Graduation rates rise in Redmond schools

Published 10:00 am Thursday, January 26, 2023

School districts across the state and in Central Oregon overwhelmingly saw improvements in graduation rates for the 2021-2022 school year.

Data released by the Oregon Department of Education showed the graduation rate in Oregon rose to the second highest in the state’s history, the department said in a news release Thursday. The class of 2022 graduated at a rate of 81.3% statewide, and the data showed gains for every student group compared to the year before.

The trend holds for school districts in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties which all saw increases in graduation rates.

The Redmond School District’s graduation rate increased, with 87.8% of students graduating on time, which is up by 2.4% compared to the year before.

In Jefferson County, the Culver School District and Jefferson County School District both saw increases in their graduation rates with Culver graduating at a rate of 94.3% which is up by 2.5% from the year prior. Jefferson County School District was up by 3.8% from the year prior with a graduation rate of 88.6%.

The Crook County School District’s graduation rate was close to 92%, up by 3.4% from the year prior.

In Deschutes County, the Sisters School District saw a decline of 3.5% in its graduation rate from the year prior, but it’s graduation rate was still a healthy 90.3% for students graduating in four years.

Curtiss J. Scholl, the superintendent of the Sisters School District, said the district has gradually increased its graduation rates over the past seven years and the district is pleased to see another graduation rate in the 90s, but still plans to keep working toward higher rates.

The Redmond School District, which had a higher graduation rate compared to the state, saw improvements in most student groups.

“The graduation rate is an indication of where our entire system goes. It’s not just about high schools … it’s about our work we are doing from kindergarten all the way through,” said Charan Cline, superintendent for the Redmond School District. “We are always happy when those numbers are going up because it is really a celebration for our entire school district.”

Cline said the increase in graduation rates is partially part of the recovery from the pandemic which caused a lot of attendance issues. But it is also due to the dedication of district staff, he said.

Cline said the district hopes to increase its graduation rate for students with disabilities. He also said he was particularly proud of the district’s graduation rate for Hispanic/Latino students, which was 88.3% up by 9.6% from the year prior.

Dave Burke, director of secondary education for the district, said one of the district’s top priorities is to close historic gaps in certain student groups.

“Those are important to us because historically those are gaps, and we see those gaps closing, so we are invested in those,” Burke said. “We can see in our data, if you look backward, to last year, you see that Latinx group in graduation being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic for lots of reasons.”

Burke said the district believes a lot of those students went into the work force early and didn’t choose to graduate. So, last year, the district focused on fostering better relationships with students and their families as a way to encourage students to graduate.