District graduate rates see modest increase

Terry Webster

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002 | 11:14 a.m.

Clark County School District graduation rates have risen by about 4 percent over last year, but officials say the number of students who don't finish high school is still too high.

Figures released Wednesday by the Nevada Department of Education show that the graduation rate for 2000-2001 in Clark County was 66.1 percent, compared to 61.8 percent in 1999-2000.

"It's an unacceptable number," said Augie Orci, deputy superintendent for Clark County schools. "For any students to not graduate is unacceptable."

The district's completion rate for 2000-2001 -- which takes into account students who received certificates of attendance -- was 69.9 percent. A total of 544 seniors received certificates of attendance, which are given to those who pass their regular course work but fail one or more portions of the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam, a graduation requirement. The 544 seniors who received certificates of attendance, added to 9,571 graduates, made for a total of 10,115 students who completed high school.

"Obviously, our objective is to have all students graduate and pass the proficiency exam," Orci said.

Standing as the the sixth largest school district in the country with 244,684 students, Clark County drives the state's rankings in all performance categories, said Orval Nutting, an evaluation consultant for the Nevada Department of Education.

Clark County was second to last out of 16 school districts in Nevada. Graduation rates throughout the state ranged from 65.9 percent in Storey County to 98.8 percent in Lincoln County, which reported 27 and 85 graduates, respectively.

Overall, Nevada posted a 70.1 percent graduation rate, and a 73.2 percent completion rate. Those figures represent about a 2 percent to 3 percent increase over last year, Nutting said.

"We tend to have one of the lowest graduation rates and one of the highest dropout rates," Nutting said.

Experts say it's difficult to compare states because of differences in how figures are computed.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics in Washington, the national average completion rate was 85.7 percent from 1998 to 2000. In that study, completion rates range from 73.5 percent in Arizona to 94.5 percent in Maine.

Orci said the district is continuing to beef up its efforts to keep students in school. One option for students includes the district's alternative schools, which have smaller classes, in addition to evening classes.

A calling campaign to encourage students to stay in school or continue their education is catching on in the northwest region, Orci said.

"Every kid who dropped out of school received a telephone call," he said.

In many cases, the district was able to encourage the students to stay in school, Orci added.

The state's figures indicate a total of 4,358 Clark County students dropped out from 1997 through 2001. Statewide, a total of 5,776 students dropped out during that time.

Earlier this month the district announced it expects its dropout rate to be about 5.9 percent for the current year.