District sees slight dip in on-time graduates

GOSHEN COUNTY – For the fifth straight year statewide, Wyoming schools continued to see more students graduating on time. Locally, however, Goshen County School District No. 1 experienced a slight dip in on-time graduates.
In 2016-17, 80.2 percent of high school students statewide graduated on time. The rate increased slightly, approximately .2 percent, from 2015-16 (80 percent).
Previous rates included 79.41 percent in 2014-15, 78.6 percent in 2013-14 and 77.5 percent in 2012-13.
The state considers a student has graduated “on-time” when they earn a diploma by Sept. 15 following their class’ fourth year in high school.
“(The 2016-17 statewide rate) is the highest since 2009-10 when it reached 80.4 percent,” according to information on the Wyoming Department of Education website (edu.wyoming.gov).
In 2016-17, 85.4 percent of Goshen County students graduated on time, down nearly 2 percent from the previous year (87.3 percent in 2015-16) – but more than 5 percent above the state average. The 2016-17 rate is also a significant improvement from 2014-15, when 78.6 percent of area students graduated on time.

Lingle-Fort Laramie High School’s graduation rate dropped from 100 percent to 95.8 percent; Southeast High School saw an increase from 95.5 percent to 100 percent; and Torrington High School’s rate fell from 82.7 percent in 2015-16 to 78.5 percent in 2016-17.

Other local statistics for 2016-17 are as follows:
■ LFL graduated 23 of 24 students: nine female, 14 of 15 males; one Pacific Islander,
23 white.
■ Southeast saw 27 of 27 students graduate on time: 12 females, 15 males; all
white students.
■ THS graduated 73 of 93 students: 36 of 42 females, 37 of 51 males; 14 of 21 Hispanic, one of two students of two or more races, 58 of 70 white.
As a whole, GCSD No.1 graduated 123 of 144 students on time: 57 of 63 females (90.5 percent), 66 of 81 males (81.5 percent); 14 of 21 Hispanic (66.7 percent), one of one Pacific Islander (100 percent), one of two students of two or more races (50 percent), 107 of 120 white (89.2 percent).
Additionally, three of the district’s six reported homeless students graduated on time (50 percent).