Grad rates for Merced area schools above state average

California released graduation rates for 2016 Tuesday, just weeks ahead of the Class of 2017 marching across the field. The results show Merced County as a whole slipping a bit from the previous year, but with solid gains by Golden Valley High in Merced, Delhi High and Le Grand High.

At Golden Valley, Principal Kevin Swartwood credited the school’s nearly 4 percentage point gain in part on the school’s requirement that every freshman make a 6-Year Plan, looking past prom and grad night to what comes next.

“Not everybody has college as their next step, but everybody has a next step,” Swartwood said. “It may change – you’re only 14 years old. We get that. But the idea is to look ahead.” School counselors and Associate Principal Jennifer Euker check in yearly to update each student’s plan.

Golden Valley also keeps kids who fail a few classes with their classmates, allowing them to make up the credits rather than be sent to an alternative or continuation high school. That aligns with the school’s mission to get kids connected to school activities.

“Getting them involved right away, whether that’s clubs, sports, theater, or (career) pathways – what’s going to connect you with the school,” Swartwood said.

The Class of 2016 was the first for El Capitan High in Merced, Merced Union High School District’s newest campus. Just over 95 percent of El Capitan’s seniors strutted to “Pomp and Circumstance” last year.

“The Merced Union High School District graduation rate rose slightly to 91 percent for the class of 2016. The district continues to outpace the state average of 83 percent,” said MUHSD Superintendent Alan Peterson. He noted at Livingston, El Capitan, Atwater and Golden Valley high schools, more than 90 percent of every ethnic group graduated, far surpassing the state numbers.

“The theme of our LCAP (local control accountability plan) is support and opportunity, we have a supportive community and a dedicated staff that is committed to our students’ success,” Peterson said..

The top graduation rate for the Merced Union High District was Livingston High, climbing just over a percentage point year over year to reach 97 percent. Other large MUHSD schools were Merced High, with a 92 percent graduation rate, Atwater High with 93 percent and Buhach Colony High with 91 percent.

The Le Grand Union High district posted the largest gains. Le Grand High rose to an 89 percent graduation rate, a 12 point jump. Its small alternative education school, Granada High, got every one of its 15 students past the bar, a 100 percent success rate.

Hilmar High posted a nearly perfect 99.3 percent graduation rate. Out of a senior class of 141, only one student failed to graduate. The Hilmar Unified district as a whole had a 95 percent graduation rate, pulled down by low numbers in its alternative high school.

Dos Palos High hit 98.7 percent of its seniors graduating in 2016, with the Dos Palos Oro Loma Joint Unified district overall posting a 93 percent graduation rate.

Delhi High and the Delhi Unified district overall posted more than a 3 percentage point gain to register 98 percent and 95 percent rates, respectively.

Los Banos High posted a 97 percent graduation rate, nudging up 0.2 percentage points from last year. Los Banos Unified overall held its 95 percent graduation rate, with Pacheco High slipped a bit to 94 percent and its continuation school, San Luis High, moving up 5.5 points to reach 88 percent.

Some 95 percent of the Gustine High Class of 2016 collected diplomas, with a 94 percent rate for the Gustine Unified District overall.

Calaveras and Mariposa counties posted very high graduation rates for counties, 94 percent and 93 percent respectively. Bret Harte Union High School District was king of the hill with 96 percent of its seniors graduating, followed by Calaveras Unified at 95 percent and Mariposa County Unified at 94 percent.

In Tuolumne County, the overall graduation rate dipped slightly to 88 percent, even through its two large high school districts showed solid gains. Sonora Union High School District graduated 94 percent of its Class of 2016, a 4.3 percent higher rate than the year before. Summerville Union High School district had just under a 94 percent graduation rate, 3.6 percent higher than 2015.

The change reflects a drop in its two charter schools and Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified, all smaller schools prone to fluctuations. Big Oak Flat dropped to a 79 percent graduation rate for its 24-member Class of 2016. Gold Rush Charter fell to 86 percent and the online charter, California Virtual Academy @ Jamestown, fell to 47 percent of its seniors graduating.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Grad rates for Merced area schools above state average."