The good news – area graduation rates are right at or just above the state average. The bad news – we’re still only graduating around four in five ninth-graders in four years, and close to one in 12 are dropping out altogether.
That is the revelation from Tuesday’s release of the Virginia School Report Card tracking the on-time graduation rate for ninth-graders in Virginia public schools in the 2004-2005 school year.
The state average graduation rate was 82.1 percent, and including students who earned GEDs and certificates of program completion the rate was 86.3 percent. The statewide dropout rate was 8.7 percent, with the rest of students counted as long-term absences, still enrolled in school or having undetermined status.
The numbers by locality in the AFP readership region were:
Augusta County: 84.3 percent graduation rate, 86.5 percent completion rate, 10.7 percent dropout rate
Staunton: 80.6 percent graduation rate, 84.2 percent completion rate, 6.3 percent dropout rate
Waynesboro: 80.5 percent graduation rate, 88.8 percent completion rate, 5.4 percent dropout rate
Rockingham County: 89 percent graduation rate, 91.6 percent completion rate, 5.4 percent dropout rate
Harrisonburg: 72.8 percent graduation rate, 82.6 percent completion rate, 15.8 percent dropout rate
Rockbridge/Lexington: 74.9 percent graduation rate, 89.1 percent completion rate, 9.5 percent dropout rate
Buena Vista: 78.6 percent graduation rate, 88.8 percent completion rate, 4.1 percent dropout rate
The full state report for schools and divisions can be found at www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/src/ontime_grad_rate.shtml.
– Story by Chris Graham
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