HANCOCK COUNTY — The Indiana Department of Education has announced 2022 Graduation Rates, with data showing 86.61% of Indiana students in the Class of 2022 graduated. The figure is a slight decrease from the 2021 statewide graduation rate of 86.69%.
County school districts are all above the state average with nearly 90% of the 2022 cohort graduating or better, but officials note there is always room for improvement since several local rates dipped following several years of dealing with the pandemic.
New Palestine High School was able to maintain their graduation rate without any slippage from the 2021 rate of 95.79%. Their 2022 rate was the county’s highest at 95.79%. State data shows they graduated 273 of 285 students in the class of 2022.
“We are incredibly proud to lead Hancock County in graduation rate once again,” Southern Hancock Communications Director Wes Anderson said.
He noted the diligent work of the administrators, teachers, staff, students, and supportive parents clearly shows up in the state data.
“Indiana’s Graduation Pathways program is a tremendous asset in allowing students to pursue educational opportunities in their areas of interest,” Anderson said. “Our mission is to help students achieve their personal best in pursuit of excellence. We believe Graduation Pathways and a dynamic and talented faculty help us achieve this goal each and every day.”
Mt. Vernon High School also had a solid graduation rate in 2022 graduating 332 of 355 students for a 93.52% rate, according to state data. Principal Bernie Campbell said they are in the process of evaluating the rates, always looking for ways to make improvements.
“We are pleased with our graduation rate for the 2021-2022 school year despite the challenges the student faced throughout their freshman and sophomore year,” he said. “Ultimately we strive for all students to graduate and more importantly foster college- and career-bound students to be successful.”
Greenfield-Central High School had a cohort of 332 students in 2022 with 298 graduating for a 89.76% (90%) graduation rate. Principal Jason Cary said the graduation rate is the most important metric they use and take the release of the numbers seriously.
“Since my first day at G-CHS back in 2017, my top priority has been to have the highest graduation rate in the county,” Cary said.
Data shows G-CHS’s graduation rate hovered around 88% in years before he arrived. Before the pandemic, through hard work and targeted interventions, students and staff had the graduation rate at 93.3% (2019) and 94.6% (2020).
“Hearing that our graduation rate had fallen this year was obviously disappointing,” Cary said. “I’ve talked to high school principals across the state, and this trend is not uncommon.”
Cary noted the pandemic and the learning loss that has followed has created roadblocks for students that they haven’t seen before.
“Our team always tries to be very reflective about ways we can improve, and this has been no exception,” Cary said. “With our leadership team, we have developed some creative solutions to get our graduation rate back where it was before the pandemic.”
Superintendent Harold Olin noted they are disappointed with the 2022 rate but feel students have made some huge strides in this area over the last five years despite the lower number.
“We all know the students in that cohort were subjected to incredibly stressful high school years,” Olin said. “We have learned many things in the last couple years that will benefit the students in the class of 2023 and beyond.”
Officials with Eastern Hancock High School noted their 89.52% (90%) graduation rate is lower than they would like to see, but we will keep in perspective the challenges that the class of 2022 faced with virtual learning during their high school careers.
“As a small school, each student represents one percentage point in our graduation rate, and I hope that we never see that number as more important than the outcomes for the individual students at Eastern Hancock,” principal Adam Barton said.
Superintendent George Philhower said as long as the EH graduation rate is below 100% they will want it to be higher.
“However, I don’t think we should be surprised by the state-wide drop,” Philhower said. “This cohort of students was drastically impacted by COVID, which cut their sophomore year short.”
Unfortunately, he noted, these students’ junior and senior years were also disrupted quite a bit. The cohort of 105 students saw 94 graduate.
“The challenge of being a small school like Eastern Hancock is that percentages don’t always translate well, since each of our students carries quite a bit of weight on a 100-point scale,” he said. “The benefit of being small is that we know the story behind each of our students, and we are often able to work to continue to support students to meet their goals, even after the graduation date cut-off.”
While, overall, the statewide graduation rate held relatively steady with many students continuing to recover from the academic impacts of pandemic-related learning disruptions, there were areas of growth, state officials said in a press release. The graduation rate among English learners went from 82.80% in 2021 to 85.60% in 2022 while students receiving free and reduced price meals went from 82.84% in 2021 to 83.74% in 2022.
The non-waiver graduation rate improved from 78.78% in 2021 to 80.58% in 2022. Per Indiana Code (IC 20-32-4-4.1), to qualify for a waiver, a student will have been unsuccessful in completing post secondary-readiness competency requirements by the conclusion of his/her senior year. This includes, a student who was in the process of completing a competency at one school that was not offered by the school to which the student transferred; and a student who has attempted to achieve at least three separate post secondary-readiness competencies.
Overall, state officials noted the importance of the scores and say they are pleased to focus in on the ever important graduation rates.
“Graduating high school is an important milestone as students transition to their next step, whether that’s employment, enrollment or enlistment leading to service,” said Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “As we seek new and innovative ways to ensure students are best prepared for their future, we must continue to rethink how those four years are structured.”
She noted that includes increasing the number of students having access to a high-value, post secondary credential before graduation, increasing access to high-quality work-based learning opportunities that allow for additional skill development, as well as providing flexibility for high schools – allowing them to focus on strategic, rigorous coursework that is purposeful for each student’s unique path.
