1.20.21

Gladstone District achieves best ever graduation rate

The Gladstone District’s four-year graduation rate for the class of 2020 is 92.81%, a historic high. That’s 14.41% higher than just six years ago, and more than 10% above the state graduation rate.

“All of our staff continues to work tirelessly to develop and maintain a positive and supportive educational environment for our students that leads to success,” said Principal Kevin Taylor.   “We have great students who value their education and work hard to meet standards and expectations. We have also initiated support and credit recovery programs to ensure students have every opportunity to graduate on time.”

Gladstone again showed strong district wide performance by historically underserved groups.

Over 92% of Gladstone’s economically disadvantaged students graduated on time, a rate 10% better than the district achieved last year and 14.66% above the state average. The district improved the graduation rate for low-income students 28.7% in just six years.

Nearly 90% of Gladstone’s Hispanic/Latino students graduated in four years, a rate more than 10% above the state average. That’s an improvement of 17.66% in the past six years.

In 2020, 71.43% of students with disabilities graduated in 4 years, a rate 3.48% above the state average. That’s a district improvement of over 21% in the past six years.

One of the biggest factors in increasing the graduation rate is Gladstone High School’s investment of funds from Measure 98, the High School Success Act. Teachers created an innovative freshman class in science, design, engineering, and construction that provides hands-on learning to explore a range of careers while students earn college credits.

Gladstone’s other Measure 98 investments include a college and career counselor, a freshman success coach, and the purchase of production tools for career-technical classes, including a plasma cutter and a CNC machine.

“Once again Gladstone students and staff have raised the bar,” said Superintendent Bob Stewart. “Our staff’s focus on equity has helped us meet the unique needs of each student, so more teens are finding success despite the challenges they face.”