Beaumont's H.S. Graduation Rate Rises, While Banning's Goes Down

Banning and Beaumont's local school districts both saw changes in graduation rates, though only the latter showed improvement, according to new data released by the state.

According to statistics released April 9 by the California Department of Education, Beaumont Unified had an 86.9 percent graduation rate in 2012, a slight increase over 2011's reported 85.9 percent.  However, the district’s total dropout rate actually increased to 9.4 percent according to the data, from 8.0 a year earlier.

The 2008 class started with 551 students, and ended with 479 after four years.

The district breakdown ethnically for 2011-12 was:

• Hispanic or Latino - 266 students: Graduates, 87.6 percent; Dropouts, 9.8 percent
• American Indian or Alaska Native - (no students)
• Asian - 18 students: Graduates, 94.4 percent; Dropouts, 5.6 percent
• Pacific Islander - (no students)
• Filipino, Not Hispanic - 15: Graduates 100 percent
• African American - 42 students: Graduates, 90.5 percent; Dropouts, 7.1 percent
• White, Not Hispanic - 191 students: Graduates, 85.3 percent; Dropouts, 9.4 percent

Over in Banning Unified, the graduation rate for 2012 stood at 80.2 percent.  That's down from the prior year's 82.4, data indicated.

For that district, the dropout rate in 2012 was 14 percent; up from 2011's 13.1 percent.  Of the 272 students that started together in '08, 218 graduated on time.

The district breakdown ethnically for 2011-12 was:

• Hispanic or Latino - 159 students: Graduates, 81.8 percent; Dropouts, 13.2 percent
• American Indian or Alaska Native - 17 students: Graduates, 52.9 percent; Dropouts, 23.5 percent
• Asian - 16  students: Graduates, 100 percent
• Pacific Islander - (no students)
• Filipino, Not Hispanic - (no students)
• African American - 22 students: Graduates, 77.3 percent; Dropouts, 13.6 percent
• White, Not Hispanic - 47 students: Graduates, 74.5 percent; Dropouts, 21.3 percent

Overall, across the state, graduation rates rose, while dropout rates declined.

The state superintendent's office reported 78.5 percent of students who started high school in 2008-09 graduated last year. That was up 1.5 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 13.5 percent of students who began high school in 2008-2009 dropped out. That was down 1.5 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 or graduate. They include special education students, students who passed the GED exam and those who are still in school.

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.