Maine graduation rates up
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high, as has the percentage of students who are either economically disadvantaged or have a disability and are earning their diploma in four years.
According to newly released data from the Maine Department of Education, 86.48 percent of the students who entered the ninth grade in the fall of 2010 graduated on time in 2014. That’s up just slightly from 86.36 percent in 2013, and well above the 80.3 percent graduation rate reached in 2009-10 when the current calculation method was introduced.
In announcing the rising rate, Maine’s Acting Education Commissioner Tom Desjardin said he is especially encouraged to see the state make such progress in narrowing achievement gaps though he urged more work must be done.
“All children can learn and deserve equal opportunity to do so in our schools,” Desjardin said in a press release. “I want to thank Maine’s educators for their hard work in supporting an increasing number of historically academically disadvantaged students find success. Moving forward, we must continue to improve both our graduation rate and the value of the diplomas awarded by our schools so that every student leaves with the foundation they need to achieve their full potential.”
The four-year graduation rate is up to 77.82 percent for economically disadvantaged students, an increase from 76.9 percent in 2013, and 75.7 percent in 2012, and above the national average of 73.3 percent.
Meanwhile, the graduation rate for students with disabilities continues to climb and was at 70.97 in 2014, much higher than the national average of 61.9 percent.
According to the most recent national data from the U.S. Department of Education, which was released earlier this month but is based on the Class of 2013, Maine’s four-year graduation rate is the 10th highest in the country and well above the national average of 81.4 percent. Meanwhile, Maine is sixth in the nation for its limited English proficiency graduation rate, 12th for its economically-disadvantaged student graduation rate, and 14th for its graduation rate among students with disabilities.
As the state’s high schools work toward beginning to award diplomas based on student proficiency rather than time served starting in 2018, the Maine DOE continues to aspire to having a 90 percent graduation rate. In 2014, 49 of the state’s 134 high schools met or exceeded that goal.
SAD 1’s graduation rate for 2013-14 (with 126 total graduates) was 92.0, the highest it’s been in years. In 2012-13, with 117 total graduates, the district’s gradation rate was 84.8, while in 2011-12 (132 graduates) the rate was 89.8.
At the April 8 SAD 1 board meeting, Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said the district “has always outperformed the state average.”
“Usually the larger systems in the state tend to have the lower graduation rate; the larger the school system, the bigger the struggle with graduation rates,” he said. “We’re in that larger group of school systems, but our graduation rates are quite good. The smaller school systems tend to fluctuate year to year. We’re very pleased that so many of our students graduate from PIHS.”
In SAD 42, the graduation rate for 2013-14 (with 23 total graduates) was 85.2. By comparison, the graduation rate in 2012-13 (32 graduates) was 86.5, and in 2011-12 (29 graduates) the rate was 78.4.
“In the past three years, SAD 42 has been actively working to improve student growth and achievement by establishing interventions to support students such as our Academic Academy and homeroom period,” said Superintendent Elaine Boulier. “Our teaching staff, building administrator, and guidance director work diligently at building positive relationships with students so they can be successful.
“Our graduation rates have improved over the past five years, but we are still committed to seeing these figures improve since we all realize that earning a high school diploma today is the avenue to post-secondary educational opportunities, training, or securing a job,” she said.
To see Maine high school graduation data, visit the Maine Department of Education’s transparent online education Data Warehouse at http://www.maine.gov/doe/dataresources/.
