SAUSD reports attendance gains, AP and dual-enrollment growth but flags A-G completion gaps

District academic leaders presented a wide-ranging update on graduation progress and college-and-career readiness on Tuesday, reporting measurable attendance gains and growth in AP and dual-enrollment participation while noting persistent equity gaps in a-through-g completion.

Leticia Alvarado, the district's executive director for teaching and learning, said chronic absenteeism among seniors fell from 32.9% to 28.7% year over year and that the share of seniors with no absences increased from 2.4% to nearly 10%. "This is a 4 point decline in over a year," she said, crediting intentional outreach and attendance-recovery efforts at school sites.

The presentation showed that roughly 47% of last year's graduating class met CSU/UC a-through-g eligibility, with higher-performing campuses such as Middle College approaching 98% a-through-g completion. But Alvarado warned of a wide gap between the district's highest- and lowest-performing sites: "When we look at our highest and lowest performing schools, there is a 61 gap," she said.

District staff highlighted targeted actions: expanding ninth-grade on-track intervention work, redesigning master schedules to increase access to AP and a-through-g courses, launching AP summer institutes for teachers, and piloting dual-enrollment courses in partnership with Santa Ana College that include specialized supports for English learners.

The board asked detailed follow-up questions. Trustees sought more information about which AP courses have low passage rates, how counselor assignments and STRS reporting affect scheduling, and how expanded-learning and CTE programs correlate with attendance. Alvarado said an AP audit conducted by principals and the district will inform master-schedule decisions for next year and that semester checkpoints will show progress.

Data highlights cited in the presentation: chronic absenteeism decreased from 32.9% to 28.7%; seniors with no absences rose from 2.4% to almost 10%; the class-of-2025 graduation rate was reported at 91.5%; about 48% of current seniors had 220+ credits and 87% of seniors were "within reach" of graduation when combining on-track and in-progress categories; dual-enrollment students completed over 5,100 courses in 22-23 and thousands continue to take SAC courses through the district partnership.

Next steps: staff will provide semester checkpoints and a midyear update on progress indicators, continue work on master-schedule options, and return AP-audit findings to school leaders and the board.