The statewide graduation rate in Oregon in 2022 marked the second-highest rate ever in the state, the Oregon Department of Education announced Thursday. And the graduation rates at all Central Oregon school districts were even higher.
The 81.3% graduation rate was 0.7% higher than the 2021 rate as the country was still working to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are the increases across various demographics from 2021 to 2022. An asterisk indicates a record high.
|
Student group |
Class of 2021 |
Class of 2022 |
Difference |
|
All |
80.6 |
81.3 |
0.7 |
|
Asian |
91.9 |
92.1 |
0.2 |
|
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
69.8 |
74.6 |
4.8 |
|
American Indian/Alaska Native |
67.0 |
68.9* |
1.9 |
|
Black/African American |
73.5 |
73.7 |
0.2 |
|
Hispanic/Latino |
77.0 |
78.7 |
1.7 |
|
Former English Learners (proficient prior to high school) |
84.2 |
86.4* |
2.2 |
|
English Learners in High School |
64.4 |
65.3* |
0.9 |
|
Special Education |
66.1 |
67.5 |
1.4 |
|
Migrant |
78.3 |
81.4* |
3.1 |
|
Homeless |
55.4 |
58.6 |
3.2 |
|
In Foster Care |
47.8 |
48.4* |
0.6 |
In Central Oregon, the Crook County School District touted a graduation rate of 91.95%. That number was nearly 100% at Crook County High School.
“We’re so pleased to see these results because it shows the dedication of our staff and the extra support they give students who need a boost to get across the finish line,” Crook County Superintendent Dr. Sara Johnson said in a statement. “This district is about raising the bar around student achievement through intentional systems that work, and it’s paying off.”
Crook County noted that since 2014, when the graduation rate was 30.51%, the rate has steadily increased over the past decade with the exception of 2019.
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Bend-La Pine’s graduation rate in 2022 was 83.54%. The district said the rate has gone up every year for the past decade with the exception of 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s heartening to see our schools continue to show steady gains in graduation rates over the past decade-plus,” said Superintendent Steven Cook in a statement. “These rates reflect the hard work of our dedicated staff and students, however, we will not be satisfied until every student graduates from our schools with a passion, purpose and plan for the future.”
Redmond’s was 87.8%.
“Our successful graduation rates are reflective of a culmination of all of the hard work that teachers are doing from kindergarten through high school,” said Dr. Charan Cline, Redmond School District superintendent in a statement. “Every involved teacher, staff, family, and community member who has made an impact and enriched a graduate’s educational path contributes to our success.”
Culver’s rate was 94.34%, followed by Sisters at 90.27% and Jefferson County 509J at 88.617%.
It’s important to note that the numbers come four months after a DOE report, citing state assessment results, that english, science and math proficiency scores across the state had dropped dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Statewide, English Language Arts proficiency dropped from 53.4% in the 2018-19 school year to 43.6% in 2021-22. Math fell from 39.4% to 30.4% and science dropped from 36.9% to 29.5%.
School districts in Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties did not buck that trend. But they were able to note achievements in specific categories and even, in some cases, finishing above state averages.
DOE officials said at that time that 2022 testing shows students who were already behind before the pandemic had the most learning loss but all children overall lost ground when compared to 2019 test scores.
