Platte County School District #1 reviews student assessment results, graduation rates and safety upgrades

At a board meeting of Platte County School District #1, staff presented district assessment results, graduation and college- and career-readiness data, and updates on safety and strategic-plan work.

District data presenter Josh reviewed spring state-assessment results and benchmarks tied to the board's strategic plan, saying Wheatland High School met or exceeded several district targets while some grade- and subject-level results fell short of the top-10 benchmark. Josh said tenth-grade math ranked ninth in the state and tenth-grade science was eleventh, missing the district's target of top 10 in all tested areas. On ACT results for the graduating class of 2025, the district ranked 19th statewide and 10th among similarly sized schools, and Wyoming was noted as one of nine states that test all juniors.

Josh also presented accountability and graduation metrics: Wheatland High School's 2023-24 cohort graduation rate was reported at 90.0 percent, compared with the state average of 81.6 percent; Peak High School's rate for the same cohort was reported as 57 percent. On postsecondary readiness measures, Wheatland High School was reported at 89 percent meeting the accountability target; Peak High School had an index score characterized as exceeding the target.

On well-being and safety, staff reported participation in certified-staff and student wellness surveys. Certified-staff survey responses numbered 43 in the fall and 29 in the spring; reported results from the spring staff survey included 72 percent saying they feel happy and satisfied with their job, 65.5 percent feeling supported and 82.8 percent saying they feel safe on campus. Student surveys drew about 407 responses in the fall and 381 in the spring; districtwide figures reported that most K-12 students feel safe and that more than half of students feel their teachers care about them, with variation across small schools explained by test-count confidentiality rules.

Board and staff discussed operational safety upgrades. Staff described a districtwide audio-enhancement system that places a microphone on classroom teachers and routes emergency-activation audio to building offices and, now, directly to Platte County Dispatch. The superintendent and building principals receive the same audio feed; staff said the connection allows dispatch to get classroom-level information when a panic or emergency button is used.

Facilities and safety planning tied to the strategic plan also surfaced: administrators said the district has designated the Ponderosa Maintenance Building as a reunification site for Wheatland and described work by a safety committee reviewing door and lockdown options in open-concept classrooms to improve both safety and classroom acoustics. The committee said it hopes to have an initial set of secured doors in place by the beginning of next school year and will solicit contractor bids.

District staff framed the strategic-plan work as early in the multi-year implementation cycle: leaders asked for patience and emphasized that the district is in year two of collaborative PLC (professional-learning-community) work tied to growth and equity goals. Staff noted expansion of internship and work-experience opportunities to include Peak High School 9-12 students and juniors at Wheatland High School.

The board did not take formal action on the strategic-plan measures during the meeting; staff said the summarized data will be made available on the district website and included in routine reporting to stakeholders.