But for some accomplished graduates, a wider variety of academic choices, the attraction of national and school-based scholarships and the quest for adventure and independence lure them to seek opportunities outside the state.

Of the 3,292 graduates from Washoe County schools in 2009, about 2,200 went to college. Of those, 1,705 went to the University of Nevada, Reno or Truckee Meadows Community College.

And although those who stay home outnumber those who leave by 3-to-1, according to Washoe County school data, competition for the area's top graduates -- valedictorians, National Merit and Presidential scholars and International Baccalaureate -- is vigorous. A sampling of top local grads reveal they have choices: In nearly equal numbers some hit the road for higher learning, while others believe there's no place like home.

Leaving home

Home-schooled Ethan Foster of Reno, who chaired the Nevada Youth Legislature, plans to start his college education at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va., near Washington D.C., with a focus in government studies. The school is considered a pipeline to political internships.

Foster, who expressed an interest in politics, received a scholarship from Patrick Henry that paid for about half the cost of his education and other scholarships that will help fill the gap. Foster considered UNR an option.

"It was something I definitely looked at because the price is right and has some very good tracks, but most of the majors are business, are technically inclined, and it's hard to focus on a government major at UNR," he said.

Foster also expressed concern over the health of the Millennium Scholarship, which has been a victim of the state's revenue shortfall.

"Through the Nevada Youth Legislature, that is something that we talked a lot about -- how it's functioning and where it's headed," Foster said.

The Nevada Board of Regents voted June 3 to cut departments and degree programs to save $6 million and help offset a loss of state funding in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

And the Millennium Scholarship fund could be $4.2 million short in the year that starts July 1 if the Nevada Legislature does not find a way to add money, according to the state treasurer's staff. That could mean the 8,000 eligible high school seniors would not have money next year beyond the first semester.

Top grads have choice

Competition for top high school graduates remains vigorous. Provost Marc Johnson said UNR has done a better job of marketing its academic product in recent years, and last spring qualified to become a National Merit Scholarship sponsoring university.

"Students who are National Merit finalists can go just about anywhere in the United States they want," he said. "The competition can be very keen. We need to not only be competitive financially, but in the academic reputation of our programs.

"The fact that we had four National Merit scholars four years ago and next year, we're going to have 35 suggests that we're doing something to turn around the image, that the University of Nevada, Reno is a fine school where you can take a fine intellect and get it ready for life and career," he said. "National Merit scholars don't pick a school because of athletic facilities or dorms."

The state had 202 National Merit Scholarship finalists in 2010.

Some of the top students contacted were concerned about the economy's impact on Nevada's job market and said they might choose to start their careers elsewhere.

Nevadaworks CEO Tom Fitzgerald, whose firm tailors job training and skill upgrades for local employers, said changing perceptions of the state's manpower is imperative.

"We've had an image primarily outside the state and from the east, that there's not a lot of high education or skill sets," Fitzgerald said. "But as job development has succeeded up here in the north, we have brought in a higher level and better-educated individual."

Some high schoolers departing for college outside the state eventually may return because they are homesick for Nevada's unique lifestyle, he said.

"I don't think we can prevent them from leaving, that would be a mistake," Fitzgerald said. "The message to them is 'Learn what you can, stay in touch, live a few years and when you're ready to come back, we'll be here to help.'"

Up, up and away

"One of my main considerations was being near a large urban center, so I applied to a few schools around the San Francisco area -- Stanford -- a few schools around L.A., like USC and Cal Tech, a few schools like Northwestern and the University of Chicago and few schools along the East Coast," said Incline High's Sean McClelland, who earned a National Merit Scholarship sponsored by the University of Chicago.

He considered UNR for awhile," but I figured that if I went there, my mom would visit me," he said.

"I couldn't really imagine that," McClelland said.

But he also sought intellectual challenge.

"I was definitely looking at the rigor of programs," said McClelland, who plans to study economics. "Unfortunately, I wouldn't get much need-based money, but I was looking for intellectual community, and the University of Chicago was excellent in my mind."

If attending UNR, McClelland would have enrolled on an engineering track, he said.

And leaving Nevada for college might be a complete departure.

"I think I'm definitely going to be living elsewhere," he said. "I think I was very fortunate to be brought up in Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area, but I think I need to get to the big city and be adventurous."

The sprawling urban expanse of Los Angeles attracted Incline High School graduate Michael Ceragioli, a National Merit scholar, and to attend Pomona College just east of Los Angeles.

"A lot of my family lives in the L.A. area, and that was a motivating factor to go there," said Ceragioli, who plans to continue his career as a soccer player at the liberal arts college.

Pomona College is part of the Claremont college consortium and offers a larger and diversified community, he said.

Ceragioli said he never really considered staying at home for college.

"The drawback with UNR is a lot of kids that end up going to school there get stuck with the same friends, and that didn't really appeal to me," he said.

Reed High School valedictorian Tony Lin plans to attend UCLA in the fall to begin his pre-med schooling.

"When I visited, I really liked the weather, the campus," Lin said. "And I wanted to try living on my own."

Because he will be attending school out of state, his parents are prepared to pay for his freshman year of school. He hopes his performance will earn him scholarships and other financial aid.

If he had decided to pursue an engineering career, Lin said, he might have selected UNR.

Surveying the economy in his hometown will be a consideration when deciding to return, Lin said.

National Merit scholar Luke Arnone chose Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania because of its size, the strong undergraduate engineering program, the variety of other classes and proximity to the East Coast.

He also applied to the University of California, Berkeley, Boston University and UNR.

Ties that bind

Many of the female graduates contacted said they would stay closer to home because of family considerations and the more attractive cost of enrolling locally.

Sheena Combe will be among the first graduating class at the Washoe Online Learning for the Future High School, previously under the wing of Washoe High. Her lifelong battle with juvenile diabetes made the flexibility of WOLF the best option and made her want to stay closer to home.

An aspiring veterinarian, Combe said she'll start at Truckee Meadows Community College before transferring to UNR.

"I really want to stay in Nevada to be near my family," she said. "And I really like the people who are helping me take care of my diabetes."

Family also was a consideration in McQueen graduate Kaci Hartwick's decision to attend UNR, but money was an overriding concern.

"I'm in charge of paying for college," said Hartwick, who will have the Millennium Scholarship and several others. "I have maybe 15 scholarships."

"Aside from the money part, I wanted to stay close to Reno because I have a younger brother and sister, and I don't want to miss them growing up," Hartwick said.

Litzia Martinez chose UNR because she wants to study biochemistry and molecular biology en route to becoming a surgeon.

"And I wanted to stay close to my family," Martinez said.

Finances also were a factor, said Martinez, who has received her basic emergency medical training certification, but expressed concern about the Millennium Scholarship.

Bessie Lui, seventh in the Damonte Ranch High School graduating class, plans to attend UNR to earn an accelerated pre-med degree, known as BS-MD. After medical school, she is not certain if she will return to the Reno area.

"But I would like to because the Reno community has been very good to me, and many of the local surgeons have helped," said Lui, who immigrated from China with her family. "And my parents are glad that I will be close."