The district’s graduation rate of 97.2 percent is well above the
state average of 81.7 percent.
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Sublette County School
District No. 1 has one of the highest graduation
rates in the state, according to data
released by the Wyoming Department of
Education in January. The district’s graduation
rate of 97.2 percent is well above the
state average of 81.7 percent.
Graduation rates across Wyoming continue
to show improvement, a press release
from the Department of Education said. The
average graduation rate increased from 78.6
percent during the 2013-2014 academic year
to 81.7 percent for the 2017-2018 academic
year.
District Superintendent Jay Harnack said
that the high graduation rate reflects the exceptional
efforts put in by teachers, staff and
students.
“I’m tremendously proud of our students
and staff and it represents a lot of hard
work,” he said. “I don’t think most people
understand how narrow the definition of a
graduate has become at the state and federal
level.”
Every year, the Wyoming Department
of Education measures what they call the
“four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.”
The total number of students who graduate
in four years with a “regular” high school
diploma is calculated over the total number
of students who start ninth grade together.
A student must earn a diploma within
four years of entering high school as a freshman
to count as a regular, on-time graduate.
Students who leave school to earn a GED do
not count in the final tally.
The graduation rate cohort is adjusted
to include students who enter the district as
transfers from another school. The final calculation
excludes students who transfer out
to enroll elsewhere, students who leave the
country or students who die.
School districts are required to keep
written track of any changes in the student
body. Pinedale High School Principal Brian
Brisko credited the school’s registrar, Rena
Rogers, with “putting in a lot of time and effort
to track where kids end up” and keeping
the district’s records up to date.
The school district’s total graduation rate
is the combination of a 96.5 percent graduation
rate at Pinedale High School and a 100
percent graduation rate at Skyline Academy.
Brisko said that a “large part of the district’s
success” in graduating so many students lay
in the strong working relationship Pinedale
High School has with Skyline Academy.
“The district does a good job putting students
first,” he said. “Our teachers do an exceptional
job. We have a good high school,
but also a strong alternative program that
can meet the needs of all students.”