Figures released by the Minnesota Department of Education last month show that the four-year graduation rate remained stable last year, with more than 60,000 Minnesota students earning a high school diploma as part of the class of 2023.
In total 83.3% of Minnesota students graduated in four years last year, with 58,293 students earning their diploma on time. An additional 3,874 students from earlier classes were able to graduate five, six or seven years after beginning High School.
The overall graduation rate is down slightly from 2022, when 83.6% of students graduated on time. MDE Commissioner Willie Jett attributed that dip to a 0.4% increase in the “unknown” rate, which covers students whose educational journeys districts lost track of.
Notably, four-year graduation rates among Asian and Black students fell by 1.9% and 1.4% respectively, while graduation rates among English Learner students dropped by 1.6%. However, graduation rates among multiracial students increased by 1.1%.
Most local school districts have posted graduation rates higher than the state average. However, local graduation rate data showed much more variation than the relatively stable state numbers, with smaller, more rural districts showing particular variation.
Waseca
Waseca Public Schools, including the Alternative Learning Center, saw a modest boost in graduation rates, from 74.2% in 2022 to 76% in 2023, though both figures are well shy of 2021’s 80.1% graduation rate.
Waseca High School, on its own, graduated 90.7% of students, up 1.5% from 2022 but again down compared to 2021.
Director of Teaching and Learning Brooke McGuire said that, as the graduation rate has settled in at around a 90% figure for the last several years, there is much to be happy about, but also room for improvement.
“We’re always striving to increase until we get to 100%,” McGuire said. “We will continue to make adjustments, but we’re pleased.”
Waseca Junior and High School Principal Jason Miller noted that COVID was a factor in the graduation rates the past few years as well. But he said that the district seems to be headed in the right direction again.
“Obviously 2020 was a dip and last year was kind of a dip, but we’re in a good spot,” Miller said about the high school’s graduation rates. Our goal is 90% so from last year to this year we met the goal so that’s really great.”
In order to maximize graduation rates, McGuire emphasized that Waseca High School’s counselors work hard to help freshmen students develop a four year plan and provide personalized help and support for all students, in particular those who are struggling.
JWP
JWP High School saw an increase it its graduating rates, from 90.3% in 2022 to 94.4% in 2023. But 2023’s rates are still below the rates from 2019-2021, with the average between the three years being 95.4%, and 2020 seeing a rate of 96.1%.
JWP High School Counselor Cassidy Hartmann is not too worried about the graduation rates in the upcoming years, as JWP leaders keep an eye on all of their students and where they are in terms of graduating.
Hartmann stated that the seniors graduating this year have worked really hard. A lot of them used their plan of what they intended to do after school as motivation to graduate.
“We have a lot of seniors who plan on going straight to the workforce after graduation, and still a lot that are going the traditional route of two or four year colleges,” Hartmann said.
NRHEG
With the pandemic cited as a factor, NRHEG High School’s graduation rates have been lower in recent years, but they are on the rise in the most recent report.
From 2022 to 2023, the high school saw nearly a 4% jump from 84.8% to 88.3% graduated. But like the trend from other schools in the area, it is still lower than the numbers from before the pandemic.
NRHEG’s School Counselor Liz Stiernagle commented that the district and its staff does a good job supporting students toward graduation goals.
“I think our staff is very accommodating in how we support our student’s goals and align the classes they take with their career goals,” said Stiernagle.
2023 also saw the highest number of students NRHEG graduated in five years, with a class of 68.
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