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Graduation rate holds near 69.4% as district examines English‑learner and on‑track indicators
Summary
John May told the David Douglas School Board on Feb. 13 that the district’s four‑year graduation rate for the cohort tied to the class of 2024 was 69.4%, down 3.4 percentage points from the prior year, and the five‑year completer rate stood at roughly 80.1%.
John May, the district’s data presenter, told the David Douglas School Board on Feb. 13 that the district’s 2023–24 cohort four‑year graduation rate was 69.4%, down 3.4 percentage points from the prior year, and that the five‑year completer rate for the same cohort was about 80.1%.
May explained the methodology the state uses: rates are cohort‑based and take time to finalize because the state’s adjusted cohort accounts for students who transfer in or out and for students who continue into a fifth year. He said the cohort under discussion experienced a disrupted ninth grade because of pandemic schedules and quarantine impacts, and that the state does not finalize rates until fall reporting is complete.
Why it matters: Board members heard that early predictors — especially the ninth‑grade “on‑track” indicator (earning six or more credits in ninth grade) — strongly correlate with eventual on‑time graduation. May told the board that students who are on track in ninth grade graduate at very high rates (he cited a 96–99% range for students who meet the on‑track benchmark and remain enrolled), while students off track in ninth grade face far lower on‑time graduation odds.
Key data and patterns reported
- District four‑year graduation rate (class of 2024 cohort): 69.4% (down 3.4 points from the prior year). - Five‑year completer rate for the same cohort: about 80.1%. - Cohort size and trajectory: May estimated roughly 770 students in the adjusted cohort; as of his presentation about 40 had already graduated in earlier years and roughly 90 were considered non‑continuing or unlocated. He identified about 400 students who appear “fully on track.” - Career and technical education (CTE) students who concentrate in programs graduate at notably higher rates, May said. - English learners: May highlighted two state ELL categories: students who exited ELL before high school and students who were active in ELL during high school. He said roughly half the cohort fall into one of those two categories. Students who had exited ELL before high school graduated at a higher rate, whereas students active in ELL while in high school graduated at a substantially lower rate — about 35 percentage points lower over a multi‑year look, May said.
Board questions and next steps: Board members asked about services for multilingual learners, access to core classes (science and math) for students classified as English learners, and whether district changes to scheduling and course access could help narrow gaps. District staff said they are reviewing access to core content for students at ELD 1–2 levels, exploring co‑teaching models and sheltered‑instruction training, and planning broader middle‑ and high‑school support aligned with the growing dual‑language program.
May closed by saying current on‑track and cohort patterns make large, rapid upward shifts in the four‑year rate unlikely in the near term without targeted work on ninth‑grade credit accrual and English‑learner supports.
