District reports on-time graduation rate at 87.3% and outlines expanded freshman supports

GREELEY — Greeley-Evans School District 6 reported an on-time graduation rate of 87.3% for the class of 2024 and outlined an expansion of freshman-focused supports intended to raise the figure further.

Assistant Superintendent Anthony Alspis presented the district's Innovation 2030 update on student learning and said the 87.3% rate is 3.4 percentage points higher than the statewide average of 84.2% and represents more than a 10-point increase since 2015, when the district's rate was 76.9%.

Why it matters: district leaders said the rate gains reflect strategic work across the system — including increased concurrent-enrollment access, targeted pathways and new freshman supports — and that continuing those programs is central to meeting the district’s Innovation 2030 goals.

Alspis said the district has three main action steps under the graduation goal: expand career-pathway enrollment, create systematic supports for each student (including personalized graduation plans), and strengthen freshman transition and supports. He reported more than 1,000 students are enrolled in concurrent-enrollment classes and “over 3,000 students are engaged in a pathway of their choice” this year.

Counselors Bethany Lee (Northridge High School) and Claudia Kessler (Greeley Central High School) described school-level changes aimed at keeping ninth-graders on track. Measures include 9th-grade cohorts that keep students with four core teachers for the year, a tiered MTSS process to identify tier-2 and tier-3 needs, weekly or biweekly freshman support team meetings, restorative-justice training for freshman teams, upperclassmen mentor programs (link crew) and a summer “jump start” transition program that targets incoming students who need relationship-building and academic supports.

Lee described advisory periods at Northridge that teach explicit skills — time management, organization, study habits and self-advocacy — and emphasized frequent monitoring of on-track metrics so interventions happen earlier than in prior practice.

Meredith Allen, administrator for the district’s alternative program (GAP/Next/Jefferson), described how those sites accelerate coursework and provide intensive, individualized supports for students who have fallen behind. Allen said staff focus first on rebuilding students’ academic confidence, then on incremental “wins” such as finishing assignments and attending periods, and that staff use highly flexible scheduling, frequent texting and outreach to re-engage students who disappear for months or years.

District leaders reported additional data points used to measure progress: the district’s 6-year completion rate (including extended-year completers) is 89.8% and the 7-year completion rate is over 90%. The district’s dropout rate is 1.9% this year.

Next steps listed by presenters include continuing to implement freshman supports to reduce the freshman failure rate (currently about 20%) to 10% or less; enhancing monthly meetings to create a plan for every student in grades 9–12; refining on-site credit-recovery systems; and sustaining concurrent-enrollment and pathway work.

Quotes: “The class of 2024 graduation rate was 87.3%,” Anthony Alspis said. “If we can start freshman year, we can bring our graduation rate even higher.” Bethany Lee said, “Students who finished 9th grade on track are three times more likely to graduate on time.” Meredith Allen said about alternative programs: “Once they feel safe, that's when we get them the wins.”

The board and several trustees praised the district’s strategy and community investments. Board members repeatedly credited both district leadership and community funding mechanisms for enabling the programs discussed.

Ending: District staff said they will continue rolling out freshman-cohort practices, strengthen 8th-to-9th-grade transition plans, and refine credit-recovery and monitoring systems, and offered to return with follow-ups on progress.