Too many top Chicago high school students are going to colleges that are too easy for them. That’s according to a University of Chicago study out today.

The study looks at graduates from the very best Chicago Public Schools, which are top in the state. Students’ grades and test scores qualify them for elite colleges and big financial aid packages. But 17 percent of them don’t enroll in any college at all.

This is study co-author Jenny Nagaoka:

NAGAOKA: Even smart students are not born knowing how you make a good college choice or where you should go to college or how you should fill out a college application. Many would be the first in their families to attend college. Nagaoka said schools need to help these students more.

One surprise in the study: college prep programs in many neighborhood high schools are turning out top-notch students.

NAGAOKA: Quite often it’s on par with what they would get if they had gone to a selective enrollment high school.