Graduation rate is the highest ever for Gaston County Schools
Gaston’s rate increases for the sixth consecutive year; now at 86.3 percent
The high school graduation rate for Gaston County Schools is the highest
ever, according to information released by the North Carolina State Board of
Education. The graduation rate for the Class of 2015 is 86.3 percent.
The Gaston rate of 86.3 percent is higher than the state graduation rate
of 85.4 percent.
The district’s graduation rate has increased each year for the past six
years. And for the first time, Gaston’s ten high schools have a graduation rate
that exceeds 80 percent.
Called the four-year cohort graduation rate, it reflects the percentage of
students who entered the ninth grade in 2011-2012 and graduated four years
later in June 2015. The rate is higher than last year’s mark of 83.5 percent,
and since the state first calculated the graduation rate in 2006, Gaston
County Schools has increased 18.2 points from 68.1 to 86.3 percent.
“We are extremely pleased to see our high school graduation rate
improve for the sixth consecutive year – this is a significant accomplishment
for our schools,” stated Superintendent of Schools W. Jeffrey Booker. “Our
ultimate goal is to have every student graduate from high school and
experience success in college and the workforce. The steady increase shows
we are moving forward in our efforts to achieve this goal.”
Booker says increasing the graduation rate is a team approach that
involves administrators, teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, and
other support personnel working with students and parents on truancy and
dropout prevention. He believes programs that focus on character education/
bullying, discipline, and counseling/mental health also help the school
district’s efforts to keep students in school and on track for graduation.
It is important to note that the four-year graduation rate is not the same
as the dropout rate, which indicates the number of students who drop out of
high school in a given year.
Some students need an extra year of high school to complete graduation
requirements. The district’s five-year cohort graduation rate is 85.4 percent,
which is higher than last year’s five-year rate of 83.2. The five-year cohort
graduation rate reflects the number of students who entered the ninth grade
in 2010-2011 and graduated in 2015.
Here is a look at several graduation rate highlights:
n This year’s graduation rate (86.3 percent) is the highest ever for
Gaston County Schools.
n Gaston’s rate of 86.3 is higher than the state graduation rate of 85.4
percent.
n Since the state first reported the graduation rate in 2006, the GCS
rate has increased 18.2 points (from 68.1 to 86.3 percent).
n Four high schools have a graduation rate that exceeds 90 percent –
Ashbrook, Forestview, Highland and South Point.
n
The Highland School of Technology has a 100 percent graduation rate.
n Hunter Huss (+8.9 points), Bessemer City (+5.9 points), Forestview
(+4.7 points) and East Gaston (+4.4 points) had the most significant gains
over last year.
n Over the past three years, Bessemer City and Hunter Huss had the
most significant gains. Bessemer City is up 18.1 points (62.8 to 80.9 percent)
and Hunter Huss is up 16.6 points (65.4 to 82.0 percent).
n GCS increased 2.8 points over last year while the state increase was
only 1.6