Lone Star College added more students than any other college in the nation in fall 2014 compared to fall 2013, according to a report from Community College Week which analyzed the most recent year for which national data is available from the U.S. Department of Education.
“The Lone Star College service area includes some of the fastest-growing communities in the state,” said Dr. Stephen C. Head, LSC chancellor. “We are working very hard to keep up with that growth and continue to serve those who turn to Lone Star College for their higher education needs.”
LSC is bucking the national trend with its continued growth. In his analysis for Community College Week, the report’s author, professor Victor M.H. Borden, University of Indiana Bloomington, educational leadership and policy studies, noted “as the U.S. economy continues to recover from the 2008 Great Recession, America’s community colleges continue to experience declining enrollments, overall.”
LSC added 5,323 students in fall 2014 when compared to fall 2013, and credit student enrollment at LSC grew by 7.7 percent, making it the fastest-growing community college system in Texas with a student enrollment of 10,000 or higher. While there were other colleges nationally that registered a larger percentage of growth, none added as many students as LSC for the period represented in the report.
In last year’s report by Community College Week, LSC grew by 6 percent from fall 2012 to fall 2013 marking the third consecutive year of growth for LSC from fall to fall. The fall 2015 data will not be made available until the 2015-16 academic year is completed causing the national data analysis to be a year behind.
“Students see the tremendous value of attending Lone Star College to help them transfer to a four-year university or to obtain the training needed to begin a new career,” said Dr. Head.
LSC is the choice for area high school graduates with more than 7,000 from local ISDs attending LSC in fall 2015.
The Community College Week report is published each year using data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to track enrollment changes at the nation’s community colleges.
Known for its leadership, innovation and steadfast commitment to student success, Lone Star College provides high-quality academic transfer and workforce education/career training programs to more than 83,000 credit students each semester, and a total enrollment of 95,000 students. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to promote student success and economic prosperity. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., is the chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, which consists of six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online.
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