TERRE HAUTE —
The Vigo County School Corp. 2011 graduation rate improved nearly 4 percentage points and surpassed the state graduation rate, according to information from the state Department of Education.
The district’s 2011 graduation rate is 88.4 percent, compared to 84.8 percent for 2010 and 84.2 percent in 2009.
The state’s 2011 graduation rate is 85.7 percent, an increase of 1.6 percent over 2010 and 4.3 percent over 2009.
Graduation rates improved at all five Vigo County School Corp. high schools as well, and the two alternative schools are receiving state recognition.
At Terre Haute North Vigo, the 2011 graduation was 90.2 percent, up from 90 percent the prior year.
At West Vigo, the graduation rate was 92.2 percent, up from 90.9 percent the year before.
At Terre Haute South Vigo, the graduation rate was 87.9 percent, up from 86.2 percent; at Booker T. Washington High School, the rate was 90.9 percent, up from 40 percent the year before.
And at McLean High School, the graduation rate was 67.8 percent, up from 51.3 percent the year before.
The two alternative schools, Booker T. Washington High School and McLean, are among those recognized by the DOE for having the most improved graduation rates without waivers.
Booker T. Washington increased its non-waiver graduation rate by 54.4 percent over last year — jumping from 32 percent of students graduating without waivers in 2010 to 86.4 percent in 2011. “This is the largest graduation rate improvement statewide,” according to information from DOE.
McLean increased its non-waiver graduation rate by 11.6 percent—improving from 35.9 percent in 2010 to 47.5 percent of students graduating in 2011.
The non-waiver rate excludes those graduates who received diplomas with waivers and have not met the basic expectation that each student passes the state’s Graduation Examination and graduates with a Core 40 diploma.
The school corporation plans to conduct a news conference today to discuss the graduation rates.
Also, Turkey Run High School increased its non-waiver graduation rate by 14.1 percent — moving from 68.3 percent in 2010 to 82.4 percent in 2011, according to DOE.
Indiana’s overall 85.7 percent graduation rate (which includes waivers) is the highest since the state began measuring the four-year cohort graduation rate in 2005, according to a state news release.
A record-high 171 public schools reached 90 percent or more of their students graduating in four years — a goal Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett set for all Indiana students in 2009.
“I commend Indiana’s educators, students, parents and community members for their efforts to increase graduation rates,” Bennett said in a statement. “In today’s world, graduating from high school with a meaningful diploma is critical to achieving any measure of success in life. To see so many more high school students reach this essential milestone is inspiring, and I am thankful for the hard-working teachers and leaders in our schools who helped them get there.”
Of the 14.3 percent of students who did not earn diplomas statewide, 6.1 percent were reported as high school dropouts/undetermined — 0.3 percent fewer dropouts than were reported in the 2010 school year.
Other non-graduates include students who earned General Education Development (GED) diplomas (0.4 percent), special education certificates (1.2 percent), non-diploma course completion certificates (0.2 percent) and those still enrolled in school (6.3 percent).
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
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Vigo schools see grad rate rise
VCSC rate surpasses state average
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