Anne Arundel Schools Graduation Rate Hits Record High: State

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ graduation rate reached a record level for the Class of 2018 and is the highest among Maryland’s four largest jurisdictions, data released by the Maryland State Department of Education shows.

AACPS’ graduation rate of 89.20 percent, which reflects the percentage of students who graduated within four years of starting high school, is 0.67 percentage points higher than a year ago. It is also more than a full percentage point above the state average, according to a district news release.

The rise in the overall graduation rate was led by significant increases at Arundel (3.08 percentage points), Northeast (2.95 percentage points), Severna Park (2.81 percentage points), and North County (2.54 percentage points) high schools.

Among student groups, one of the county’s largest gain came from special education students, whose graduation rate rose by 4.16 percentage points. The county also saw significant increases in graduation rate for Asian students (2.90 percentage points), Hispanic/Latino students (2.77 percentage points), English Language Learners (2.09 percentage points), and students receiving free and reduced-price meals (1.80 percentage points).

The gap in graduation rate between African-American and white students widened slightly in 2018 but has narrowed since 2011 from 8.3 to 5.7 percent.

“These results validate the investment that employees at every level of our school system make in the lives of students across our county every day,” Superintendent George Arlotto said in a statement. “They also show us the hard work that remains to be done to close gaps among student groups. We are making progress, and remain dedicated to accomplishing that mission.”

Among schools, North County’s graduation rate has grown by 12.17 percentage points – the largest in the county – and Glen Burnie’s graduation rate has grown by 11.27 percentage points since the four-year cohort model was put in place in 2011. Northeast’s graduation rate has grown by 8.51 percentage points in that same time period.

Other school highlights include:

• North County High School: Increases of 13.07 percentage points for English Language Learners, 5.05 percentage points for special education students, 3.27 percentage points for white students, and 1.73 percentage points for all students since 2016.
• Chesapeake High School: Increase of 24.60 percentage points for African-American students since 2016.
• Chesapeake Science Point: 100 percent overall graduation rate for the Class of 2018.
• Northeast High School: increases of 11.92 percentage points for students receiving free and reduced-price meals and 9.82 for special education students.
• Severna Park High School: increases of 19.32 percentage points for special education students, and 10.23 percentage points for students receiving free and reduced-price meals, overall graduation rate for the Class of 2018 of 98.26 percent.
• Southern High School: Increases of 16.86 percentage points for special education students and 5.04 percentage points for African-American students since 2016.

More information on graduation rates can be found at www.mdreportcard.org.