GRAD STATS: Eight in 10 of this...

GRAD STATS: Eight in 10 of this year’s 8,727 Valley high school graduates in the Los Angeles Unified School District will go on to post-secondary education, officials say. The chart shows where last year’s grads went.

RISING COSTS: As college costs soar, demand for financial aid is greater than ever. Los Angeles school officials say 76% of those going on to college last year received some form of help. Also, nearly half of them headed for less expensive community colleges, a percentage that grows every year as costs rise at four-year institutions. . . . The trend even hits private schools. At Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, 20% of the graduates are going to community colleges, up from 18% last year.

NOT IN THE ARMY NOW: The military is no longer a convenient fallback for grads unsure of their direction in life. Fewer than 10% of the graduates in the San Fernando Valley are entering the service. The downsized military establishment has raised entrance requirements. . . . “It’s become much, much tougher” to get in, said Col. Norman Andrie, who heads L.A. Unified’s Junior ROTC program.

GRIM REALISTS: The world may be a colder, crueler place, but at least graduates know what they’re up against. Arlene Anderson, a counselor at Chatsworth High, says grads have weathered an earthquake and seen parents lose jobs in defense cutbacks. “These kids realize life is harder than 10 years ago,” she said. . . . More plan to work their way through college.

PRANKS ANYWAY: School officials have taken special precautions in recent years to curb the time-honored tradition of pranks by graduating seniors. That hasn’t stopped them. Taft High students sign a promise to follow the rules, but last year, Taft students lifted benches atop the roof over the lunch area. . . . At Van Nuys High, hundreds of crickets were released into classrooms several years ago. “It drove everyone crazy,” says counselor Carolyn Barnhart.

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Life After School

Where the 80% of 1994 L.A.U.S.D. graduates who continued their studies went: Community college: 45% CSU system: 21% UC system: 12% Private/out of state: 12% Trade schools: 3% Unknown: 7% Source: LAUSD