Salem-Keizer Public Schools touted Thursday successes in its 2022 high school graduation rates despite a slight decline compared to the previous school year.
The Oregon Department of Education released K-12 graduation rates for the state showing the second highest in the state’s history — 81.3%, compared to 82.6% during the 2019-20 school year.
The Salem-Keizer School District graduated 79.83% of students, a 1.08% decline from the previous year and a 1.18% decline from 2019-20.
“We know we have more work to do and will continue to improve our systems on behalf of our students,” Superintendent Christy Perry said in a statement. The district said Thursday no district officials were immediately available for interviews on the new information.
The district’s said that the 2022 rate “marks an improvement over pre-pandemic levels for years 2018-19,” which was 79.13%. What’s more, the 2021-22 graduation rate is up eight points from the 2015-16 school year, when the rate was 71.71%.
For those students who continued their schooling beyond the traditional four-year path, the district’s five-year graduation rate for 2022 was just over 83%. The district did not provide a percentage for the previous year but said in a statement that the rate increased by nearly one percentage point.
All six of Salem-Keizer’s high schools surpassed the statewide 2021-22 five-year graduation rate of 83.75%, with many of them posting graduation rates into the mid-90s.
“Both the four-year and five-year graduation rates demonstrate to the community our commitment to keep students engaged and on a pathway to graduation,” Perry said.
In a prepared statement of her own, School Board Chair Ashley Carson Cottingham applauded five of the district’s six high schools posting graduating rates above the state average. She singled out McKay High School, with a student population of 2,179 that was 70% Hispanic/Latino during the 2021-22 school year.
“Having five of our six comprehensive high schools above the state average … speaks volumes about what our educators do each and every day with our students,” Carson Cottingham said. “We know there are still gaps to close, but we will work hard to ensure all of our students continue to grow and succeed.”
The school board chair added, “When we think about all the impacts poverty and the pandemic can have on our students, our community should be proud of what our students and educators accomplish.”
The district’s data on graduation rates shows Roberts graduated just 18% of its 367 students. Meanwhile, Early College High School posted 100%, up from 92% last school year. The accomplishment was touted by district officials in Thursday’s statement.
“The school’s 100% graduation rate tells the story of 50 students who received unique educational offerings and college credit through a partnership with Chemeketa Community College,” the release said.
While ODE characterized the gains in graduation rates as history-making for the state, it did not mention that Oregon dropped essential skills graduation requirements during the pandemic, so students didn’t have to take state standardized tests or otherwise demonstrate proficiency in English, math and science to get a diploma.
The nonprofit Oregon Moms Union was none too pleased in a statement issued Thursday.
“The Oregon Department of Education has dumbed down the education system, and now they’re bragging about graduation rates,” said MacKensey Pulliam, president of the Oregon Moms Union. “It’s easy to show an increase in graduation rates when they remove requirements that students show they can read, write and do math at a 10th-grade level. All the new numbers show that Oregon high schools are turning into diploma mills.”
STORY TIP OR IDEA? Contact Reporter Kevin Opsahl by email at [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE TO GET SALEM NEWS – We report on your community with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Get local news that matters to you. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more. Click I want to subscribe!
Kevin Opsahl is the education reporter for Salem Reporter. He was previously the education reporter for The Mail Tribune, based in Medford. He has reported for newspapers in Utah and Washington and freelanced. Kevin is a 2010 graduate of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, and is a native of Maryland.
