What is the graduation rate of your local public high school?

[Farrar]

The best schools in our city have numbers in the 90's. When I looked at the list, it looked like there were three with numbers that high, but they were two magnets and one charter.

[Matryoshka]

Wow!  That's nearly double the rate where I live.  I'm impressed with those of you in districts in the 90s.

 

And I'm kind of stunned by the low numbers some of the districts have - what happens to all those kids who don't graduate???  What do you even do in life these days without a high school diploma?  I mean, a couple of drop-outs, sure, but almost half the school in a lot of these places??

 

[Mabelen]

92% graduation rate

 

We are ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation by USN&WR.

39% of students have taken at least 1 AP test with a 63% passing rate.

 

We have only ever had one National Merit Finalist. It was a really big deal at the time.

 

We do offer 16 AP classes and 5 levels of Latin (though not AP Latin??).

Our zoned High School has a lower graduation rate, 88% but higher AP participation, 41% and AP passing rate, 82%.

 

We also had 5 National Merit Finalists last year. There are always a few every year. Our state has one of the highest qualifying requirements in the U.S.

 

We are the slacker High School in our district out of 5 schools, but I actually prefer it that way. The others are huge pressure cookers with their own set of problems.

[fourisenough]

98% with "nearly 100% going on to college"

 

21 APs

 

Highest math curriculum in our county (which has some other very good high schools)

[Arcadia]

My district has two high schools. Graduation rate for both combined is 81%. Can't find the breakdown for each high school.

[Farrar]

And I'm kind of stunned by the low numbers some of the districts have - what happens to all those kids who don't graduate???  What do you even do in life these days without a high school diploma?  I mean, a couple of drop-outs, sure, but almost half the school in a lot of these places??

 

 

I live in an entirely urban district. Many of the kids who don't graduate will go on eventually to get GED's and work in service industry, janitorial, etc. type positions and a few may even really turn their lives around and get degrees and higher paying work. Others will, while I greatly dislike this phrase, enter a life of crime and/or gangs.

 

In terms of the school losing its accreditation, mentioned above, I feel that while the schools need to keep improving, that asking a school that serves an area where 90% of the kids are on free lunch and where any families with great investment are going to flee to charters and magnets if they can, to meet a high graduation rate, is unrealistic and is just going to undermine any ongoing efforts by the school to make long term improvements. The schools have to be safe places with opportunities and lots of support, but there will always be other forces in some communities that even the very best schools won't be able to overcome.

[Lawyer&Mom]

55% graduation rate. 25% drop-out. 3% take AP courses, and 14% take the SAT.

It's the 14% SAT rate that blows my mind. The "worst" school in my district has 53% 4 year graduation rate and a 57% SAT or ACT rate.

[purpleroses]

Let's see dds first high school, 50% My local ps 36% are college ready and has about the same high school graduation rate. Sad!

[NCMom]

Our 4 yr graduation rate is 70% but, anecdotally at least, many people believe that the district inflates those numbers. No way is it really that high, lol. 

 

Poor students at risk of not graduating are booted to an alternative school. Plus the school has entire tracks of dumbed-down classes for those who are borderline.

 

ETA: On a high note though, the average SAT score was 946 (Reading/Math). Better than last year... Supposedly 66 percent of seniors participated.

 

We have around 60% eligible for free or reduced lunch. This is not a diverse school.

 

It never makes the "Adequate Yearly Progress" goals. No kidding. lol

 

Georgia

 

[GrammarGirl]

97.3 percent. The town pays for students to attend a private academy, so it's not a public school exactly. However, the state rate is over 87 percent.

[LucyStoner]

It is mid 90s. It's a fairly affluent suburban area so that's about what would be expected.

 

I have read about districts and principals in various places doing a lot though to keep kids out of their drop out numbers. Transferring kids that won't graduate to a different program for example on the books but not actually providing services at that other program. This makes the schools mostly look better on paper by grouping most of the dropouts to one program.

 

Statewide the graduation rate is around 75% IIRC.

[Aurelia]

The school we are zoned for: almost 91% for 4 year graduation, a little over 97% graduated in 5 years. The other school in my district: 52% and 53%, respectively. It's the "alternative" school, though, so those kids were already considered to be at risk of failing.

[raptor_dad]

Over the last 4 years our district has ranged from 47-59% graduation rate. Our local school has varied from 52-79% in that time. The schools with the highest graduation rates varied between 80-86%.

 

That said, I think the academic/honors track at our local high school is actually very strong... there are just too many kids getting left behind at the lower levels.

 

 

[tm919]

I had to look it up... The 4 year graduation rate is 93.6% for the vocational high school and 96.9% for the other high school. 

[wapiti]

Our local public high school has 2000 students and a 98% graduation rate.  The state rate is 78%.  The percentages for proficiency are much lower than one would expect for a school offering 24 APs, but the large student body comes with a lot of subcultures, including a very academic one.

[luuknam]

In 2014: 86% overall graduation. 28% regents with advanced designation (w/e that means - not planning on staying in NY long enough to care). 77% graduation rate for students with disabilities (82% in 2013 - there are only 40-something students with disabilities that graduate each year).

 

The other high school in our district has 83% graduation, 34% regents with advanced designation, and 47% of students with disabilities graduated in 2014, 63% in 2013, but again, small numbers for those... 20-ish in 2014, 30-ish in 2013). Both schools each have around 300 students graduating each year.

 

My oldest is in 2nd grade, and I have zero experience with the high schools in this district, but based on the amount of services they throw at my kid (4 hours of therapy a week and a 1-1 aide) we seem to be in a very good district for kids with disabilities.

[historically accurate]

This is for the entire district.  I couldn't find it narrowed down.  There are 2 high schools in the district.

 

4 year graduation rate: 79%

5 year graduation rate: 82%

 

Students achieving at least a 21 on the ACT: 38%

 

Students matriculating into 2 or 4 year college: 60%

 

Found some figures for our assigned high school:

 

Proficient in reading: 46%

Proficient in math: 42%

 

AP class participation rate: 8%, percent of 3, 4, or 5 scores: 51%

 

 

[Sahamamama]

Our local high school has an overall four-year graduation rate of 96.53%.

[EmseB]

Proficient in reading is 45%.

Proficient in math is 51%.

 

But the graduation rate is 85%.

 

Forget the kids that aren't graduating, how about the ones who get a diploma and think they got an education, but aren't proficient in high school reading or math. A lot of kids are being defrauded and lied to.

[Renai]

51% in four years, 58% overall. Yippee.

These were our district's numbers a couple of years ago (51%).They got a new superintendent, and he started new programs to try to keep the kids in school. That may be why it at least "looks like" graduation is going up.

 

 

 

I don't know how they handle transfers. Certainly a number of those kids move on. I do know that's only the "on time" graduation and that it rises a decent amount for kids who manage to graduate within 5 or 6 years, though it's still not great, obviously and I don't know the exact numbers on that. I suspect that, knowing this school, that they are genuinely not graduating that many kids. Citywide graduation rate is something like 64%. If we were to send my kids to school for high school (not the plan, but if) then we would apply to one of a few charters.

 

Our charters aren't doing too much better. Here's the breakdown (yes, I wound up downloading the state stats):

 

1. (probably mostly affluent) 81.6%

2. 67.9%

3. 37.1%

I dug into #3's stats: 30% of the students drop out, or have unknown status. So that's lumped together. 22.5% stay longer than 4 years, and 15.7% intend to get a GED. It's still a huge hunk of students that may not have a diploma. I'm so glad I got dd out of there.

 

4. Alternative public high school 25.5%

5. our zone ps 68.5% - this shocked me as it's known for gangs. To have it beat out #2, which is considered the best charter...hmm

6. the better ps hs in terms of APs and opportunities 67.2%

 

Our state rate is 69.3%. We're #49 in terms of child educational welfare, thus making the state motto, "Thank goodness for Mississippi." (no kidding)

[Arcadia]

The latest SAT scores I could find on my state's dept of education website is for 2012-2013

 

State

Grade 12 Enrollment - 496,859

Number Tested - 200,543

Percent Tested - 40.36

Critical Reading Average - 492

Math Average - 508

Writing Average - 489

 

District 

Grade 12 Enrollment - 1,085

Number Tested - 475

Percent Tested - 43.78

Critical Reading Average - 506

Math Average - 523

Writing Average - 497

 

Highest scoring district for my county

Grade 12 Enrollment - 898

Number Tested - 744

Percent Tested - 82.85

Critical Reading Average - 637

Math Average - 673

Writing Average - 645

[Farrar]

Our charters aren't doing too much better. Here's the breakdown (yes, I wound up downloading the state stats):

 

1. (probably mostly affluent) 81.6%

2. 67.9%

3. 37.1%

I dug into #3's stats: 30% of the students drop out, or have unknown status. So that's lumped together. 22.5% stay longer than 4 years, and 15.7% intend to get a GED. It's still a huge hunk of students that may not have a diploma. I'm so glad I got dd out of there.

 

4. Alternative public high school 25.5%

5. our zone ps 68.5% - this shocked me as it's known for gangs. To have it beat out #2, which is considered the best charter...hmm

6. the better ps hs in terms of APs and opportunities 67.2%

 

Our state rate is 69.3%. We're #49 in terms of child educational welfare, thus making the state motto, "Thank goodness for Mississippi." (no kidding)

 

I was interested when I read the charter numbers for here. Lower than the magnets (no surprise there). The overall rate is 61%. The rate for public schools is 58%, but that includes the magnets - I'd love to see an adjusted rate as well. The rate for the charters is 68%, with most of them in the 70's and 80's. They were brought down by a couple of lower performers, but at least one of those, I know, is specifically to serve kids from populations that typically won't graduate, so having a number in the 40's doesn't seem so horrible in that context. None of the alternative schools are on there - not the charters or public schools that serve adult students, for example.

 

Here the charters are such a part of the system at this point that I don't even know how to evaluate them separately fully. They have student bodies that are all there by choice... but the "good" public schools have huge percentages there out of boundary as well. So probably 2/3 of the families are all gaming the system no matter what - whether by boundary or lottery or, at the high school level, by magnet option.

[TrixieB]

4 year graduation rate 77%

 

5 year graduation rate 82% (I didn't know students could stay in high school for 5 years...?)

 

There is an end-of-course exam for algebra 1 and biology; both exams show about a 40% passing rate. 

 

 

[HollyB]

Graduation rate is 57%

 

Math proficiency is 7.5%. Oh.Sweet.Mercy.

[luuknam]

Proficient in reading is 45%.

Proficient in math is 51%.

 

But the graduation rate is 85%.

 

Forget the kids that aren't graduating, how about the ones who get a diploma and think they got an education, but aren't proficient in high school reading or math. A lot of kids are being defrauded and lied to.

 

That's why employers require college degrees for jobs that don't need college educations.

 

It hurts both the kids who have high school diplomas but no skills, and the kids who have high school diplomas and skills but have to finish college (and pay for it) in order to get a job.

[Reefgazer]

I have no idea what they do. I do know know our city has a very high poverty and crime rate. It was the murder capital of the United States in the mid 80s, and although it doesn't carry that title now, I bet were still up there. This city has a lot of positives going for it and I like it here. But it also has a ton of negatives.

 

And I'm kind of stunned by the low numbers some of the districts have - what happens to all those kids who don't graduate??? What do you even do in life these days without a high school diploma? I mean, a couple of drop-outs, sure, but almost half the school in a lot of these places??

 

[athomeontheprairie]

I went online to look. I was really surprised at what I found. Because I live inside 3 different districts I looked at all their results. Everyone was between 77-80. Whereas 5 years ago those numbers were between 88-96. They have dropped steadily. I wonder why? And as we have 2 local schools closing this summer, I won't how that will affect the schools...

[Rachel]

I can't find the graduation rate. We are ranked in the 94th percentile in the state and our rating indicates a 60% or higher graduation rate.

 

What concerns me is that only 40% of graduates are considered prepared for college. We live in the wealthiest county in our state, but the major industry really skews that number.

