Charles County reports steady 4‑year graduation rate; board focuses on subgroup gaps

District analysts presented the Maryland adjusted cohort methodology and the most recent results for Charles County Public Schools, then the board focused on subgroup disparities and school‑level improvement plans.

Steve Roberts, director of shared accountability, explained the state’s cohort calculation (first‑time ninth‑grade cohort plus additions and subtractions over four years) and showed that the class of 2025 produced a 4‑year cohort graduation rate of 90.32%. Roberts and other accountability staff noted that certificate recipients are excluded from the diploma rate calculation and that suppression rules (cell‑size minimums and caps at 95%) affect subgroup reporting.

Superintendent Maria Navarro and accountability staff walked the board through subgroup changes between 2024 and 2025: gains were reported for Asian students, Black/African American students and students with disabilities in some cohorts, while economically disadvantaged students and multilingual learners saw increases in dropout representation in other areas. The district identified Thomas Stone and Lackey High School as examples where targeted strategies are underway or needed.

Board members pressed for details and earlier interventions. Staff described operational tactics already in use: assigning and training counselors to monitor course pathways in Synergy; issuing senior failure letters and following up with phone calls and home visits through pupil personnel workers (PPWs); offering grade recovery, summer school and credit recovery; and deploying school improvement plans that include attendance and engagement goals. The board and staff discussed alternative instructional models—virtual academy, night school or Saturday school—as potential tools for students who need nontraditional schedules, but staff cautioned about equity, connectivity and resource constraints.

Several trustees urged the district to compile and report midyear progress on targeted interventions, and to share successful practices from schools that have reduced dropout rates (the board noted Westlake as an example). Staff said they would return with specific strategies and continued monitoring of subgroup outcomes.

What’s next: district leaders will continue to refine school‑level improvement plans, expand targeted outreach to overrepresented subgroups and report interim progress back to the board.