The Oregon Department of Education released graduation data for the 2016-17 school year and the Corvallis School District’s rates continue to outpace the state in both rate and growth. The district’s overall graduation rate for 2017 was 85%, an increase from last year’s rate of 82%. In terms of the number of students, 489 out of 575 graduated with their 4-year cohort in 2017 compared to 478 out of 583 in 2016. In addition, the rate for 4-year completers, which includes students who earn a GED, grew to 88%.
Career & Technical Education (CTE) concentrators are students who earned one or more credits in technical skill-based courses as part of a state-approved CTE program. Across the district, the graduation rate for CTE concentrators (218 students) continued to grow from 89.4% in 2016 to 93.2% in 2017.
There are also highlights at each high school. Crescent Valley High School had their highest graduation rate in the past four years at 87%. In addition, their graduation rate hit new highs for students navigating poverty. Corvallis High School produced their highest graduation rate for students with disabilities with a rate of 72%, an increase of 9 percentage points over the prior year. This is the highest rate for this group of students in the last four years. CHS also closed the opportunity gap between students identified as historically underserved, by race and ethnicity, to within 2.3 percentage points of all other students.
“Our work continues to thoughtfully address the question: What will it take to make the next leap toward a 90% 4-year graduation rate?” noted Superintendent Ryan Noss. “In a recent review of the data for students who did not graduate in four years, several trends emerged. In particular, contributing factors of geographical mobility and mental health are areas we need to continue to address as a school district and community.”
Superintendent Noss added, “We have remarkable students and staff throughout our schools. There is a great deal to be proud of as a community, while continuing to work hard to support each of our students to find success in our schools and future opportunities.”