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Grants Pass High School reports gains in ninth‑grade on‑track rates after targeted supports
Summary
Administrators and mentors told the board that on‑track rates for ninth graders rose to about 83% before credit-retrieval efforts, credit‑retrieval attendance was robust, and the district is expanding targeted supports including a GP High junior‑high program.
Grants Pass High School’s ninth‑grade success team reported measurable gains in students staying on track for graduation, credit‑retrieval participation and a set of upstream supports intended to ease the transition from middle to high school.
At a district board meeting, Rochelle Watson, the district’s ninth‑grade success coordinator, described a suite of supports that includes teacher teams, four full‑time ninth‑grade mentors, a dedicated ninth‑grade success space on campus, a summer‑bridge course for incoming students, and a planner program adapted from AVID strategies to help students track assignments and supports.
Watson told the board that at the end of the year the district’s ninth‑grade on‑track rate was about 83% before credit retrieval; the district’s prior year had closed at 84.5% after retrieval. She said more than 100 students attended credit‑retrieval sessions the day of the meeting. The program assigns a mentor to each ninth grader and focuses mentors on a rotating cohort of about 30 students per quarter. Mentors also embedded in English and science classes to support students and classroom teachers.
The high school has also launched a “Grants Pass High junior high” program that places eighth and ninth graders in a smaller campus environment with smaller class sizes for students who may struggle with a large comprehensive high school setting. The junior‑high option can be a full or part‑day placement; students enrolled there still earn standard high‑school credit.
Watson said the program aims to build relational capacity (teacher‑student relationships), remove small material barriers (binders, calculators, supplies), and create clearer transition lessons at the middle‑school level. She described specific mentoring practices — for example, identifying peer influences to help a returning student avoid prior negative contacts and setting practical safeguards like paired bathroom trips when appropriate.
Why it matters: Ninth grade is a key predictor of high‑school graduation. The district’s reported increase in on‑track rates and high participation in credit‑retrieval sessions suggest the targeted mentor and transition approach is producing encouraging outcomes. Trustees asked for updated data after summer credit retrieval and congratulated staff on outreach to incoming students.
The board also received related reports — including equity team findings and expulsion statistics — during the meeting. Administrators said expulsions this year remained similar to prior years, with marijuana‑related expulsions a prominent category at the high‑school level (vaping and THC products reported) and edibles more prominent at the middle‑school level.
