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Niagara Falls High School reports estimated 386 graduates; 50 students pending, 32 need Regents exams
Summary
School officials told the Board the 2021 cohort numbers show 386 students likely to graduate in four years, 50 pending (including 32 who must pass Regents exams), and 69 classified as non‑graduates; district will track a new state "major life event" exemption for Regents.
Niagara Falls High School administrators told the Board of Education on Thursday that of the cohort that entered high school in September 2021, about 510 students are being tracked and 386 are currently considered graduates for the June 26 commencement.
Miss Vilardo, a high school administrator, said the district lists 50 students as pending, 32 of whom still must pass Regents examinations, and 69 who are currently considered non‑graduates. "We have 50 students that we are considering pending, and... 69 students who we are considering non graduates at this point," Vilardo said.
The district emphasized the limits of the four‑year graduation metric used in public reporting. "Just because they don't cross the finish line in 4 years does not mean they won't cross the finish line," Vilardo said, adding the district continues supports for students through age 21 in special education programs.
Why this matters: the four‑year cohort rate is the public yardstick for high school performance in New York, and this year's figures follow years of COVID‑era adjustments and recent policy changes by the State Education Department. Vilardo told the Board the state introduced a new "major life event" exemption this year that could exempt students from Regents exams when severe personal events — examples the district is considering include cancer treatment, the loss of a parent or homelessness — significantly impair exam performance.
District process and next steps: Vilardo said counselors will gather documentation and the district will still prepare eligible students to sit for Regents exams; she expects to report back to the Board on how many students receive the major life event exemption. "I will report to you at the proper time how many major life event graduates we had. I'm thinking we're probably between maybe 5 and 8," she said.
The presentation included counts and categories the district uses to compile cohort statistics: about 510 students in the cohort, 386 anticipated four‑year graduates, 50 pending (18 needing credits, 32 needing Regents), 69 non‑graduates, and five special‑education students who may remain in programs through age 21 and are counted differently in state reporting. Vilardo noted that some students graduate ahead of cohort (the district cited five such students) and that other past‑cohort students complete later and will be recognized at district events even if not counted in the four‑year rate.
District officials stressed ongoing interventions — home visits, outreach and exam preparation — for pending students and said the Board will receive follow‑up updates. Vilardo also reiterated that the district will not apply the major life event exemption cavalierly because the use of exemptions is auditable by the state.
