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Cumberland County Schools reports doubling dropout trend since 2021; district unveils student recovery plan
Summary
District officials presented the 2023—24 state dropout report showing an increase in dropouts and outlined a recovery plan focused on student tracking, a district recovery team, standardized exit interviews and partnerships with community agencies.
Cumberland County Schools officials presented the finalized state dropout report for the 2023—24 school year at the May 6 student support services committee and laid out a student recovery plan the district intends to use to reverse a multi-year increase in dropouts.
Ronnie Winston, the district—s section 504 and student recovery specialist, said district rates for the measure the state reports (enrollment during the reporting year but not enrolled on the twentieth school day of the following year and not graduated) have risen over three years and that, in aggregated figures covering grade 7 to 13, the number nearly doubled from earlier years. Staff and board members noted that the spike followed pandemic-era disruptions and that multiple underlying causes were identified: chronic absenteeism, employment among older students, health problems, housing instability (McKinney-Vento), foster care placements and the impact of a student information system rollover that removed prior enrollment notes used for tracking.
District staff described the recovery plan—s components: creation of a district student recovery team to track students who withdraw with unknown destinations (W2s), a standardized withdrawal and exit interview protocol developed with Hanover Research, more proactive outreach and home visits, targeted summer reentry events at comprehensive high schools, and partnerships with community organizations such as EmploymentSource and vocational rehabilitation. The plan also includes revising reporting and staff guidance so schools consistently identify and report confirmed dropouts and building on differentiated diploma pathways and alternative programs (Algebra B. Wilkins) to provide options for at-risk students.
Board members asked for additional disaggregated data (dropouts by grade and school) and for follow-up on how changes to graduation-credit rules (22-credit pathway vs. district expectation of 28 credits) could affect dropout counts. District staff agreed to provide more school- and grade-level breakdowns and to pursue policy discussion about graduation requirements in a future committee meeting rather than immediately.
The committee also discussed elevated numbers of students identified as McKinney-Vento (homeless) and foster care placements, and staff said they would continue targeted efforts to remove barriers (transportation, childcare, housing resources) for those populations.
