Where Will the Graduates Go?

Unofficially, 419 residents will process onto the Ridgewood High School Stadium Field for the last time as students tonight. Marching in pairs, dressed in white, the soon-to-be graduates will receive their diplomas.

Like tonight, plans for many graduates future are already set, according to data from the high school guidance department.

Annually, the department conducts senior surveys and collects data on the future destinations of graduates. According to the survey, 93.1 percent of graduates will attend college in the fall—with 88.6 percent choosing four-year institutions (Note: 411 of the 419 students returned the survey).

Others plan on taking time off, entering the workforce, pursuing a professional school, serving in the military or are as of yet undecided. 

Additionally, many students—especially in the top 20 percent—will leave New Jersey for college. The survey indicates that 78.4 percent (312 students) will attend school out of state. For the 85 students at the top of the class, only four plan to stay in the Garden State—three at The College of New Jersey and one at Rutgers University.

The top 20 percent will represent Ridgewood at 52 colleges nationwide (see graphic). Topping their university selection are Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and the University of Richmond in Virginia—each with four students. Three students each will also attend Boston University and Tufts University in Boston, Columbia University in New York, George Washington University in Washington, DC, Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY, and TCNJ in Ewing, NJ.

In total, all Ridgewood High School students applied to 2,784 schools with 1,564 of them being accepted—a 56.2 percent acceptance rate. Furthermore, 274 students were wait listed, and 803 were denied.

At their schools, 128 students will receive merit-based scholarships. Those students were rewarded for academic (110), athletic (14), community service (9), or artistic (9) achievement.

The scholarship winners all received funds in a variety of amounts. The most students (23.1 percent) will receive more than $15,000 annually. Additionally, 17.9 percent will receive between $2,500 and $5,000 annually, and 15.4 percent will receive between $7,500 and $10,000 per year.

Tonight's graduation ceremony commences at the high school at 5 p.m.