All Hands Raised Partner Districts Inch Grad Rates Upward, Narrowly Meet Shared Annual Target

The class of 2013 in Multnomah County school districts graduated on-time at a rate of 66.6%, up from 64.7% the previous year. Over the past five years, local districts have increased graduation rates by 10 percentage points. This year’s progress narrowly exceeded the districts’ interim 1-year target of 66.5%, placing the community on-track to an overall 3-year target of 71.3%. These targets were set collectively by the six partner districts through the All Hands Raised Partnership. The gap between white students and students of color also narrowed for African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latino students, but widened significantly among Pacific Islander students.

Statewide the graduation rate increased modestly from 68.4% to 68.7%. Click here for an article from today’s Oregonian to read more.

All Hands Raised school districts and a broad set of community partners are advancing a focused set of strategies to increase graduation rates and reduce disparities on a set of twelve priority Indicators from birth to career. These strategies include improving early childhood education and supports, reducing chronic absenteeism, building a successful and supported transition into ninth grade, and eliminating racial disparities by addressing systemic inequities.