Hillsboro SD 1J reports improved graduation rates, flags $20 million budget cut that may threaten supports
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Summary
District staff told the board the class of 2025 showed strong graduation outcomes across many student groups, including a reported five‑year cohort rate near 92%; presenters cautioned a recent $20,000,000 budget cut and loss of staff could make sustaining supports more difficult.
Hillsboro School District 1J staff presented the board with the official graduation update for the class of 2025, showing sustained gains across multiple student groups and flagging budget pressures that could affect supports for focal populations.
Presenters explained the cohort model used to calculate graduation rates (students become part of a cohort when they enter ninth grade) and noted that official state certification and data cleaning mean numbers often arrive after the school calendar year. The district said recent reporting showed an important milestone: officials said the district reached about 90% in recent reporting and that the five‑year cohort completion for the class rose to roughly 92%.
The presentation included subgroup breakdowns. Staff reported American Indian/Alaska Native students at 91.7% (11 of 12 students), highlighted gains for students with disabilities after years below 80%, and said the foster‑care subgroup comprised six students who all graduated; because that group is fewer than 10 students the specific school‑level data are suppressed to protect privacy.
Officials also reviewed on‑track, semester‑1 snapshot data for current classes: roughly 79.86% of ninth graders were on track and 20.14% off track in the district’s tighter, core‑credit definition. Presenters urged caution because the snapshot contains teacher incompletes that will be resolved at semester end.
Board members and staff celebrated the results but warned that district leaders are facing a $20,000,000 budget cut this year. One presenter told the board the district has already reduced high‑school staffing, including the loss of a counselor, a grad coach and a TOSA whose work supported data and graduation efforts; members discussed recruiting volunteers and tying supports to the strategic plan to protect progress.
During discussion, staff flagged a 4.39 percentage‑point decline for students identified as migrant, attributing part of that change to high mobility and factors outside the district’s control. The student representative and several board members praised staff and community partners for engagement work and asked administrators to report back on how the budget reductions will affect targeted supports.
The board did not take formal votes on these agenda items; staff committed to follow up with additional detail on subgroup counts and to align any future actions with district goals.