A study compared the high school, postsecondary, and work experience records of graduates from four different high school programs--academic, general, area vocational technical school (AVTS) and home school vocational programs (HSVOC)--for the years 1984-88. The research was conducted during the 1988-89 school year in the attendance area of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, AVTS. The sample for the study (3,125) was stratified to include equal numbers of vocational and nonvocational programs. Review of high school transcripts and a mailed questionnaire revealed the following: (1) between 1984 and 1988, the percentage of students completing the academic program grew steadily at the expense of the general and vocational curriculum; (2) 43 percent of the graduates in 1988 completed a vocational education curriculum, HSVOC attendance increased as AVTS lost students; (3) enrollment data for the period indicates a dramatic shift in girls' preference for the academic curriculum; (4) about half were currently students, and 68 percent had attended some higher education, especially 4-year colleges; (5) less than half the sample was in the labor market, with only 31 percent working full time and 7 percent working half time; (6) the unemployment rate for those in the labor force was 6.7 percent, with vocational graduates least likely to be unemployed; and (7) respondents work mainly in very small firms. (Includes 49 data tables.) (KC)