Graduation Rates for 2011 Released
by School District Eight Superintendent Cheryl Serrano
Fountain-Fort Carson School District #8 has an excellent record for graduating students. Congratulations and kudos to the staff and students at Fountain-Fort Carson High School and Lorraine Secondary School for their efforts to improve our graduation rate!
The Colorado graduation rate represents only students that graduate within four years of entering the ninth grade. Our 2011 district graduation rate, comprised of students from both Lorraine and FFCHS, was 91.6%. This is significantly higher than the State average of 73.9% and therefore is a great cause for celebration.
Why do you think our graduation rate is so high? We believe it is because a lot of people have worked very hard for many years to make this happen. Teachers and administrators have focused on building relationships with students and families and work hard to ensure on-time graduation. Efforts have been made to improve our monitoring of student attendance, communication with parents has increased, and the tracking of students who leave our District has become a priority. We provide interventions pre-K-12th grade to help students succeed, and alternative programs are offered to the typical path for graduation such as our online and the Second Chance programs. It has been our focus throughout our district to raise the awareness of the importance of graduation and what it means to our students.
Both Lorraine Secondary School and the Second Chance program provide an opportunity for some of our students to have an alternative path to graduation. We are very pleased to see the progress being made in both of these settings. Lorraine, for example, recently received the state accreditation report for Alternative Schools. They are rated one of the best in the state, particularly in the area of graduation rate. Way to go!
As you can see, it takes all of our efforts to keep students in school until graduation. I want to specifically recognize and thank all of the FFCHS staff and students, the Lorraine and Second Chance Staff and students, parents, and key members of the Technology Department that contributed to this graduation rate. This accomplishment is felt throughout the district and makes a huge difference in the lives of our students. We will continue to work hard to encourage and provide assistance to those students that have dropped out of school or did not graduate on time.
The following tables show the graduation rate for area school districts and area high schools. Additional information on mobility rate and economic status (free and reduced lunch percentage) are also provided.
DISTRICT 4-year Free & Mobility
Grad Rate Reduced % Rate
Fountain-
Fort Carson 84.5 44.9 44.5
Harrison 72.4 71.2 40.2
Widefield 82.5 43.3 30.1
District 11 64.8 51.8 30.4
Falcon 87.0 18.6 27.5
Academy 89.5 11.3 22.5
Cheyenne
Mountain 96.6 14.3 25.7
Lewis Palmer 93.5 10.2 20.0
Pueblo 60 62.9 67.6 19.3
Pueblo 70 79.2 36.1 25.7
Canon City 73.6 51.5 21.0
State Average 73.9 40.3 23.9
HIGH SCHOOLS
Fountain-
Fort Carson 91.6 31.9 35.5
Mitchell 72.5 62.5 43.2
Palmer 74.0 35.9 34.4
Doherty 77.3 29.4 27.5
Wasson 58.3 58.2 44.9
Coronado 79.9 33.6 31.5
Mesa Ridge 88.6 36.0 28.4
Widefield 84.8 32.1 27.9
Harrison 80.3 70.3 46.2
Sierra 79.4 62.9 42.9
Pine Creek 91.0 5.0 20.6
Academy 90.5 7.8 21.8
Liberty 90.3 9.1 21.9
Rampart 89.0 11.7 21.5
Falcon 94.7 12.5 27.5
Sand Creek 86.6 24.1 32.0
Vista Ridge 89.1 15.9 34.9
Cheyenne Mtn 96.6 7.6 19.8
Lewis Palmer 92.6 5.8 19.0
Palmer Ridge 94.2 9.6 19.4