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NHS graduation rates fall below state numbers, officials cite
standards |
By Laurent
Bonczijk, Newberg Graphic reporter
E-mail Laurent at lbonczijk@eaglenewspapers.com |
Newberg High School will
be split between five small schools for the first time in September,
and it might just be what it needs to increase its graduation rate.
In the most recent academic year for which data are available,
2005-2006, 77.7 percent of the students graduated from high school
in four years compared to 81.7 percent statewide.
The most evident trend indicated by the state’s Department of
Education graduation rate data is that smaller high schools have
higher graduation rates than larger ones.
An important distinction made by School District Communication
Specialist Claudia Stewart is that not all students are required to
graduate in four years.
“Students with disabilities and students with language barriers may
take longer to graduate,” she said.
Special need students often participate in educational programs in
the district through age 21.
Another factor influencing the graduation rate, Stewart said, is
that: “Newberg has adopted more stringent graduation requirements
and attendance policies.”
Among students who dropped out in 2005-2006 school year, their main
reason for doing so, cited by 15 percent of students, was having to
work more than 15 hours per week.
Next, at 12 percent, came students who said they were too far
behind in credits to catch up.
The third factor, 9 percent, was a school curriculum that did not
meet their needs.
A dysfunctional home life was the fourth most common reason, among
7 percent of students dropping out of high school in 2005-2006.
A similar number of students, 6 percent, cited conflict with school
personnel and pregnancies as their reason for dropping out.
The other reasons cited by Newberg students were difficulty
speaking English, peer pressure, lack of parental support,
discipline problems, an obligation to support a family, and a lack
of alternative educational opportunities.
The Newberg School District is expecting 0.5 percent growth in
enrollment for the 2007-2008 school year. Enrollment for the
2006-2007 school year was 5,180 students, which places enrollment
for the upcoming year around 5,206 students.
Stewart said that the strongest indicator of increased attendance
in Newberg wasn’t the birth rate but the amount of new construction.
Not surprisingly, the demographics of the district almost exactly
reflect those of Yamhill County with 93 percent of the students
identified as white, 13 percent as Hispanic, 2 percent as black, 2
percent as Asian and less than 1 percent as Native American.
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Published
July 18, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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