Graduation Rates Show Continued Improvement in Waterbury

Waterbury Public Schools Four-Year Graduation Rate Shows Strong Year-Over-Year Increases
5.4 percent increase between 2017-2018 Cohort and 2018-2019 Cohort

Waterbury, CT- Superintendent Verna D. Ruffin announced today that Waterbury Public Schools’ four-year graduation rate has improved to 82.1 percent for the 2018-2019 cohort, an increase from 76.7 percent for the 2017-2018 cohort. According to the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), on-time graduation rates for most student groups are the highest they have been since the cohort graduation method was implemented in 2010.

“Sustained improvements are the collective work of many joining in to assure students’ needs are met and that viable options are provided to assist students in meeting their goals,” said Superintendent Verna D. Ruffin. “Waterbury Public Schools’ teachers, administrators and support staff have worked tirelessly to identify root causes and provide effective resources that have resulted in a return on investment as students continue to meet criteria for graduation and beyond.”

Each of the District’s five high schools showed an increase between the 2017-2018 cohort and the 2018-2019 cohort.

WPS is one of 33 districts that participates in the Alliance District Program. The CSDE said many of the districts have shown sustained increases in graduation rates over several years due to many factors, such as targeted programs and efforts, flexible options for earning or recovering credit, smaller environments with robust networks of support personnel and personalized attention and individualized support through close tracking and monitoring real-time student-level data.

“These widespread improvements are an ongoing testament to the collective efforts of all our educators,” said Commissioner of Education, Dr. Miguel A. Cardona. “While our excellent
teachers are delivering challenging material in engaging ways, our amazing support personnel such as social workers, counselors, and job coaches are encouraging, motivating, and strengthening our students to persevere through the challenging times. These supports have always been important but are even more critical in the context of a pandemic.”