SWEETWATER COUNTY — The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) released the graduation rates for the 2022-23 school year, which show slight improvements for both Sweetwater County School Districts (SCSD) No. 1 and 2 from the previous school year.

SCSD No. 1’s graduation rate was 79.3% for 2022-23, a 3% increase compared to 76.3% for the 2021-22 school year. The graduation rate for SCSD No. 2 also improved by 3.4% from the previous school year, with a rate of 87.9% in 2022-23 compared to 84.5% in 2021-22.

Across all school districts, Wyoming’s average high school graduation rates remained relatively consistent, with 81.4% in 2022-23, a slight decrease of .4% from 2021-22’s 81.8%. Thirteen school districts in Wyoming had graduation rates of 90% and higher.

“Wyoming’s graduation rates have remained statistically strong – above 80% since 2015-16. Despite the slight decrease, 284 more students graduated last year, than the year prior,” the WDE said.

SCSD No. 2: Attendance Impacts Graduation Rates

Across the district, the WDE reports that 174 students on a 4-year graduation track graduated out of the expected 198 students. The graduation rate for Green River High School (GRHS) was 89% for the 2022-23 school year. Expedition Academy’s graduation rate was 80.8%.

Both high schools improved from the 2021-22 school year. GRHS had a graduation rate of 85.4% in 2021-22, and Expedition had a rate of 76.5%. Superintendent Craig Barringer said the district is happy to see improving rates and briefly discussed a few factors impacting graduation rates, such as attendance.

“We are happy that our graduation rates are going back up. We looked at possibilities as to why our graduation rates have dropped, and COVID has had an impact on attendance, which then impacts graduating,” Barringer said. “Attendance is always an issue. We do not see kids fail that attend every day. We have to help provide that vision of the importance of graduating, when that young adult may not have that vision for themselves yet.”

He said GRHS has been focusing on the freshman class to ensure they get adjusted to the high school environment and don’t fall behind early in their high school careers.

“Our high school has worked to better include our incoming freshman through a structured orientation to peer mentors. We see some freshmen fall behind and never get caught up. So we are trying to avoid those failures, by getting them connected right away to our staff and school,” he said.

SCSD No. 1: Adjustments are Working

Of the three high schools in SCSD No. 1, 329 students on a 4-year graduation track got their diplomas of the expected 415 students for the 2022-23 school year. Farson Eden High School graduated 100% of its students, yet again. While Rock Springs High School (RSHS) saw an improvement from the 2021-22 school year, Black Butte High School’s graduation rate declined by 8.8%.

RSHS’s graduation rate increased from 74.8% to 79% from 2021-22 to 2022-23. Black Butte’s rate fell from 84.6% in 2021-22 to 75.8% for the 2022-23 school year. Superintendent Kelly McGovern said the graduation rate for the Individualized Education Program (IEP) students increased by roughly 13%, and the free and reduced lunch-eligible students increased by about 7.5% from last year. She believes this highlights the dedication of the students and families in the district.

“This underscores how our teachers, support staff, administrators, students, and parents are working together to overcome challenges,” she said.

Additionally, the school district had a 93.5% graduation rate for students in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Concentrators.

“The creation of our Career and Technical Education Academy at Rock Springs High School is showing immediate dividends. This emphasis we’ve placed on student-centered pathways and career readiness is paying off with more students graduating on time – and with good local jobs waiting,” McGovern said.

McGovern believes there are many reasons why the graduation rate has improved. Those include adjusting school start and end times to work better for students and using federal grant funds to designate an intervention team. This team consists of classroom teachers, grant-funded graduation coaches, grant-funded interventionists, grant-funded English language teachers, special education staff, and effective leaders, who help support credit recovery and jump in early with students who may need help.

Furthermore, she said the school district has implemented second-chance breakfast in all schools. She emphasized the quality of teachers and support staff as well.

“Together they build relationships with students, all driven by the desire to succeed,” McGovern said.

While she celebrates the upward trend for graduation rates, she acknowledges that this improvement is not guaranteed for years to come. She believes that improved graduation rates require the district to start early with students before they reach the high school level.

“We must continue to find ways to invest in what works, as we have done with the federal grant-funded intervention team. A high graduation rate does not begin in high school, but starts at a young age with preschool and continues K-12,” McGovern said. “We must continue to take an in-depth look at the classes we offer students, so they are relevant to future careers and engage student interest. We must continue to be flexible and adapt to meet the needs of our students.”