PGCPS graduation report: multilingual newcomers and pandemic-era disruptions shaped recent gains and variability

Prince George's County Public Schools officials and county staff briefed the Education, Workforce and Development Committee on June 30 on a six‑year analysis of high‑school graduation rates (2019–2024) that documents overall gains in 2024, large variation across individual schools and student subgroups, and a strong effect from recent immigration of multilingual newcomers.

Caleb Callender, an education and policy fellow who assembled the report for the committee, told members the report draws on Maryland Report Card data and breaks results down by school, gender, race/ethnicity and student service groups. Callender highlighted that four schools—Bowie High School; Charles Herbert Flowers High School; Frederick Douglass High School; and Gwen Park High School—had average graduation rates above 90% across the six‑year window.

Callender summarized countywide demographic patterns: female students have had higher graduation rates than males (roughly an 83% average for females versus about 72% for males over the six‑year period), Black students' rates were roughly in line with the statewide average, and Asian students averaged about 92%. He also reported notable year‑to‑year increases for Hispanic students and multilingual learners from 2023 to 2024.

Dr. Christopher Browder, a PGCPS specialist on high‑school data, told the committee that a major factor behind recent changes in graduation rates is the addition of international newcomers. "The newcomers, the international newcomers often come with an ML [multilingual] status," Browder said, and their numbers fell during the 2021 border restrictions and rose again afterward. He said those population shifts affect cohort counts and can materially change graduation‑rate calculations for schools with high concentrations of newcomers.

Council members pressed for more granular, apples‑to‑apples comparisons. Chair Chris Oriotta and members asked PGCPS to provide comparisons that match student service groups across the state (for example, multilingual students who also receive free‑and‑reduced‑price meals, or Black students receiving the same services in other districts).

Several council members raised specific local concerns. Council Member Watson asked whether schools have programs targeted to improve outcomes for male students after the briefing highlighted lower male graduation rates; PGCPS officials said males show higher chronic absenteeism and suspension rates and higher identification in special‑education categories, but that the district's interventions are generally targeted to individual student needs rather than to gender cohorts. Watson and others suggested formalizing partnerships with community mentoring groups; PGCPS staff said mentoring programs exist at several schools and the district is open to formal memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with outside partners but noted some nonprofits need assistance completing required documentation for school volunteer agreements.

Committee members also discussed how program changes—such as consolidation of alternative/nontraditional programs and increased capacity in nontraditional settings—have affected graduation rates. PGCPS staff said consolidating alternative programs and returning some students to home schools with supports has contributed to graduation gains for some student groups.

Committee members asked for follow‑up materials, including more granular comparisons to statewide peer groups, details on school‑level interventions (for males, multilingual learners and students with disabilities), and status updates on implementation of recommendations from the district's English Learner (ELL) work group.