How Many Somerville Graduates Attend College?

Seniors at graduated earlier this month, and in August, many of them will be heading off to college.

We previously learned that .

Just how many high school graduates in Somerville go to college? Where do they go, and how do their enrollment numbers compare to those in neighboring communities?

According to the latest figures available on the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) website, which are from the 2009-2010 school year, Somerville had one of the lowest percentages of high school graduates attending college, at 64.8 percent.

Of communities in the Somerville region, only Everett and Chelsea had lower percentages of graduates going to college (58.2 percent and 57.6 percent, respectively).

Meanwhile, Somerville's immediate neighbors had higher percentages: Boston was 67.1 percent, Medford was 68 percent, Cambridge was 76.8 percent and Arlington was 81.3 percent. See the chart below.

The chart also shows what types of colleges Somerville graduates attended. Most, 36.4 percent, attended two-year public institutions. About 32.1 percent attended four-year private institutions, and 30.4 percent attended four-year public institutions.

See the chart below for percentages by city or town.

Figures are the most recent numbers available, from the 2009-10 school year, from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, showing high school graduates attending institutions of higher education.