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State reports rise in 4-year graduation rate, board highlights gains in college-and-career readiness
Summary
State education staff told the Board of the Alabama State Department of Education that the four-year graduation rate rose from 91.56% to 92.77% for the 2025 cohort, and college-and-career-readiness indicators also increased. Staff attributed gains to district efforts, CTE expansion, and data-validation work; a federal waiver application is planned for this summer.
State education officials reported a modest but notable rise in the four-year graduation rate for the 2025 cohort, saying the rate increased from 91.56% to 92.77% — a change staff described as “well over, an entire percentage point.” Sean Stevens, a department presenter, said the gain reflects coordinated work by local education agencies and state staff to ensure accurate reporting and student supports.
The board emphasized that the department’s college-and-career-readiness (CCR) indicators also showed gains. Officials said CCR measures now include benchmarks such as ACT subtest performance, Advanced Placement or IB qualifying scores, approved college credit or industry credentials, completing career-technical pathways and youth apprenticeships. The department reported an increase of more than two percentage points in CCR for the cohort.
School systems varied in performance, staff said. Stevens singled out Bibb County as having the largest increase (reported to be above 3%), and staff noted several districts that posted double-digit increases in college-credit and career-technical completer counts. Shanitra Deese was named by staff as leading efforts to help districts validate and correct data in the reporting portal.
The board discussed the WorkKeys measure, which declined slightly; staff said the drop reflects more students taking dual-enrollment courses and other pathways that change the composition of test-takers, not necessarily a decline in applied skills. ‘‘WorkKeys has become less of a thing’’ as districts expand dual enrollment, one presenter said.
Superintendent-level staff also described plans to submit a waiver under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The board was told the federal waiver window is rolling and that officials hope to file over the summer to avoid the midterm-election politicization of federal approvals. No formal action on a waiver was taken at the meeting.
What’s next: staff said detailed district- and school-level breakdowns would be published the same afternoon and districts will have an opportunity to validate their local data. The board did not take a formal vote on policy in this session but was notified that the revised BSA 1 standards and other items will be on the next meeting’s agenda.
