Jeffco Public Schools on-time graduation rates continue to improve, according to the most recent data provided to the Colorado Department of Education. Over the last five years, Jeffco Public Schools graduation rate has increased by 2.4 percentage points. Jeffco’s rate is higher than the average on-time graduation rate of both Colorado and the U.S.

In a press release given out last week, Jeffco Public Schools promoted the recent state figures. The district’s graduation rate for 2017-18 is 85.3 percent; it was 82.9 percent in 2013-14. Jeffco`s graduation rate is significantly higher than the 2017-18 state graduation rate of 80.7 percent and surpasses the all-time high national graduation rate of 84 percent. This upward trend also holds true for minority and female students in Jeffco.  The minority rate increased from 77.2 percent in 2013-14 to 79.7 percent in 2017-18 while the female rate jumped from 86.3 percent in 2013-14 to 89.2 percent in 2017-18.

The biggest individual improvements were at option/special schools, whose percentage rate increased 6.4 percentage points. The percentage rate of homeless students graduating on time also increased 3.5 percentage points.

The dropout rate for Jeffco schools showed no change for district high schools at 1.1 percent

There was a 0.1 percentage point decrease in dropout rates for middle schools, a 0.6 percentage point decrease for charter schools. Option and special schools saw their dropout rates drop one percent to 6.8 percent. The most affected was the dropout rate of migrant students, which decreased 4.5 percentage points.

“We know we have great work happening in our school district,” said district superintendent Jason Glass. “Seeing that hard work reflected in our graduation rate is very gratifying. I commend our educators and staff for going the extra mile to ensure our students succeed. Our schools continue to raise the bar, and we expect to see this positive trend continue.”