Oregon graduation rate climbs to 81.3%, offers ray of hope

Medford School Board Chair Suzanne Messer shook the hand of every graduate last year. She had some extra hands to shake because Medford’s graduation rate went up nearly 5 percentage points to 87.2%

“It was awesome,” she said. “One of our biggest things we’ve been working with students is getting them across that finish line with a plan for their future.”

Statewide, more students earned diplomas, raising Oregon’s 2021-22 graduation rate to 81.3%, according to an Oregon Department of Education report released Thursday morning. Every student group showed improvement. Oregon’s total rate climbed 0.7 of a percentage point but was still below the 2019-20 high of 82.6%.

Students who graduated last year were sophomores when the pandemic hit, and most spent much of their junior year in online learning. School districts have struggled mightily to catch students back up while dealing with the social and emotional trauma from the pandemic.

Graduation rate is not the only measure of schools’ academic success, but it is the most visible one. After fall reports of plunging state assessment scores, the uptick provides some reassurance although the pandemic’s ripples will be felt for years.

Thursday’s report also showed that the five-year completer rate, which includes more possible credentials such as GEDs, fell 1.3 percentage points to 86.5% after climbing slightly last year.

Messer said Medford has revamped its literacy approach, among other things, to help students make up lost learning.

“We spent a lot of time and energy to make sure kids are graduating meeting the Oregon requirements,” Messer said. “There isn’t an easy out. You can’t just make up a math credit for a student. … They have to actually make the state-required curriculum.”

Messer said that when she shook those students’ hands, it was a contract that they had accomplished something and they had earned it.

Oregon has among the country’s lowest graduation rates, although in recent years it has improved comparatively. In 2019-20, the most recent year available from the National Center for Education Statistics, Oregon was tied for 10th worst with 82.6%, 4 percentage points below the national average.

Education leaders argue that Oregon also has among the toughest standards. Students must fulfill the state’s 24 credits requirement, among the country’s highest, as well as “personalized learning requirements.” But in 2021, Oregon suspended a requirement that in addition to passing their classes, students must demonstrate their learning through “assessments of essential skills.” In September the Oregon Department of Education recommended revising Oregon’s diploma requirements, and bills in the 2023 Legislature could address some issues.

The report also noted that Oregon’s dropout rate climbed to 4.1%, the highest it’s been since 2014-15. But ODE said the rate was not comparable to past years because in 2020-21 ODE suspended some dropout reporting requirements. Some students who would have been counted in 2020-21 ended up being counted in 2021-22.

Before the pandemic struck, Oregon had been on a winning streak with improving graduation rates since 2013-14. In recent years, underserved student groups have closed the gap, with most making greater graduation gains than the state average although some remain significantly below the average. In 2021-22, American Indian/Alaska Native and English language learners notched all-time highs.  

“When we combine the tremendous resilience of Oregon’s youth; the courageous, tireless work of our educators; and the individualized, student-centered resources made available through the Student Success Act and other key initiatives, we’re able to make meaningful progress for Oregon’s students,” ODE Director Colt Gill said in a news release.

OSBA Board President Sonja McKenzie said school districts need to also focus on providing additional supports that students need before they even get into schools if they want to see continued recovery.

McKenzie is a board member for the Parkrose School District, which like many districts around the state saw declines in total graduation rates and the rates for underserved students. Parkrose in eastern Portland is one of the most diverse and poorest districts in the state. McKenzie said students of color experienced significant trauma during the pandemic and some will need more time and support to recover.

As the 2023 Legislature prepares to take up the State School Funding debate, pandemic recovery needs to remain part of the discussion, McKenzie said.

“Stable funding helps us for years ahead,” she said. “We need to build up a framework and replace what we have lost, and we can only do that with continuous and adequate funding.”

- Jake Arnold, OSBA
jarnold@osba.org