[purpleroses]

The charters are just as worse. My younger daughter enrolled in HSA (Harlem success academy) I thought wow this is a good school. They're always in the media about their test scores and how they rank. I soon realized how many lies they put out. That's they care about is testing. Their teacher turnover rate is high. They pick on and weed out kids with ieps.

[purpleroses]

Proficient in reading is 45%.

Proficient in math is 51%.

 

But the graduation rate is 85%.

 

Forget the kids that aren't graduating, how about the ones who get a diploma and think they got an education, but aren't proficient in high school reading or math. A lot of kids are being defrauded and lied to.

I agree. Which is why so many NYC kids from these schools get into college and have to take remedial courses. All the high school cares about are the tests and graduating them. Sad.

[abacus2]

72% at what is considered to be one of the top schools in the county.

 

I wonder what it was before TN changed their math standards years ago. All TN real diplomas require Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and another math class beyond Algebra II. TN used to have a general diploma option which only required through Algebra I.

[T'smom]

Well, that was interesting. I found the information on the website niche.

 

Our high school has a 91% graduation rate, it is ranked as 61st in the state and given an A- grade for academics. However, it also has listed that 37% of students scored as proficient or better on the state math test and 67% scored proficient or better in reading. I have no idea how a school with those percentages rates as 61st in the state. Even more interesting, the 25-75 percentile GPA was 3.20 - 3.86. I find it incredible that the 25th percentile has a 3.20 GPA!

[Jenny in Florida]

The high school my son would be zoned to attend has a graduate rate of 90.9%.

 

Other schools in the district have rates ranging from 74.2% to 95.6%, with an average across the district ("traditional" schools only, not counting charters or alternative schools) edged up to 88.1% in the most recent year for which I could find statistics.

[Hyacinth]

OP here. Thanks for all of the replies!

 

We're on the cusp of high school decision-making time, and the local high school was on my list to explore. I don't think statistics tell the whole story, of course, but that graduation rate of 65% certainly provides fodder for the imagination as to the culture of the school.

 

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Graduation Rate:

4 year - 95.7%

5 year - 97.2%

 

College Attendance:

4 year - 81%

2 year - 17%

 

2% - military enlistment

 

Enrollment - just under 3000.

[Mimm]

93%. Five year is 95%.

[Renai]

I see the 5 and 6 year rates going up? What does it mean when the numbers go down?

[Tanaqui]

80% within 4 years, 78% within 6 years, these numbers make no sense.

[shinyhappypeople]

88%... BUT in order to achieve this they have seriously dumbed down the academic content of the classes, and made it difficult for teachers to flunk students.  A friend of mine was an English teacher at this school and they had policies like requiring teachers to accept late homework up until the last day of the semester (with credit).

 

The vast majority of the kids who attempt community college end up in remedial English and math classes.  My niece, who was a good kid, solid B student, had to retake pre-algebra and take Reading Comprehension and a Remedial Writing class in community college just to be prepared for college level work.  It's so messed up.   

 

(slight rabbit trail...)

 

Now, with Common Core, this is less likely to happen because our community colleges (at least in my state) are required to lower their standards so CCSS graduates won't have to be remdiated.  In other words, English 1A will be a lot easier, as will College Algebra.  They're dumbing down foundational classes.  Lovely.

[luuknam]

Even more interesting, the 25-75 percentile GPA was 3.20 - 3.86. I find it incredible that the 25th percentile has a 3.20 GPA!

 

It's called grade inflation, and it *is* nuts. My GPA when I graduated the pre-university track of high school in the Netherlands was 7.48 (out of 10), which was a *good* GPA. To give you an idea, to get into medical school in NL, there is a lottery. Medical school is a 6-year program right after the pre-university track of high school. If you have a GPA of 8 or higher (out of 10 - all high school GPAs in NL are out of 10) you don't have to do the lottery and are automatically admitted to medical school. With lower GPAs, your lottery odds are weighted - the between 7.5 and 8 you've got better odds than between 7.0 and 7.5, and that's better than between 6.5 and 7.0, and that's better than less than that. I didn't want to get into medical school, or I would have worked harder and made sure my GPA was at least 7.5, but I got really close anyway. Not many kids have GPAs that high. It's one reason I didn't want to spend the money to have my high school diploma translated - too easy for Americans to think a 7.48 GPA on a 10 point scale is like a 2.99 GPA on a 4 point scale. It really isn't. I took the GED instead (cheaper) and got perfect scores on 3 out of the 5 sections, and very high scores on the other 2. I took the SAT and got 720 on verbal and 720 on math.

