DC Public Schools Students Boost Graduation Rate

Georgetown DC

07 December, 2020

3:22 PM

Description

GEORGETOWN, DC — The Bowser administration has announced a nearly three percentage point increase in the four-year graduation rate for the 2019-2020 school year. According to Office of the State Superintendent of Education data, 70.9 percent of students in District of Columbia high schools graduated in four years compared to 68.2 percent the prior school year. The Bowser Administration also announced the release of the 2020 DC school report card, which includes the graduation rate as well as several other updated measures. "Particularly given the unanticipated challenges presented by COVID-19, I am encouraged to see an increase in our graduation rate," District Mayor Muriel Bowser said. "This demonstrates the resilience of the District's students and teachers, as well as the families and community partners who are committed to ensuring our young people have a fair shot and the resources necessary to succeed in college and career." The four-year graduation rate for DC Public Schools is 68.68 percent, an increase of 3.6 percentage points. The four-year graduation rate for public charter schools is 76.58 percent, a slight increase of 0.22 percentage points. The four-year adjusted cohort consisted of 4,802 students who entered ninth grade in the 2016-2017 school year. Of those students, 3,405 graduated high school by spring 2020. Since OSSE began using the adjusted cohort graduation rate in the 2010-2011 school year, the graduation rate for the District of Columbia has increased by 12 percentage points, as demonstrated by the table below. Nineteen high schools and two alternative high schools had graduation rate increases in the 2019-2020 school year. Nine high schools posted four-year graduation rates above 90 percent: Benjamin Banneker High SchoolDuke Ellington School of the ArtsKIPP DC - Somerset College Preparatory PCSMcKinley Technology High SchoolSchool Without WallsBASIS DC PCS, Friendship PCS – Friendship Technology High SchoolPhelps ArchitectureConstruction and Engineering High SchoolE.L. Haynes PCS – High SchoolDC's four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate exceeds the District's 2020 goal of 70.5 percent graduation rate in DC's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan. The District uses the ACGR, a federally required methodology used by all states to maintain a consistent standard for high school graduation rate reporting. Under the ACGR, a cohort of students who entered school as first-time ninth graders in the 2016-2017 school year was tracked for four years to determine the total number of students who graduated from high school in the 2019-2020 school year with a regular diploma. "The 2020 DC school report card continues to be a robust tool for educators, families, researchers and the community, offering a wealth of data points over time – such as four-and five-year graduation rates, college enrollment rates and teacher and health staff data," Interim State Superintendent Shana Young said. "As we enter the school lottery season – with a virtual EDFest kicking off Saturday, Dec. 12 – the DC school report card is just one more tool offering families valuable information to help them choose the right school for their students as they browse their options online." Access the 2020 DC school report card at DCSchoolReportCard.org.