Release of 2016 grad rates show Modesto high schools improving

California released graduation rates for 2016 Tuesday, just weeks ahead of the Class of 2017 marching across the field. The results show big improvements for Modesto’s large high schools, particularly for African-American students.

“There is so much to celebrate with the newly released graduation data,” said Modesto City Schools Superintendent Pam Able, pointing to a solid bump in the graduation rates of black students to 83 percent for the district overall, 10 percentage points above the statewide rate. Just under 91 percent of Modesto’s white students graduated, as did 85 percent of its Latino seniors.

Beyer High had the greatest year-over-year gains of the seven large Modesto high schools, an almost 5 percentage point rise to a 93 percent graduation rate. Enochs High also went up, hitting a 96 percent graduation rate. Gregori High, however, still topped it with 96.4 percent of its seniors walking away with diplomas. All three schools graduated African-American, Latino and white students at over a 90 percent rate.

Downey, Modesto, Johansen, Davis high schools posted grad rates of 94, 93, 89 and 88 percents, respectively.

“Our growth is a result of strategic planning and targeted strategies,” Able said. She credited greater monitoring of freshmen struggles with speedy interventions, getting parents more involved with parent classes and targeted outreach where needed, a focus on better attendance and more students state university-ready.

About 38 percent of Modesto’s graduates of 2016 fulfilled the course requirements to apply to a state university.

For the first time, the state included graduation statistics for alternative and continuation schools. Modesto’s Elliott Alternative Education Center posted a graduation rate of 40 percent, including 1 in 3 Latinos and about 1 in 2 African-American and white students. Elliott had a class of 346 seniors in 2016, nearly as many as several of the district’s large schools.

The district said the number of Elliot seniors was artificially high because of the high mobility of its students, and said the rate had improved markedly over prior years.

Elsewhere in Stanislaus County, Orestimba High in the Newman-Crows Landing Unified district slipped a bit from its 100 percent graduation rate of 2015. Three out of 190 seniors did not graduate, a 98 percent rate. The district overall posted a 97 percent rate when adding in its alternative campus.

In Turlock, Pitman High slid and Turlock High improved, flipping last year’s rankings. Some 96 percent of Turlock High seniors walked the stage, as did 95 percent of Pitman’s Class of 2016. Turlock’s alternative high school, Roselawn High, posted a 89 percent graduation rate, up 4.5 percent over the previous year.

“We are very pleased with TUSD’s overall graduation rate of 94.5 percent for the 2015-16 school year and know that the percentages will fluctuate year to year depending on individual student and family situations,” said Turlock Unified Superintendent Dana Trevethan.

“Our continued improvement at Roselawn High School is very promising, particularly for students who sometimes struggle with consistent attendance,” she said, adding though it was just one factor, “it’s an absolute step in the right direction for increasing student success.”

Riverbank Unified’s 89 percent graduation rate reflected a 100 percent rate for African-American and white students, and 90 percent for Latinos. Riverbank High stayed essentially stable at 92 percent graduating, but the district overall improved thanks to large gains at its alternative campus, Adelante High, to 77 percent graduating.

About 88 percent of Ceres Unified students graduated, with all 43 seniors at its small Whitmore Charter High receiving diplomas. At Ceres High 92 percent of the Class of 2016 graduated, as did 96 percent of students at Central Valley High, which also achieved a noteworthy 100 percent graduation rate for black students and 97 percent for Latinos, both eclipsing the white student graduation rate of 92 percent. The 88 percent overall number in Ceres factors in its alternative sites.

Central Valley also stood out for having more than half (54 percent) of its students ready to apply to state universities, the highest spotted in the region.

“We’ve worked to make as many of our courses at this school UC-approved, so they are A-G qualified courses,” said Principal Dan Pangrazio. The push is to challenge all students, he said, crediting strong instruction starting in kindergarten for making that work.

Patterson Joint Unified also seeks to challenge every teen, adopting a No Excuses University program that starts talking college in elementary school. Patterson High posted a 96 percent graduation rate, with 42 of their seniors on track to apply to state universities.

Patterson’s alternative campus, Del Puerto High, jumped 12.6 percent for a graduation rate of 63 percent. Superintendent Phil Alfano said the district has lowered class sizes and raised involvement with parents on student progress as part of a wide-ranging effort to raise that rate.

“One thing Del Puerto has done, however, is create more opportunities – for career technical education, student leadership, clubs, sports, and other activities you would find at a comprehensive high school. Students also take field trips to businesses, trade schools, and Modesto Junior College – consistent with what we do at Patterson High,” Alfano said.

Both Hughson High and the district’s alternative high posted a 96 percent graduation rate. Waterford High also had 96 percent of its seniors graduate, a 2 percentage point rise.

Denair High had 97 percent of its 68 seniors graduate. The Denair Unified district also has a larger home-study high school, Denair Charter Academy, which graduated 72 percent of its 96 seniors.

In south San Joaquin County, Ripon High graduated 200 of its 203-member Class of 2016 for a 99 percent graduation rate. The district’s alternative site, Harvest High, posted a 94 percent graduation rate, nearly half of them ready for state universities.

AT Escalon High, 95 percent of seniors in 2016 graduated. Adding in the district’s alternative site, Vista High, Escalon Unified had a 93 percent graduation rate overall.

Calaveras and Mariposa counties posted high graduation rates for counties, 94 percent and 93 percent respectively. Bret Harte Union High School District was king of the hill with 96 percent of its seniors graduating, followed by Calaveras Unified at 95 percent and Mariposa County Unified at 94 percent.

In Tuolumne County, the overall graduation rate dipped slightly to 88 percent, even through its two large high school districts showed solid gains. Sonora Union High School District graduated 94 percent of its Class of 2016, a 4.3 percent higher rate than the year before. Summerville Union High School district had just under a 94 percent graduation rate, 3.6 percent higher than 2015.

The change reflects a drop in its two charter schools and Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified, all smaller schools prone to fluctuations. Big Oak Flat dropped to a 79 percent graduation rate for its 24-member Class of 2016. Gold Rush Charter fell to 86 percent and the online charter, California Virtual Academy @ Jamestown, fell to 47 percent of its seniors graduating.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Release of 2016 grad rates show Modesto high schools improving."