Human Geography Commons^™

West Virginia's Low Percentage Of Population With At Least A Four-Year College Education, Britt Arcadipane

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This report analyzes key factors concerning West Virginia’s rank as last in the nation with residents that have obtained a four-year bachelor’s degree or higher. This quantitative study will examine political, economic, and sociological components at the state and county level using data collected primarily from various government and state institutions. An emphasis is placed on three main factors: poverty, parental education levels, and low socio-economic status (SES) high schools. Other variables analyzed will be high school graduation and dropout rates, free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) eligibility, college retention rates, first-generation student population, and the influence of resource-extractive industries. Poverty …