Everett Public Schools previews 2025 graduation numbers and new performance‑based pathway

Dr. Jeannie Willard presented the Everett Public Schools graduation update at the June 24 board meeting, previewing the class of 2025 commencement counts and the district's graduation pathways and student supports. Willard said the district focuses on "reducing gaps and achievement between groups of students, and then also ensuring students are ready for college and career or whatever future they have in store."

Willard said the class of 2025 had 1,233 students who participated in commencement ceremonies and that transition programs had 23 students continuing toward completion. She reviewed the district's reported 2024 published graduation rates (most recent published figures): a 4‑year on‑time graduation rate of 95.2% and a 5‑year rate of 95.8%. By school, Willard reported Cascade High School had 375 graduates, H.M. Jackson High School 487, Everett High School 325 and Sequoia High School 46; several students across schools will continue into summer graduation or transition programs.

Willard outlined the three graduation requirement buckets: a High School & Beyond plan, 24 credits (17 in core subject areas), and a graduation pathway. She summarized pathway options that meet the requirement, including state assessments (Smarter Balanced), the SAT/ACT, ASVAB for military‑bound students, CTE sequences, advanced placement and dual‑credit courses, Running Start, and the newly implemented performance‑based portfolio. Willard said the portfolio option was used by nearly a quarter of the class in its first year, and that AP course/exam participation rose by 7% year over year. She noted the single largest pathway used by students was a transition‑course option that placed students at college level placement rates (about 79% in the reported set of pathway outcomes).

Willard described the district's supports for on‑time graduation: course equivalencies, credit recovery, competency‑based options, middle‑school courses for high‑school credit, summer academy programming, after‑school and Saturday school, multilingual learner and special education supports, mentorships and internships coordinated with the CTE department, and partnerships such as Everett Community College for reengagement programming. She said the Everett Reengagement Academy and related programs house about 300 students working toward diplomas, some of whom graduate throughout the year and are invited to commencement events.

Board members praised the reported graduation rates and asked clarifying questions about the performance‑based portfolio and the small number of fifth‑year seniors; Willard said most fifth‑year seniors need only a semester's additional work and receive targeted support. There was no board vote or formal action on graduation policy at the meeting.

Why this matters: the presentation summarized district completion rates, clarified multiple pathways that allow students to graduate, and described ongoing supports designed to keep students on track.