End of a 50-Year Federal Research Effort Alarms Educators and Researchers
For more than fifty years, the U.S. government gathered extensive data on the academic lives of high school students through the High School Longitudinal Studies, a series of surveys designed to track how educational decisions influence college attendance and career outcomes. Earlier this year, this effort came to an end when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) canceled the contracts that sustained it.
A Cornerstone for Education Research
Launched in 1972, these studies followed more than 100,000 students into adulthood, collecting detailed records about academic performance, subject choices, and long-term outcomes. The data served as a foundation for policy development and research, helping educators and decision-makers better understand student progress and the effectiveness of academic programs.
With the program’s termination, education experts warn that a crucial source of insight will be lost. The longitudinal data allowed for deep analysis of issues such as dropout rates, college readiness, and the impact of early exposure to advanced coursework. Local school districts also used these findings to benchmark their performance and guide improvements.
Consequences for Future Generations
The most recent phase of the study was intended to track students who experienced the effects of the pandemic during their high school years. Without this continuation, researchers say the nation may lose the opportunity to understand why absenteeism and declining college enrollment persist in post-pandemic classrooms.
Educators emphasize that discontinuing this research halts a decades-long narrative about educational progress in the United States. The absence of future data, they caution, could limit the ability to design informed policies and evaluate how the secondary education system shapes opportunities for young Americans.
