What Is the Status of High School Athletes 8 Years After Their Senior Year

Jennifer Thompson Branch Associates Inc. This Statistics in Brief examines the status of high school athletes 8 years after their senior year in high school. Using a representative sample of 10th-graders in 1990, who were seniors in 1992, from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), this Brief provides information on the 1990–1992 high school athletes’ educational, labor market, and health status in the year 2000, eight years after scheduled high school graduation. Outcomes for persons who reported participation in high school athletics (persons who indicated involvement in any school sports, at any level, in 1990 or 1992) are compared to outcomes for persons who did not report any high school athletic participation. In addition, outcomes for different types of high school athletes—persons who participated as elite athletes (team captains or most valuable players [MVPs] in 1990 or 1992), varsity athletes, and junior varsity (JV)/intramural athletes1—are compared.