Pittsburgh Public Schools reports higher graduation rates, unveils Counselor Connect to track at‑risk seniors

Dr. Wayne Walters, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, told the district’s education committee on April 1, 2025, that the district’s four‑year cohort graduation rate increased to 86.9% for the 2023‑24 school year and described a new counselor application, Counselor Connect, intended to help counselors identify and intervene with students at risk of not graduating.

Walters said the district’s established five‑year graduation goal is 84.4% for the 2024‑25 school year and noted the district’s baseline was 81.5% in 2021. “By the end of the 24‑25 school year, we want 84.4 percent of our twelfth grade students to graduate,” he said, noting progress from 86.1% in 2022‑23 to 86.9% in 2023‑24.

The updates matter because cohort graduation rates measure whether students complete high school within four years and reflect district efforts to prepare students for college, careers and other post‑secondary paths. Walters framed the work as both a data‑tracking effort and a set of investments in people and systems to close gaps for historically marginalized student groups.

District tools and targets

Walters described two primary data systems the district uses: an internal graduation tracker that monitors credit accumulation in real time and an Act 158 dashboard that records progress through Pennsylvania’s multiple graduation pathways. Act 158 allows…