Class of 2022: Planning for the Future in Uncertain Times

The graduating class of 2022 lived more than half of their high school career during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hearing directly from these graduating seniors about their future plans – including how those plans have changed and how they perceive support from their schools – can help school systems, employers, institutions of higher education, and students themselves better navigate this formative transition during uncertain times. 

What do high school seniors in the class of 2022 have to say about their future plans? How do plans – and opportunities – differ across student demographic groups? And what has changed for this year’s graduates compared to the class of 2019, the last graduating class before the COVID-19 pandemic? 

This report presents insights about future plans from over 28,000 high school seniors from the class of 2022 and the class of 2019. Surprisingly, across the 22 survey questions explored, only three revealed differences between these two groups of students overall: expecting to attend a two-year college, participating in counseling about future career possibilities, and participating in counseling about how to pay for college. 

Notably, however, differences abound for certain groups of students, including Hispanic or Latinx students, Black or African American students, LGBTQ+ youth, boys/men, and students attending high-poverty schools, among others. These trends raise questions and concerns about how schools and their partners can inspire all students and better support them to thrive in college, career, and beyond.