Members of Greenfield-Central’s Class of 2021 applaud during their graduation ceremony in June.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — The state has released 2021 graduation rates, and three of the county’s four public high schools are down from the year before.
All are higher than the statewide rate. While most of Hancock County’s high schools saw a drop, they follow a year during which the state granted graduation flexibility for students due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Southern Hancock’s graduation rate is 95.85%, up from 2020’s 94.44%. Greenfield-Central’s is 91.67%, down from 94.56%. Mt. Vernon’s is 95.44%, down from 97.78%. Eastern Hancock’s is 91.58%, down from 99.07%.
The 2021 rate for the state is 86.69%, down from 2020’s 87.69%.
Jim Voelz, principal of New Palestine High School, credited the grad rate bump to the hard work of teachers, support staff and students.
“We feel really good about the learning environment we have created at NPHS,” Voelz told the Daily Reporter in an email. “Our goal is to create an educational experience that meets all of our students’ needs.”
Jim Voelz
Lisa Lantrip, Southern Hancock superintendent, said the school corporation is extremely proud of the rise.
“Our administrators, teachers, and support staff at New Palestine High School have worked tirelessly to create an inclusive, engaging learning environment that helps students achieve their personal best,” Lantrip said.
Lisa Lantrip
She added Indiana’s Graduation Pathways program helped create a number of new learning opportunities for students to help them achieve at a high level while pursuing career paths that interest them.
Casey Dodd, principal of Mt. Vernon High School, called the graduation rate an important metric. Many efforts and initiatives are geared toward making sure students have the support they need to get a diploma, he continued.
“Seeing the rate drop from the previous year is clearly something we don’t want to see, but we also keep it in perspective,” Dodd said in an email.
Casey Dodd
He noted the flexibility the state allowed for students slated to graduate when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools in March 2020, adding that helped boost graduation rates.
Dodd pointed out Mt. Vernon’s 2021 rate of 95.44% is higher than 2019’s of 93.8%.
“Still, we are always going to strive to keep our graduation rate at as high of a level as possible because it means that we are setting up our kids for future success,” he said.
Adam Barton, principal of Eastern Hancock High School, also feels the flexibility from the state played a role in helping 2020’s graduation rates.
“While graduation rates are an OK goal for a school, we are more concerned about outcomes for individual students at Eastern Hancock,” he said in an email.
Adam Barton
With a cohort under 100, each student makes a significant impact on the school’s graduation rate, Barton said. He added students who don’t earn a diploma but earn certificates of completion or remain in school because of special education needs count as non-graduates.
The rate also doesn’t account for students who don’t meet the four-year deadline but remain in school to complete graduation requirements and earn their diplomas, he continued.
Jason Cary, principal of Greenfield-Central High School, said the school is still working to confirm its graduation rate provided by the state.
The Indiana Department of Education said in a news release that the recent graduation rates correspond with research showing the academic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are substantial. In response, the department launched several accelerated learning programs that are still underway and will be joined by additional efforts planned for 2022.
“Across our state, our educators, families and community leaders are working to be difference-makers in our students’ lives, preparing them not only for graduation but for the rapidly-changing world that awaits,” said Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education. “Looking ahead into 2022 and beyond, we must continue to work together to ensure our students earn their high school diploma and have access to intentional post-secondary credentials in high school. This mission takes all of us as we strive to make an impact on our students’ lives, now and well into the future.”
