Hamilton Graduation Rate Stays Strong

students continue to have one of the highest graduation rates in Wisconsin.

According to new figures from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction,  Hamilton saw 95.6 percent of students graduate in 2009-10, using the new four-year adjusted cohort formula. Using the traditional legacy formula, which includes all high school completion within a given year, Hamilton’s graduation rate was 96.2 percent - virtually the same as the previous year.

“As in the past, Hamilton’s graduation rate is above the state average,” Hamilton spokeswoman Denise Dorn Lindberg said. “We believe all students should have a high school diploma and we will continue to work aggressively to ensure that occurs.”

Wisconsin’s legacy graduation rate was at 89.9 percent in the 2009-10 school year, which is up from 89.4 percent in the 2008-09 school year. However, with the four-year adjusted cohort formula, the state’s rate is at 85.7 percent.

The legacy rate had been used in Wisconsin since the 2003-04 school year. By the 2012-13 school year, DPI will report four-year and six-year adjusted cohort graduation rate.

“Wisconsin has traditionally had one of the highest, if not the highest, graduation rates in the nation,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers in a press release. “We should be proud of this accomplishment as we work to ensure every child is a graduate. But, we all know that even one dropout is too many.”

According to DPI, 413 of the state’s 584 public and charter high schools had a graduation rate above the state average and 75 of them had a 100 percent legacy graduation rate.

However, the report did show disparities in graduation rates in respect to racial and enthnic groups, along with disparities between economic status, disability and English language proficiency.

“We know that on-time graduation is just not going to happen for a small percentage of our high school students,” Evers said. “We want our data collection and reporting to respect the perseverance and hard work of  students, along with their parents and teachers, to complete high school even when it takes longer than four years or is through alternative programs or credentials.

“Reporting two graduation rates will offer a more comprehensive picture of our students’ transition from high school,” he said.

Lindberg said there are two federal requirements that seem to be at odds with one another, with one requiring school districts to provide educational services for students with disabilities until the age of 21 and another related to the computation of the four-year graduation rate, which could cause complications down the line.

Graduation rates are used as part of the assessment of adequate year progress in order to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

“The combination of the two requirements makes it impossible for school districts attain a 100 percent four-year graduation rate if they provide transition, occupational placement and other educational services for students with disabilities until the age of 21,” Lindberg said.

Graduation rates in Hamilton and Wisconsin

School year

Hamilton legacy graduation rate

Wisconsin legacy graduation rate

2009-10

96.2%

89.9%

2008-09

96.3%

89.4%

2007-08

96.7%

89%

2006-07

96.1%

89.6%

2005-06

96.2%

89.3%

2004-05

96.4%

88.8%

2003-04

98%

91.2%

Source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction