Eunice High School’s four-year graduation rate of 87.1 percent led St. Landry Parish public schools and was ahead of the state rate in statistics released by the state Department of Education.
The department also stated, more Louisiana students than ever before graduated from high school in four years with the 2017 class.
The statewide four-year graduation rate increased from 77 percent in 2016 to 78.1 percent in 2017. The graduation rate has increased by 5.8 percentage points since 2012 and by 12.1 percentage points since 2008.
Eunice High Principal Mitch Fontenot said the graduation rate indicates the hard work at the school is paying off.
“We are basically building a culture here at Eunice High where the students want to come to school and the teachers make it fun for the kids to be here,” he said.
“I think the atmosphere and the culture is changing where kids like to come. They want to succeed and they want to graduate,” he said.
The school’s graduation rate in the 2014-2015 year was 80 percent; in 2015-2016 it was 73 percent; and 2016-17 it was 83 percent.
Fontenot said students are given incentives to attend school.
Additionally, the school has found assistance from Eunice Police and City Judge Terry Hoychick to curb truancy. Police and the judge take action to stop student absences before they become a problem, he said.
“I think we are all pulling together,” he said.
Noting the three previous years of graduation rates, Fontenot said helping students graduate is a four-year process.
Other St. Landry Parish graduation rates for 2017 were Opelousas Senior High, 56.9 percent; North Central High School, 62 percent; Beau Chene High School, 68.8 percent; Northwest High School, 64.2 percent; Port Barre High School, 75.5 percent; and Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts, more than 95 percent.
Acadia Parish high school 2017 graduation rates were Church Point 89.5; Crowley, 88.1; Midland, more than 95; Rayne, 90.1; and Iota, more than 95.
Evangeline Parish high school 2017 graduation rates were Basile, more than 95; Mamou, 83.5; Pine Prairie, 86.4; Ville Platte, 82.6; and Evangeline Central, less than 5.
In the state, the percentage of students earning college credit and credentials valid in high-wage industries in 2017 also increased, from 43 to 48 in one year. The Class of 2017 also saw historic gains in the number of students who were eligible for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) and who completed financial aid planning to fund their postsecondary pursuits.
The positive gains come as state diploma requirements stiffen for the class of 2018. Members of the 2018 class will be required to choose whether to complete financial aid forms and must complete industry-based credentials if pursuing a career diploma.
State Superintendent John White said, “More students than ever before are graduating, and more than ever before are completing college credit and industry credentials in high-wage fields.”
White added,“These positive gains reflect many years of relentless focus in our schools to equip more students for life after high school. We have a long way to go until the path to prosperity for every student, but today marks a big step forward.”
The results released reflect a long-term push by Louisiana schools to increase not only the number of students earning a high school diploma in four years, but also the number of graduates earning employer-validated credentials through the Jump Start program and early college credits through programs like dual enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and International Baccalaureate. In addition, in 2015, Louisiana began offering students with significant disabilities alternative pathways to earning a diploma.
Among the highlights of the Class of 2017:
More than 78 percent of students in the Class of 2017 earned a high school diploma in four years, the highest in the state’s history. Louisiana graduated 39,370 students last year, up from 38,859 in 2016. The number of graduates in the Class of 2017 is more than 3,000 greater than in the Class of 2013.
The four-year cohort graduation rate increased by 1.1 percent between 2016 and 2017. Between 2012 and 2017, the rate increased by 5.8 percentage points.
Historically disadvantaged groups of students are closing the gap with their peers. Nearly 73 percent of economically disadvantaged students graduated in this cohort, up from about 71 percent in 2016 and nearly 68 percent in 2013. Nearly 73 percent of African American students graduated in this cohort, up from about 71 percent in 2016 and nearly 66 percent in 2013. And more than 53 percent of students with disabilities graduated in this cohort, up from about 45 percent in 2016 and fewer than 37 percent in 2013.
Forty-eight percent of the Class of 2017 earned early college credit or statewide career credentials valued in high-wage industries. That’s up from 43 percent in 2016 and 37 percent in 2013. Of the 48 percent of the Class of 2017 who earned these credentials, 13 percent earned advanced credentials, such as passing an AP or CLEP test or earning a National Center for Construction Education and Research level-two credential in a craft trade. In 2013, just 4 percent of graduates earned advanced credentials.
The Class of 2017 had more opportunities to access postsecondary education than any class before. Nearly 26,000 graduates in this cohort earned at least a score of 18 on the American College Test (ACT), up from about 25,000 in 2016 and 18,000 in 2012. More than 15,000 graduates in this cohort earned at least a score of 21 on the ACT, steady since 2016 and up from about 11,500 in 2012. More than 6,500 graduates in this cohort earned a qualifying score on an AP exam, up from about 5,900 in 2016 and 3,500 in 2013. The number of students earning a qualifying score on an AP exam has increased 137 percent since 2012.
The number of students in the Class of 2017 eligible for a level of TOPS reached an all-time high. More than 19,200 graduates in the Class of 2017 achieved eligibility for at least one TOPS scholarship level, up from 18,373 in 2016 and 16,289 in 2012. The increase in eligible students marks a gain of 18 percent since 2012. The Class of 2017 was also the first class in state history to top 50 percent of all graduates qualifying for a TOPS scholarship, with 52 percent of graduates meeting the bar.
A record number of students in the Class of 2017 completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to fund their postsecondary pursuits. Sixty-five percent of high school seniors completed the FAFSA by the July 1 priority deadline in 2017, an increase of 7 percent, or about 3,100 students, from the previous year. This number will increase for the Class of 2018, when the state’s Financial Aid Access Policy goes into effect. To date, about 73 percent of the Class of 2018 has submitted the FAFSA. Louisiana is currently No.2 in the nation for the number of FAFSA completions and No.1 in the nation for gains since last year.
While Louisiana has made great strides in the last years to improve graduation rates for all students, gaps persist in the number of historically disadvantaged students graduating with credentials. For example, 39 percent of economically disadvantaged students in the Class of 2017 graduated with credentials, up from 34 percent in 2016 and 30 percent in 2013. Among students who are African American, 35 percent of the cohort graduated with credentials in 2017, up from 31 percent in 2016 and 26 percent in 2013.
Louisiana’s plan for carrying out the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) outlines statewide ambitions to increase education levels and to address challenges of the most struggling schools and students. The plan, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Education in August 2017, does this by:
— Identifying and supporting schools whose graduation rates fall below 67 percent;
— Providing school systems the opportunity to connect with their peers and with national experts to redesign their structures to better meet the needs of their students through the Louisiana High School Redesign Cohort;
— Awarding school systems grant funding to implement state-approved redesign plans; and
— Expanding Jump Start pathways to better meet Louisiana workforce needs, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.