CT Graduation Rates For Every School District Released

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut’s overall four-year high school graduation rate improved marginally from 88.3 percent to 88.5 percent between the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years, according to new data released by the state Department of Education.

The improvement was more pronounced for “high needs” students that includes students with disabilities, English learners and students eligible for free/reduced lunches; In that cohort the graduation rate improved from 77.9 percent to 80.4 percent. The on-time graduation rate for those students reached its highest level since reporting was implemented in 2010-2011.

The four-year graduation rate has steadily increased from 87.2 percent in 2014-2015 over the years. High needs students have seen an improvement from 76.1 percent in 2014-2015.

Connecticut’s Alliance Districts saw even more pronounced graduation rate improvements with a 4.4 percentage point increase from 2014-2015 to the 2018-2019 year. The Alliance Districts are made up of 33 of districts with the biggest proportion of free/reduced lunch students. The state provided increased funding and technical support to the districts.

State Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona said the rates were a testament to the efforts of all educators in the state.

“While our excellent teachers are delivering challenging material in engaging ways, our amazing support personnel such as social workers, counselors, and job coaches are encouraging, motivating, and strengthening our students to persevere through the challenging times,” Cardona said. “These supports have always been important but are even more critical in the context of a pandemic.”

Gov. Ned Lamont said the coronavirus pandemic has reaffirmed that a strong education system is the state’s best economic driver.

“Commissioner Cardona and I have prioritized improving educational outcomes and making sure every student in Connecticut has equitable access to a quality education and the opportunity to succeed. Achieving a record-high graduation rate is a sign that we are headed in the right direction,” Lamont said.