January 21, 2021 10:50 a.m.

Graduation rates at Roseburg High School rose by nearly 10 percentage points for the 2019-2020 school year.

Principal Jill Weber attributes that to the school’s continued focus on keeping younger students on track to graduate and an overall commitment to serving individual student’s needs.

A release from Roseburg Public Schools said that year’s four-year cohort graduation rate, which tracks students who first entered high school in 2016-17, was 86.1 percent according to information released by the Oregon Department of Education. The previous school year’s rate was 76.46 percent.

RHS also saw a decrease in its dropout rate from 1.12 percent in 2018-19 to .64 percent for the 2019-2020 school year.

Weber said, “I could not be more proud of our students, our team at RHS and our district”. She said the new data is evidence that the efforts that have been put into serving students are working “…the way we hoped and expected they would”.

The release said RHS has implemented multiple programs over the past few years to ensure students remain on track to graduate to over 93 percent. RHS said research shows that focusing on freshmen early on substantially increases their chances of graduation. Among the supports the school has put in place are small learning communities, graduation coaching, and extended learning opportunities.

Assistant Superintendent Michelle Knee said district officials are pleased with the increase in the district’s overall work, but know that there is more work to do. Knee said staff are continually evaluating their student support systems to ensure that all students in the district have a clear pathway to successfully completing high school with plans for their futures.

The release said plans are in place to transfer Rose alternative high school students to RHS next year to provide more equitable experiences. Supports developed throughout Rose School’s existence, including more individualized attention, have developed in tandem at RHS, according to the release.