That argument is bolstered by Chris Lorenz, a counselor at Parkway West High School in Chesterfield, one of the top 20 schools in terms of Bright Flight recipients.

Lorenz said the maximum $3,000 students receive from Bright Flight isn’t enough to persuade the highest-achieving students to stay in state. Many of them are offered substantial scholarship packages from schools around the country.

“When you talk about a student getting a 31 on the ACT, these are high-fliers who typically have a lot of college options,” he said. “As they start hearing back from different colleges, Bright Flight is not enough of a financial incentive to stay.”

Even if a student decides to stay in-state, it’s typically because their school of choice has a good program in the subject area they’re interested in, and not because of Bright Flight, Lorenz said.

As students talk to legislators this week, part of their pitch is that increased need-based aid is good for the state long term.

“The state has a goal to raise the number of adults with a college degree to 60 percent by 2025. Right now we’re at 38 percent,” said Amber Overton, who co-wrote the report for the coalition. “The only way to move the needle is to direct the dollars toward the students who rely on it.”