By JONATHAN COX
CorneliusNews.net
The four-year graduation rate for Charlotte Mecklenburg high school students reached a record 85.2 percent in 2013-14, up 4.2 percentage points from the year before. The individual graduation rates at local high schools W.A. Hough and Hopewell increased slightly, while the graduation rate at North Mecklenburg High School saw a dramatic increase of 4.3 percentage points. The statistic tracks the percentage of entering ninth graders who graduated with their classes four years later.
It was the fifth consecutive year the district’s graduation rate increased, Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools said. In 2008-2009, CMS reported a graduation rate of just 66.1 percent. With 85.2 percent of students graduating this year, Mecklenburg County is now ahead of the national average, which was 80 percent in 2012 (the most recent year for which statistics were available). CMS also beat the North Carolina average graduation rate for the first time in five years.
This was the first year graduates were required to complete only 24 credits during high school, instead of the previous year’s requirement of 28 credits. Ann Clark, Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, said the change was aimed not at lowering the bar for graduation, but at giving students the freedom to choose more electives.
Heath Morrison
In a statement, CMS Superintendent Heath Morrison applauded the higher graduation rate.
“The graduation rate is an important indicator of our success as a district. Graduating from high school is essential to ensure that our students succeed in the workplace of tomorrow. It is encouraging that our graduation rate continues to rise – and it is also a testament to the dedication and effectiveness of all of our employees. We will continue to push forward and will not be satisfied until every child graduates prepared for a better tomorrow.”
ALL N. MECK SCHOOLS GAIN
All three of north Mecklenburg’s high schools saw gains last year.
Hopewell High School on Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville saw a 1 percentage point increase in the graduation rate, to 87.5 percent.
The graduation rate at W.A. Hough High School remained steady at 92.4 percent, after declining by 4.9 percentage points in the 2012/13 school year. Hough High Principal Laura Rosenbach said the slight increase in the graduation rate may be owing to new programs – such as the ninth grade academy and college prep program AVID.
Rosenbach also said that since the class of 2014 was the first to include students who had studied at Hough through all four years of high school, it was likely that earlier statistics on graduation rates were unreliable.
” Last year was representative of four years of hard work at Hough,” she said.
Meanwhile, the rate at North Mecklenburg High, on Statesville Road in Hunterville rose more dramatically, by 4.3 percent, to 92.3 percent.
SUB-GROUPS IMPROVE
The gains included big jumps in all student sub-groups, CMS announced.
All subgroups have increased in the four years since the 2009-10 school year, but the most dramatic gains have come in the the Asian, black, and Hispanic subgroups, narrowing the gap between white, Hispanic, and black students by roughly 12%.
- White students, up 8.1 percentage points, to 93.0 percent.
- Asian students, up 11.3 percentage points, to 87.7 percent.
- Hispanic students, up 20.0 percentage points, to 74.6 percent.
- Black students, up 20.9 percentage points to 82.5 percent.
“We are very encouraged to see the graduation rates rising in every subgroup – especially the two-digit gains we’re seeing in black and Hispanic student graduation rates,” Morrison said. “This is the way we close gaps: All groups move ahead but the groups that are lagging move ahead at a faster rate – and that’s precisely what is happening in CMS.”
RELATED LINKS
Download a presentation from CMS about the graduation rates. (PDF)
Check the school-by-school graduation rates,
