Dr. Kelly Griffith, Superintendent of Schools, reported final graduation and drop-out rates for the Class of 2020 at the March Board of Education meeting.
The report reflected dramatic improvement in both the drop-out rate and the graduation rate for the school district. For the class of 2016 TCPS had reported a dropout rate of 10.23% as compared with 1.58% for the class of 2020.
“This progress is largely attributed to the Dropout Prevention/Reengagement Specialist position that we were able to add through grant funding,” Dr. Griffith explained. “Fortunately, we have been able to maintain this funding and position for four years, and have just received notice that it will be funded again for the 2021-2022 school year.”
The graduation rate has increased substantially, from 85.51% for the class of 2016 to 95.79% for the class 2020. While this is due in part to the efforts of the Dropout Prevention/Reengagement Specialist, it is also a result of the persistent and strategic efforts of school counselors, student services workers, and school social workers. In addition, TCPS has implemented an online learning program that has been of great assistance to students who have needed credit recovery in order to stay on track for graduation.
Dr. Griffith explained that it is also noteworthy that the data is showing an increase in graduation rates across demographic subgroups as well, which has been a strategic focus of TCPS. For example, the graduation rate for African American students was 78.85% for the class of 2016, and +95% for the class of 2020. The district has also seen great progress in the Hispanic population, progressing from 64.52% for the class of 2016 to 87.76% for the class of 2020. “We are very pleased to see this progress, thanks to the perseverance of our students and our amazing TCPS staff,” Dr. Griffith concluded.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.