Omaha Public Schools reported that 2,722 students earned a regular diploma within four years in 2024–25, a districtwide four‑year graduation rate of 71.5%, district staff told the Board of Education on Dec. 17.

The presentation by Doctor Langston Friesen framed graduation as a lagging indicator that requires prevention and early intervention. Friesen said 1,086 students did not complete coursework on time and that graduation rates have fluctuated over five years, declining from 74.1% in 2021 to 71.5% in 2024. He told the board the district is using its 3‑60 and OnTrack dashboards to monitor attendance, behavior and on‑track progress so schools can intervene earlier.

Why it matters: Friesen highlighted persistent gaps by socioeconomic status, race and special education and said changes in meal‑eligibility reporting tied to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) mean traditional free/reduced counts no longer capture the full scope of student need. "Our data systems have changed," a board member said during remarks reviewing the report; Friesen and others explained the district now uses a combined educational‑benefits and free/reduced measure to identify need.

The presentation included several subgroup details: exit‑English‑learner students had higher graduation rates than current EL students, and students with individualized education programs (IEPs) consistently graduated at lower rates, creating an average gap of roughly 21.8 percentage points over the last five years. Friesen also noted that the 2025 cohort included a rising share of late arrivals: about 11% of that cohort arrived in the U.S. with fewer than four years until their expected graduation, which can extend a student’s timeline to five or more years.

Board members pressed staff on reasons students drop out. Friesen said 138 students completed the Nebraska Department of Education dropout form; many respondents cited financial reasons and being off track on credits. "Those students in that group are generally off track and are making that choice for not just financial reasons, but also are behind in credits," Friesen told the board.

Interventions and strategies described included Freshman Academies, dedicated attendance teams, credit recovery through Next Level Learning (NLL) and targeted summer and in‑school tutoring. Friesen said the strongest correlation with improved on‑track and graduation results has been credit recovery in NLL. The district is also piloting in‑school tutoring partnerships with community providers to reach students who cannot attend after‑school supports.

Assessment results and accountability: District staff also presented summative assessment data showing proficiency gains in ELA and science over four years, but noted that participation declines tied to chronic absenteeism reduce scale scores and mask some progress. The district previewed changes to Nebraska’s Aquest accountability system for 2025–26, which will supplement ACT and graduation measures with pathway completions, AP/IB/dual‑enrollment/course and work‑based learning indicators.

What’s next: District leaders said they will continue progress monitoring and use strategic planning to target schools and student groups with the largest gaps. Board members requested follow‑up reports on late arrivals’ graduation timelines and on the district’s post‑exit follow‑up data for former EL students.

Ending: The board thanked staff for the thorough report and moved to additional agenda items.