The Alamance-Burlington school system’s four-year graduation increased by eight-tenths of a percentage point, from 85.3 percent in 2022-23 to 86.1 percent for the 2023-24 school year and the rate at five schools surpassed both the state and system-wide graduation rates in 2023-24, based on the latest graduation rates released last week by the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
Four-year graduation rates for four traditional ABSS high schools – Eastern, Southern, Southeast, and Williams, as well as the ABSS Early College – surpassed the statewide average four-year graduation rate of 86.9 percent, based on the data released Wednesday (see accompanying chart).
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At the same time, the overall system-wide graduation rate (86.1 percent) for ABSS trailed the statewide rate (86.9 percent) by eight-tenths of a percentage point in 2023-24. The statewide average four-year graduation rate rose by one-half of one percentage point, from 86.4 percent in 2022-23 to 86.9 percent in 2023-24.
The latest four-year graduation rates represent those students who entered the ninth grade in the fall of 2020 and graduated within the traditional four-year timeframe.
With more than 95 percent of seniors graduating on-time in 2023-24, the graduation rate for the ABSS Early College outpaced the system-wide average by 8.9 percentage points and the statewide rate by 8.1 percentage points, according to DPI.
The four-year graduation rate for the Early College, which is housed on Alamance Community College’s Graham campus, has remained unchanged at greater than 95 percent for nearly a decade, according to state annual graduation reports.
In addition to the early college, the four-year graduation rate at Williams High School (87.1 percent) remained unchanged from the previous 2022-23 school year.
Graduation rates up at one high school but down at four
The on-time graduation rate increased at one high school – Eastern, which rose by 2.9 percentage points, from 89.3 percent in 2022-23 to 92.2 percent in 2023-24.
At 92.2 percent, the four-year graduation rate at Eastern High School was 5.3 percentage points higher than the statewide average graduation rate and 6.1 percentage points higher than the system-wide rate for ABSS in 2023-24. That represented an increase of 2.9 percentage points from the previous school year, when the four-year graduation rate for Eastern was 89.3 percent.
Meanwhile, the four-year graduation rate declined at four ABSS high schools (Cummings, Graham, Southern and Western), though the rate for Western (86.6 percent) outpaced the system-wide average of 86.1 percent in 2023-24.
The four-year graduation rate for Western High School declined by 1 percentage point, from 87.6 percent in 2022-23 to 86.6 percent in 2023-24, trailing the statewide average by 0.3 percentage points but surpassing the system-wide average by one-half of 1 percentage point.
Cummings and Graham high schools had the largest gaps between their four-year graduation rates and the system-wide and statewide average rates in 2023-24.
At 71.6 percent, Cummings’ four-year graduation rate trailed the statewide rate of 86.9 percent by 15.3 percentage points and the ABSS average rate of 86.1 percent by 14.5 percentage points in 2023-24, according to DPI’s report. The four-year graduation rate at Cummings declined by three-tenths of a percentage point , from a four-year graduation rate of 71.9 percent in 2022-23 to a rate of 71.6 percent for the school year that ended in June.
The graduation rate at Graham High School declined two-tenths of a percentage point, from 76.8 percent in 2022-23 to 76.6 percent in 2023-24. The on-time graduation rate for Graham High School trailed the statewide average by 10.1 percentage points and the system-wide average by 9.3 percentage points.
Among the 16 public school systems that make up the state’s Piedmont-Triad educational region, ABSS took tenth place (see accompanying chart). Ten Piedmont-Triad public school systems – including ABSS – improved their four-year graduation rates during the 2023-24 school year.
[Story continues below graduation rate chart comparing ABSS with other nearby school systems.]
Graduation rates at two charter schools top statewide and ABSS averages
Meanwhile, two of the county’s three charter schools, River Mill Academy in Graham and Clover Garden School in Burlington, that go up to 12th grade posted four-year graduation rates that were higher than those for ABSS and the state in 2023-24, according to DPI’s latest report (see accompanying chart).
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At 95 percent, the four-year graduation rate for River Mill Academy as 8.1 percentage points higher than the statewide average (86.9 percent) and 8.9 percentage points higher than the system-wide average of 86.1 percent for ABSS during the 2023-24 school year.
The on-time graduation rate for Clover Garden School, 93 percent, was 6.1 percentage points higher than the statewide average and 6.9 percentage points higher than the system-wide average graduation rate for ABSS in 2023-24, according to DPI.
Conversely, at 85.1 percent, the four-year graduation rate for The Hawbridge School trailed the statewide average by 1.8 percentage points and also trailed the system-wide average for ABSS 1 percentage points in 2023-24.
No graduation rate is reported for the county’s fourth charter school, Alamance Community School off Jimmie Kerr Road, which currently serves elementary and middle school grades.
