MCPS Graduation Rate Up For Class Of 2013

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High SchoolThe four-year graduation rate for students in the class of 2013 was 88.3 percent, about a percentage point higher than the rate for the class of 2012 and 3.3 percentage points better than the rate for the state.

According to data released Tuesday by the Maryland State Department of Education, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School has had among the biggest two-year improvements in the county with a class of 2013 graduation rate of 96.7 percent, up 2.9 points from the class of 2012 rate.

B-CC boasted the fourth highest class of 2013 four-year graduation rate in Montgomery County. Walter Johnson High School had a graduation rate of 94.5 percent, down from 96.7 percent for the class of 2012 and up from a 91.7 percent rate for the class of 2011.

Walt Whitman High School had a class of 2013 graduation rate of 93.6 percent, down from 95.1 percent in 2012 and 95.4 percent in 2011.

The gap in graduation rates between black and white students narrowed 1.8 percentage points over the past two years, the data showed. The gap between Hispanic and white students narrowed by 1.3 percentage points. The four-year graduation rate improved to 83.9 percent for all black students in MCPS and 77.5 percent for all Hispanic students in MCPS.

“We are making steady progress in our efforts to narrow performance gaps,” MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr said in a prepared release. “But we know that there is still much work to be done to ensure that every student graduates on time and is ready for college and the work place.”

This is the fourth year the state has calculated the graduation rates using the cohort measure, instead of the leaver equation that was considered less accurate. The dropout rate for the class of 2013 in MCPS was 6.3 percent, a 0.5 percentage point decrease from the class of 2012 and a 1.1 percentage point decrease from the class of 2011.

“The steady increase in our graduation rate is a testament to the hard work of our students and staff, and the support of our parents and community members,” Starr said.  ”We are committed to ensuring that all students graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in their future.”

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