Simsbury High School Graduation Rates Released

Let’s be honest - the news in Connecticut isn’t always good, whether it be companies leaving, jobs cutbacks or the seemingly annual tradition of billion dollar deficits at the State Capitol, but one area the state excels in is the educational performance of its students.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy released more good news this week as graduation rates in the state reached an all-time high during the 2016 school year, hitting 87.4 percent, and that graduation gaps continue to close. Connecticut students continue to graduate high school within four years at a significantly higher rate than the national average of 83.2 percent.

“Connecticut is graduating more students than ever before and sending bright, talented young people into the world to make a big impact,” Malloy said in a news release. “I could not be more proud of our hard-working students – the future is bright for our state. We need to continue making progress for all students, and that means keeping a laser-sharp focus on preparing all children for success in college and the workforce.”

In 2011, the state’s overall four-year graduation rate was 82.7 percent and now it stands at 87.4 percent. In Simsbury, 98.3 percent of the high school’s Class of 2016 graduated, which is an increase of 1.3 percent from 2012.

These rates represent the percentage of first-time ninth-grade students who graduated with a regular high school diploma in four years or less. It is based on individual student-level data, excludes ninth-grade repeaters, late graduates, and accounts for transfers in and out of the graduating class over the four-year period.

At the State Level

Also on the rise is the graduate rate for schools that participate in Connecticut’s Alliance District program. The graduation rates for the Alliance District schools reached 78.3 percent in 2016, up from 71.2 percent in 2011. The state’s ten highest-need Opportunity District schools saw an even more dramatic increase over the past six years of over nine points, up to 73.0 percent in 2016.

In 2016, a subgroup of high-needs students – which includes English learners, those eligible for free or reduced price lunch, and students receiving special education services – saw another increase in the graduation rate to 76.8 percent. Over the past six years, the graduation rate for high-needs students has jumped 11.9 points, closing the graduation gap by 24 percent.

Also, graduation rates for black and Hispanic students continued to increase, outpacing the average growth for the state. The graduation rate for black students reached 78.8 percent in 2016, up 7.6 points since 2011. For Hispanic students, the graduation rate reached 76.4 percent in 2016, up 12.2 points since 2011.

English learners also have improved since 2011, increasing 7.9 points to 67.3 percent. The graduation rate for students with disabilities is 65.2 percent, up only 2.8 points since 2011 and down slightly from the previous year. It should be noted that English learners and students who receive special education have the highest “still enrolled rate,” a sign that they are continuing their pursuit of a high school diploma.

Graduation Rate Gaps Among Student Groups in CT

Since 2011, the graduation rate gap between black and white students closed by nearly 25 percent. It went from a 18.2 percentage point differential in 2011 to a 13.7 percentage point gap in 2016 – decreasing by a total of 4.5 percentage points over that time.

Since 2011, the graduation rate gap between Hispanic and white students closed by 36 percent. It went from a 25.2 percentage point differential in 2011 to a 16.1 percentage point gap in 2016 – decreasing by a total of 9.1 percentage points over that time.

Written by Jack Kramer

Photo credit: Tim Jensen