NEWSLETTERS
SUBSCRIBE

Print Edition

Log in
My Account
Log in
Subscribe
My Account
Log in

Denver Public Schools improves graduation rate in 2022 while dropout rate bumps up

By Nicole C. Brambila 01/12/2023 | updated 3 years ago

Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, Denver Public Schools made small but symbolically significant gains with the school district increasing its four-year graduation rate by 2.5% last year.

But that news was tempered with the dropout rate eking up 1.2%. The dropout rate last year in Denver was still better than 2019, which saw 4.5% of its students withdraw from school.

Denver officials recommend closing STRIVE Prep – Kepner charter school for low test scores

The graduation rate for the class of 2021 was 74.0%, according to data released earlier this week by the Colorado Department of Education. The graduation rate last year was 76.5%.

The 2022 graduating class was the first that had to demonstrate – before receiving a diploma – that they learned enough English and math to be ready for a career or college.

Set by local school boards, high school graduation requirements now must align with the Colorado Graduation Guidelines.

It was not immediately clear whether the state’s graduation data differs from year-to-year.

This Denver Public Schools increase equates to roughly 200 more graduates in 2021-2022, compared to the previous year, according to the district.

Graduation rates, though, dipped – sometimes significantly – for certain students, illustrating the challenges districts face educating all children.

The students with the some of the lowest graduation rates include those with disabilities (67.9%), the homeless (55.4%) and foster kids (30%), according to department data.

Colorado’s Polis begins second term facing major challenges in housing, public safety, inflation

Students of color fared slightly better than the district average with a graduation rate of 76.8%.

Denver schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said he was pleased with the numbers, saying it shows the “hard work” staff has been doing.

“They display the hard work that our staff and scholars have been doing to ensure that every learner thrives and is ready for a career, college, and life,” Marrero said in a news release. “In order to keep these numbers rising, it will take all of us.”

Statewide, the four-year graduation rate for the class of 2022 was 82.3%, which was 0.6 percentage point higher than the previous year. The dropout rate across the state was 2.2%, a 0.4% increase over the previous year and the first increase in Colorado since 2015.

“Graduation is the ultimate goal in K-12 education because it’s the launch pad for success in a career or with postsecondary education,” Katy Anthes, Colorado’s education commissioner, said in the release. “I’m so excited that last year more kids than ever graduated from Colorado public schools, with increased graduation expectations and despite the challenges of the pandemic.”

Property taxes, guns and education: The big issues of the 2023 legislative session

FILE ART
DENVER GAZETTE
Nicole C. Brambila

Reporter

PREV

PREVIOUS

Colorado's property tax system hangs in balance as state Supreme Court mulls COVID-19 challenges

Colorado’s Supreme Court justices on Wednesday spent three hours pondering a pair of questions that could open the door to widespread, perhaps even perpetual, property revaluations across the state: Did COVID-19 and the accompanying public health orders in 2020 constitute “unusual conditions” necessitating a reexamination of property values? And did those revaluations need to happen […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

What are the priorities of El Paso County's General Assembly delegation?

The El Paso County delegation to the General Assembly has a new look in 2023: eight Republicans and four Democrats, compared to 10 Republicans and two Democrats in 2021-22. Sen. Tony Exum became only the sixth* Democrat to represent El Paso County in the state Senate, following Sens. Pete Lee, Michael Merrifield, John Morse, William […]
Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests