Frontier Central board hears graduation-rate review, administrators identify 21 students at risk

At a Frontier Central School District Board of Education meeting, high school administrators presented a detailed review of graduation rates and interventions, saying 21 students identified after the first quarter are at risk of not graduating on time.

The presentation — led by Principal Charlton and Director of Secondary Education Sikorsky and supported by teachers and counselors — reviewed 10 years of data, explained distinctions between June and August rates, and outlined drivers of low on‑time graduation such as attendance, mental‑health issues, failures in core academic courses and the elimination of routine after‑school busing.

Principal Charlton said the district’s August graduation rate has been “remarkably consistent” over the past decade, usually between 88% and 91% with an outlier year at 84%. He noted the difference between June and August figures commonly reflects summer school make‑ups and cautioned that a single percentage point can represent only a few students in any cohort. “I’m proud of that statistic,” Charlton said, while adding the district remains focused on raising the rate.

Administrators told the board the district currently calculates its measured cohort denominator as 357 students for the Class of 2025; of those, 14 students are served out of district (for example at BOCES programs or alternative placements) and therefore have limited day‑to‑day building contact. Using a building‑level denominator that excludes those 14 students lowers the denominator to 343 and produces different building‑level projections; presenters showed a hypothetical best‑case building rate near 95% and a worst‑case near 89% based on current credit and assessment status.

Presenters divided students at risk into two general groups: a) “group A” students who are severely under‑credited and unlikely to catch up without intensive, often out‑of‑school, interventions; and b) “group B” students who have enough credits or exams to graduate but who tend to disengage in senior year. The group B students prompted discussion because they are often close enough to the requirements but do not…