CUSD's Graduation Rate Rises, Dropout Rate Stays Same

The percentage of students graduating from Capistrano Unified schools climbed a bit last year, while the dropout rate held steady.

The state released school district graduation/dropout rates Tuesday for the 2011-12 school year. Capo’s graduation rate increased from 96.5 percent to 96.9 percent, while the dropout rate stayed 1.8 percent.

The balance was made up of students who were still in school, were non-diploma special-education students or elected to take the GED.

The 96.9 percent graduation rate for the Class of 2012 ranks second among Orange County school districts, bested only by Laguna Beach Unified, which clocked in at 97.6 percent.

The county’s lowest dropout rate also belonged to Laguna Beach: 1.2 percent. The countywide average was 85.3 percent for the graduation rate, 9.1 percent for the dropout rate.

“It is exhilarating to know that when students enter our high schools as freshmen, our teachers and principals work hard with their families to ensure that they not only graduate, but are prepared for success,” Capo Board of Trustees President John Alpay said in a prepared statement.

By race

The dropout rates at Capo’s six comprehensive high schools, a continuation school and various charters were broken down by race:

• 1.2 percent for white/Caucasian (up from 1.1 percent in 2011)
• 4.1 percent for Hispanics (down from 4.3 percent in 2011)
• 5.6 percent for American Indian or Alaskan (up from 4.2 percent for 2011)
• 0 percent for Asian (down from 1.8 percent in 2011)
• 1.3 percent for two or more races (up from 0.09 percent in 2011)

By school

Aliso Niguel had a graduation rate of 98.6 percent and an overall dropout rate of 1.2 percent. It had the best graduation rate, but Tesoro, with 0.2 percent, had the lowest dropout rate. Here’s how the six schools stacked up:

Statewide

Capo’s numbers far exceeded state averages.

The state superintendent's office said 78.5 percent of students who started high school in 2008-2009 graduated last year, up from 77.1 percent the year before.

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

Among Hispanics, 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.

Overall, 13.2 percent of California students who began high school in 2008-2009 dropped out, down from 14.7 percent the year before.

The dropout rate among African-American students fell 3.1 percentage 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 graduates. They include special education students, students who passed the GED exam and those who are still in school.

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said the trend is positive, but 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 reach 90 percent by 2020.

He commended local school officials for improving education despite recent budget cuts and California ranking 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," Torlakson said.