A report on the postsecondary decisions of high-achieving students in Ontario

This report seeks to better understand secondary school high achievers and their [postsecondary education] PSE decisions. Unfortunately, little is known about high-achieving secondary school students in Ontario. For example, little is known about their postsecondary destinations or the ability of higher education institutions within Ontario and, more broadly, within Canada to retain them. Institutions often recruit high-achieving international students, but can the same be said for domestic students? This paper provides insight into the postsecondary decisions of secondary school students with the strongest academic records - that is, students who are considered to be the 'highest-achieving' high school graduates in Ontario. To explore this topic, [the authors] used two methodological approaches: studying application and admissions data from the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) and conducting interviews with secondary school counsellors and advisors. As a result, this report provides quantitative data displaying trends associated with the highest-achieving students, including comparisons against a larger population.

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