Oregon City High Schools Show Rise in Graduation Rate

Pretty much good news across the board when it comes to high school graduation rates for the Oregon City School District, according to data released Thursday by the Oregon Department of Education. The district showed some of the best increases in the county.

The district - driven by a dramatic rise in the graduation rate among Latino/Hispanic students to 90.8 percent from 76.2 percent - saw the graduation rate rise to 86.3 percent from 81.6 percent.

Oregon City Senior High School's graduation rate was 93.57 percent, up from 88.97 percent the year before. For Black/African-American students, the graduation rate hit 100 percent, up from 87.5 percent. For Hispanic/Latino students, the rate went to 92.73 percent, up from 85.42 percent.

The news statewide was good but shows how much more work the state still has to do.

The state saw a one percent increase in the graduation rate - to 74.8 percent from 73.8 percent. Overall, the state says that 1,300 more students graduated last year than had the year before.

"It shows the dedication of our teachers and school administrators that graduation rates are increasing across the board," said

Deputy Superintendent Salam Noor. "We are making progress, while recognizing there is still more work to do.

"We are pleased our state's focus on improving graduation outcomes for all students is making a difference."

Highlights of the report include significant gains in the student groups where the largest graduation gaps exist:

• African American students up 3.6 points to 66.1 percent (53.3 percent in 2011)
• American Indian/Alaska Native students up 1.4 points to 56.4 percent (50.8 percent in 2011)
• Hispanic/Latino students up 2.0 points to 69.4 percent (59.5 percent in 2011)
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students up 6.9 points to 70.1 percent (66.2 percent in 2011)
• Ever English Learners (students who are now or ever have been classified as English Language Learners) up 4.2 points to 71.1 percent (58.0 percent in 2012, the first year of data collection for that group)
• Limited English Proficient students up 1.7 points to 52.9 percent (49.2 percent in 2011)
• Students with disabilities up 2.8 points to 55.5 percent (38.2 percent in 2011)

In addition, every other student demographic group demonstrated gains:

• Asian students up 0.5 points to 88.0 percent (80.7 percent in 2011)
• White students up 0.6 points to 76.6 percent (69.1 percent in 2011)
• Multi-Racial students up 1.7 points to 74.4 percent (69.1 percent in 2011)
• Female students up 0.6 points to 78.4 percent (72.9 percent in 2011)
• Male students up 1.3 points to 71.4 percent (64.3 percent in 2011)

"Closing the achievement gap is crucial to ensuring education equity in Oregon," said Noor. "Although many of the gaps remain large, it is good news for all Oregonians when the disparity in graduation rates decreases.

"It is critical that we continue to work together to help Oregon students achieve at their highest potential."

While the state has seen its graduation rate rise three percent over the past three years, the state still has its work to do. Most states have yet to release their 2016 graduation rates, in 2015 - the last year for which information for all states is available, Oregon ranked 48 out of 50.

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