett told the school board on Thursday that students are encouraged to cast a wide net. Clearly some do.

As it has for the past five years, the Staples administration and guidance department has compiled a report on the most recent graduating class. 

Partially, it demonstrates how popular Staples grads are in the higher education community. But it’s also meant to reassure and guide anxious undergrads–and their parents–facing intense pressure as they try to navigate the increasingly complex college admissions process.

 Class of 2025 by the numbers: 

• Students in the class applied to 369 different institutions, ultimately landing at 153.
• The class submitted 3,174 college applications _ an average of 8.12 applications per student – with an overall acceptance rate of 61.5 percent. It is the highest acceptance rate for Staples in over a decade.
• Large public universities continue to receive the most applications from Staples students, with UConn, Penn State, and Indiana as the top three. UConn remains the most popular destination, with 21 students calling themselves Huskies this fall, between Storrs and branch campuses. New to the top ten list this year is McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where five members of the class attend as freshmen this fall.
• While national acceptance rates at the most selective colleges remain low–only a handful of Staples students gravitate toward the Harvards or Yales, Staples students, by and large, continue to be accepted at rates at or above the national average. 
• Beyond the 94.1 percent that went to four-year colleges, 1.7 percent started their post-high school journey at two year schools, 2 percent went to a college prep school or some other transition program, 1.2 percent took a gap year, just under one percent went straight into employment, and .2 percent were undecided or had no plans.
• One third of the class graduated with a 4.0 grade point average or better.
• Standardized Testing, although optional at some schools, remains strong. For the Class of 2025. Mean Composite ACT scores were 29; mean SAT Scores were 1239, (10 points higher than the Class of 2024); and 97 percent of the class scored a 3 or better on Advanced Placement tests. Half of the class, greater than 200 students were recognized as AP scholars, AP scholars with honors or AP scholars with distinction, meaning they got a 3 or better on three to five AP exams.
• Dual Enrollment: A record number of students participated in UConn Early College Experience courses, placing Staples among the state’s top ten high schools, in addition to students participating in the High School Partnership through CT State Community College. 
• FAFSA Completion: 54 percent of seniors completed the federal student aid program. By the Class of 2027, Connecticut will mandate all students at least apply for the financial assistance program, the board was told. Unlike the year before, FAFSA applications for this class were available on time and with no reported difficulties.
• Some 28 percent of the class applied for community scholarships, 14 percent say they will play sports at college and 6 percent plan to major in the visual or performing arts.
• Roughly one third of the class plan to major in business.

Changing landscape

Plunkett said increasingly, there is a growing emphasis by colleges on career readiness and “fit to major,” an admissions strategy that evaluates an applicant’s demonstrated interest in a chosen field of study, rather than just their grades.

Similarly, more students and their parents are weighing what bang they are getting for their buck with college tuition continuing to rise.

Some question whether college is worth the investment, said Sandra Zeigler, coordinator of Staples College and Career Center.

Another trend is the impact of the recent Supreme Court ruling that prohibits colleges from taking race or ethnicity into account when accepting students. Some colleges, Zeigler said, are being asked to submit years’ worth of admissions data to the federal government with warnings that personal essays and other means can’t be used to select students based on race.

More students and college admission departments today are using Artificial Intelligence in  some parts of their college search process.

To aid families, Staples offers a wide range of support and advice to help them through the college search process. They also seek feedback from seniors.

Asked to give underclassmen advice, one member of the Class of 2025 said to focus on “your own ideal college” and not that of friends.

“If you listen to your own opinions, you’ll end up somewhere that makes you happy,” the student reportedly said.

Board Secretary Neil Phillips, a parent of a Staples Class of 25 grad, called the support received phenomenal.

He asked why so few Staples students end up at Ivies.

Plunkett said many students apply where their friends and former classmates have found success.

“Since the time I’ve started I have seen a shift toward more realistic thinking (about where they go),” Plunkett said, adding a number of the colleges Staples students end up at are as competitive as the Ivies.

Linda Conner Lambeck

^{_{Linda Conner Lambeck covers education for Westport Journal. She was a reporter for more than four decades at the Connecticut Post and other Hearst publications. She has covered education throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. She is a proud member of the Education Writers Association.}}