A new Delaware research report offers early evidence on whether career “pathways” deliver a true match between high school specialization and what students study or work on after graduation. Delaware launched its pathways effort in 2014, and the reporting cites Rodel tracking that about 70% of high school students—roughly 30,000—are enrolled today. RTI International researchers studied more than 6,000 pathway graduates and found strong immediate college or postsecondary participation: three-quarters were enrolled or in training after high school compared with a national benchmark of 63%. But the report also found that fewer than half stayed in the career field they had chosen in high school. The outcome varied by pathway—for example, fewer than 20% of students from architecture and construction pathways pursued construction-related majors, with more shifting into science and engineering, business, or healthcare. The findings suggest pathways may still work as a clarifying experience for some students, but they also raise questions about alignment mechanisms, guidance, and whether pathways translate into sustained labor-market specialization.