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Austin Public Schools highlights attendance link to graduation, previews facility and program investments
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Paige told the Austin Public Schools Board that the district is emphasizing daily attendance and ninth-grade supports after analysis showing regular attendees are far more likely to graduate. The report also reviewed staff training, bilingual seals, upcoming events and a foundation-funded weight-room renovation.
Austin Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Paige reported to the school board on May 20 that the district is intensifying efforts on daily attendance and ninth-grade supports after district data showed a strong link between attendance and graduation.
"Students who show up consistently are far more likely to graduate, and this connection isn't theoretical," Dr. Paige said, summarizing an internal analysis of the class of 2024 that found 91% of graduates attended regularly while students who dropped out had a 68% attendance rate.
The superintendent told trustees the district is expanding a ninth-grade seminar course called the Packer Profile to help students set goals and track credits, and that a program called BAR (Building Assets and Reducing risk) has expanded to additional schools and is showing early positive indicators on behavior and failure rates. Dr. Paige said hundreds of staff completed REDAC training this year and praised district educators for adapting schedules and professional development.
Dr. Paige listed several student recognitions and events: induction of three people into the high school music hall of fame, a Minnesota Teacher of the Year finalist from the district, a Taste of Nations community event, a district poetry night, and an increase in Minnesota bilingual seals awarded to 39 students this year for second-language proficiency.
On facilities and partnerships, Dr. Paige said the foundation selected Austin High School for a full weight-room renovation, calling it the district's largest project to date; construction is expected to begin this summer with completion by late fall and a future ribbon-cutting. He said the project will expand training access to younger students and support in- and off-season athletics.
Board members asked about family engagement in attendance efforts. Dr. Paige said the district has student-support teams that work directly with families and that outreach has included county partnerships and community events to share resources. He also said the district is monitoring state pilot programs that encourage peer-based attendance work.
Why it matters: The board has made attendance and ninth-grade retention a strategic focus because district data links consistent attendance to credit accrual and eventual graduation. The superintendent framed curriculum and interventions as upstream investments to increase long-term diploma rates.
The report closed with the superintendent noting new and ongoing initiatives intended to improve connection, credits and outcomes for students across the district.
