Graduation Rates Increase at Mesa Verde, San Juan

Graduation rates rose last year in the San Juan Unified School District as well as at Mesa Verde and New San Juan high schools.

Figures released Tuesday by the state superintendent's office show that overall the district's graduation rate last year was 80.6 percent, above the state average of 78.5 percent and an increase from 79.8 percent the year prior.

The dropout rate for the district was listed as 10.6 percent. That was down from 11.8 percent in 2011 and also below this year's 13.2 percent statewide average.

At Mesa Verde High School, 90.1 percent of students graduated last year, up from 87.5 percent the prior year. At New San Juan, 60.4 percent graduated, which is an increase from 56 percent the previous year but a drop from 73.7 percent in 2010.

The district figures include continuation schools and other campuses that are not listed individually in the superintendent's report. They're reported as "cohort" rates, a relatively new way of calculating graduation and dropout rates.

There are also a small percentage of students who are not counted as either graduates or dropouts because they are still in school or passed the GED or are special education students.

Overall, California's graduation rates rose while dropout rates declined.

The state superintendent's office reported 78.5 percent of students who started high school in 2008-2009 graduated last year. That was up 1.4 percentage points from the year before.

Among African-American students, 65.7 percent graduated with their class in 2012, up 2.9 points from the year before.

Among Hispanic students, 73.2 percent graduated in 2012, up 1.8 points from the year before.

There was a corresponding drop in the state's dropout rate.

The superintendent's office reported 13.2 percent of students who began high school in 2008-2009 dropped out. That was down 1.5 percentage points from the year before.

The dropout rate among African-American students dropped 3.1 points to 22.2 percent. Among Hispanic students, the dropout rate fell 2.1 points to 16.2 percent.

Another 8.3 percent of students were labeled as neither dropouts nor graduates.

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said while the trend is positive, California schools still need to do more. He said he'd like to see the graduation rate top 80 percent in the near future and then reach 90 percent by 2020.

He commended local school officials for improving education despite budget cuts the past few years and the fact California is 49th in the nation in education funding.

"As I travel up and down the state, I see great things happening in California schools every day," said Torlakson.

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