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High school leaders report improved attendance, low suspensions and targeted interventions
Summary
Administrators told the School Committee Northbridge High’s first-quarter attendance rose to 92.86%, chronic absenteeism edged down to 16.83%, suspensions were minimal and staff are using targeted interventions for students with multiple course failures.
Northbridge High School administrators reported to the School Committee that first-quarter attendance has risen to 92.86% and the school is seeing early improvements in chronic absenteeism and discipline.
Superintendent McKinsey and high school presenters described data showing the school’s attendance trending upward from 89.87% in 2022 and noted chronic absenteeism at 16.83%, a slight improvement from 17.2% last year. “We are trending in the right direction,” Superintendent McKinsey said, adding that the district participated in a statewide listening session on the Chapter 70 funding formula, where many districts described similar fiscal strains.
High school administrators credited multiple strategies for the gains, including attendance incentives, family outreach, contracts with families and targeted follow-up by building staff. “We give incentives for students who improve their attendance,” the high school presenter said, and the school is using data teams and guidance counselors to support students who are frequently absent.
Discipline data show four suspensions in first quarter — a small number given the school’s increased enrollment after the grade reconfiguration. Administrators noted that the suspension rate is under 1% of the student body: four suspensions out of about 600 students. "We avoid removing students from the educational process whenever possible," Mr. Tracy said, describing peer mediation and alternative disciplinary interventions the school has adopted.
On academic performance, presenters reported 128 failed classes in the first quarter (about a 3.07% class-failure rate) after the high school incorporated new grade levels and approximately 300 students. Administrators said two-thirds of failures were concentrated among a small group of students; 85 of the 128 failed classes were tied to roughly 5% of the student population. Mr. Connery and Mr. Tracy said they have identified eight eighth-graders, in particular, who failed multiple core classes and have pulled those students into targeted support and ‘hot seat’ meetings with staff.
Administrators outlined classroom and extracurricular investments intended to support outcomes: restoration of some integrated math offerings, expanded electives (home economics, woodshop), robotics and Girls Who Code, internships and work-study placements with local employers, and additional student-recognition programs. Mr. Tracy described career-oriented trips and courthouse visits for the civics and law pathway and said work-study and internships help students "see why it’s important to be in school."
The committee thanked administrators for the report and asked follow-up questions about patterns in which courses students are failing. Administrators said that after the second quarter they expect to see clearer patterns by course and teacher and that they will use that information for targeted interventions.
The presentation concluded with a preview of upcoming events and community programs, including a cultural "Freedom Day" in February and student-led fundraisers and toy/food drives over the holidays.
