The Oregon Department of Education released graduation data for the 2018-19 school year and once again, the Corvallis School District continues to outpace the state in four-year graduation rates. The district’s overall graduation rate for 2019 was 89%, an increase from last year’s rate of 87% and the highest rate ever in the Corvallis School District. In terms of the number of students, 522 out of 587 graduated with their 4-year cohort in 2019 compared to 515 out of 592 in 2018.
Each high school experienced improvements in their overall graduation rate with both Corvallis High (291 of 322 students) at 90 % and Crescent Valley High (231 of 255 students) at 91%. Hispanic/Latinx students (73 of 82) graduated at a rate of 89% in 2018-19, up 5 percentage points from the previous year. As the overall on-time graduation rate for Corvallis has increased, the opportunity gap for historically underserved students continues to shrink as well. While the overall rate has grown by 5.2 percentage points since 2013-14, the Hispanic/Latinx group rate has improved 23.6 percentage points.
An additional highlight is the success of English Learner (EL) students who achieved English proficiency prior to entering high school. These former EL students (47 of 48) graduated at a rate of 98% in 2018-19, compared to 92% the prior year. “This impressive gain has a lot to do with our dual language immersion program and the collective efforts to pay attention to what students need in order to succeed,” said Superintendent Ryan Noss. “These students benefit from the work our district is doing including teacher collaboration and programs like AVID and JUNTOS that engage families as well as students.”
Career & Technical Education (CTE) participants are students who earned a half credit in vocational/technical skill-based courses as part of a state-approved CTE program. Across the district, the graduation rate for CTE participants (456 students) continued to grow from 92% in 2017-18 to 95% in 2018-19. “Students have greater interest and motivation when they have access to relevant and real-world learning,” noted Noss.
One area requiring ongoing focus includes the four-year graduation rate for students with disabilities. The rate has remained flat for the last three years at 68% (42 of 62 students in 2018-19). The majority of the non-completers in this group have remained enrolled this school year as they continue their work towards a diploma.
Students navigating poverty achieved their highest rate of graduation at 78% (162 of 207 students) which is up 2% from the previous year. “Our high schools have been focused on the success of each student. Data teams that track student progress and ensure supports are in place are making a big difference,” said Noss. “Along with school-level supports, the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation plays a vital role in bringing targeted resources to meet a variety of needs.”
Superintendent Noss added, “I am proud of the work of Corvallis School District staff and their commitment to each and every student. More Corvallis students are graduating because of our belief that when students are known and feel connected, they have greater academic success. We have incredible students and our entire community should be proud of them and have great confidence in their future.”