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Hopkins reports modest literacy gains and an 86% four‑year graduation rate for the class of 2025
Summary
District staff reported literacy gains in kindergarten and first grade, updates on LETRS training completion for teachers, and a four‑year graduation rate of 86% for the class of 2025 (88% at Hopkins High, 66.7% at Virtual Edu). Math implementation is early but shows flat or slightly improved indicators.
Hopkins Public Schools staff delivered their year‑end achievement report at the June 2 board meeting, highlighting early literacy gains, teacher training progress and graduation metrics for the previous cohort.
Kim Smith, the district’s literacy specialist, said the district has completed a four‑cohort rollout of LETRS (science of reading) training and that about 96.5% of required phase‑one teachers were on track for the July 1 certification deadline. Smith reported improvement in early reading FastBridge measures: district K–1 proficiency rose from about 39% last year to 46% this year; first‑grade proficiency moved from roughly 42% to 48%.
Smith emphasized teachers value one‑on‑one curriculum‑linked checks (CBMR) and noted gains in first and second grades though third grade showed a dip that staff plan to investigate: "We're going up in first and second. We had a dip in third. Not really sure why — we'll dig into that," she said.
Staff also provided a brief math update: early implementation indicators for new K–5 math materials were flat or slightly improved compared with last year, according to observations and screening data. Assistant directors said the district is collecting implementation evidence and teacher/student focus‑group feedback to guide next steps.
On graduation, district staff reported the Minnesota Department of Education’s adjusted cohort four‑year graduation rate for the class of 2025 was 86% districtwide, with Hopkins High at 88% (383 of 435 graduates) and Virtual Edu at 66.7% (24 of 36). Officials said the MDE rate is released one year after a cohort graduates due to verification processes.
Student representatives and board members discussed testing logistics, student supports and the need to track cohort growth measures. Staff agreed to provide additional cohort‑tracking and to bring recommended improvements for assessment timing and test coordination.
What’s next: staff said they will continue teacher professional learning, refine screening timelines to match assessment windows, and produce cohort‑level analyses to guide targeted supports.
Provenance: presentation and Q&A at the June 2 board meeting; data slides and district reports referenced during the meeting.