 

GPAs are pretty meaningless if everyone has a GPA over 3.0.

[raptor_dad]

I see the 5 and 6 year rates going up? What does it mean when the numbers go down?

 

 

80% within 4 years, 78% within 6 years, these numbers make no sense.

 

I think that just means you are tracking different cohorts... you are comparing the 4 year graduation rate of the class of say '14 to the 6 year rate of class of '12 kids including 5-6th year grads through '14.

 

If you go back and look the 4y grad rate of the class of '12 was probably lower than the current class therefore the 5 and 6y rates can be lower as well.

[Renai]

 

Now, with Common Core, this is less likely to happen because our community colleges (at least in my state) are required to lower their standards so CCSS graduates won't have to be remdiated.  In other words, English 1A will be a lot easier, as will College Algebra.  They're dumbing down foundational classes.  Lovely.

 

It's not just your state. It's written in the code (although they are trying to push to get it accepted everywhere).

[Renai]

I think that just means you are tracking different cohorts... you are comparing the 4 year graduation rate of the class of say '14 to the 6 year rate of class of '12 kids including 5-6th year grads through '14.

 

If you go back and look the 4y grad rate of the class of '12 was probably lower than the current class therefore the 5 and 6y rates can be lower as well.

 

I'm going to have to look at it again. It was all in an excel worksheet and it had the graduation year, then 4 year, 5 year, 6 year  numbers in that order of columns.

 

Thanks for your response.

[Shellydon]

98%  It is listed in the top 500 high schools by US News.  People move from all over the country to send their kids to this high school. 

[Tanaqui]

To the person who asked what people do who drop out of school (computer restarted as I was typing, and I'm too lazy to find the post and quote):

 

Mostly, they get jobs that don't require diplomas. Fast food, janitorial work, unlicensed daycare, under the table construction. Lots of people in my area end up at the Parks Department in that situation - it's like the step-up job for people who can't do much better, but want to be eligible to pay taxes.

 

Or they stay home and watch their younger siblings, their cousins, their nieces and nephews, or their grandparents so that other family members can earn money.

 

If they can't get any sort of legit job, a lot of them end up in varying levels of criminal activity. I know somebody who works helping people move on from drug dealing, and apparently they nearly all have the same story - they had to start dealing because they needed to put food on the table, Mom's job and welfare didn't stretch that far, and shoplifting wasn't cutting it anymore. Or they needed to pay the rent. Or they needed to make sure that nobody else left school early to get a job, and the car wash didn't pay enough, so they did what they had to.

 

Plenty of them end up in prison, where if they're lucky they have a chance to get their GED and/or get some job training, because trying to get a legal job with no diploma and a criminal record (especially if, I'll say it, you're not white, not that it's easy if you are) is really hard.

 

I know people in that situation. It's not fun. It's doable, but it's not fun, and all of them with any brains at all alternate between hustling to get every spare cent they can and studying for their GED.

[BlsdMama]

Where we live - 91.2%

Hometown - 97.3%

 

But I'm from Iowa, the state with the highest overall grad rate.

[momacacia]

Grad rate: 94.1%

Go on to college: 90.3%

NMS in 2011-12: 53 (out of 4 high schools in greater district)

[ScoutTN]

82%

It is a mediocre school at best. On the state tests, 53% of the students scored competent in reading and 30% scored competent in algebra I.

[Zinnia]

Our county is 57%. My local school is considered one of the best in county. It is 69%.

 

I grew up in this state, so this seems somewhat normal to me. I can't even really phantom a 95% graduation rate.

[momto10blessings]

76%

State average is 77%

My old highschool is 95%