As part of the Sequences to Success in Washington State project, MDRC collaborated with the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) to map the most common pathways after high school among Washington state public high school graduates who entered ninth grade in 2013. This infographic presents the initial findings. In summary, the team identified 12 pathways. Fewer than a fifth of students are following the once-normative pathway that leads from high school directly to a four-year bachelor’s degree program and into the workforce.

Students are embarking on a variety of postsecondary journeys, many that include enrolling at community and technical colleges. But the most-traveled pathway is that taken by students who enrolled in college but left before earning a credential. Increasing credential attainment among this group could have an outsized effect on overall credential attainment rates. Finally, the wide range in earnings for each pathway suggests that program of study matters a lot and that multiple pathways can lead to better labor market outcomes.