Pinedale graduation rate tops state numbers

Robert Galbreath
Posted 2/15/19

The district’s graduation rate of 97.2 percent is well above the

state average of 81.7 percent.

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Pinedale graduation rate tops state numbers

Posted

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.”