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Class of 2025 graduation rate dips to 91.3%; dropout rate rises to 4.95% with notable disparities
Summary
District presenters told the board the Class of 2025 four‑year adjusted cohort graduation rate was 91.3% (down from 93.54%) and the dropout rate rose to 4.95%; staff highlighted declines for Hispanic/Latino and limited‑English‑proficiency students and described MTSS and credit‑recovery steps to respond.
District staff presented the four‑year adjusted cohort graduation and dropout report for the Class of 2025. Dr. Jeffrey Fink said 4,747 students entered high school with the Class of 2025; 91.3% graduated within four years, down from 93.54% for the Class of 2024. The district’s dropout rate increased to 4.95% from 3.6% the prior year.
Presenters emphasized that while Howard County’s overall graduation rate remains above the state average, the data show troubling disparities: Hispanic/Latino students had the lowest graduation rate and the highest dropout rate, with a reported 8‑percentage‑point decrease in graduation and an 8‑point increase in dropout relative to the prior year. Students with limited English proficiency experienced an 18‑percentage‑point increase in dropout rate, and economically disadvantaged students and students with IEPs also showed declines.
Staff outlined strategies to address the trends: strengthening Multi‑Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) beginning in August 2025, expanding targeted interventions and summer programming, assigning at least one full‑time English language development teacher at each high school where funding allows, and reviewing credit‑recovery opportunities (the district will allow seniors to recover up to two credits through the Innovative Pathways Summer Program). Staff agreed to supply additional analyses requested by board members, including pre‑COVID historical comparisons and five‑year graduation rates.
Board members asked whether the increase in math credit requirements and the expiration of recovery funding contributed to the drop; staff said they will analyze the specific impacts and provide follow‑up data.
