Washoe News

Washoe County School District issued the following announcement on November 17.

The Washoe County School District (WCSD) posted a graduation rate of 82.5 percent in 2021, as 4,062 members of the Class of 2021 earned a diploma and crossed the graduation stage. Nearly half of the graduates—49.3 percent—earned an Honors, Advanced, or College- and Career Readiness diploma. All diplomas and student records were reviewed by the Nevada Department of Education and were rigorously audited by the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) to ensure every scholar had earned the necessary credits to graduate.

This year’s data represents a drop of 2.6 percent when compared to the WCSD Class of 2020’s graduation rate of 85.1 percent.

The State of Nevada posted a statewide graduation rate 81.31 percent this year, a decrease from 82.57 percent for the Class of 2020.

“We continue to grapple with the impact of COVID, and I am proud of the extraordinary efforts of our staff members, students, and families who have worked so hard during this historic period of challenge,” said WCSD Superintendent Dr. Kristen McNeill. “We continue to persevere as we move forward together, providing additional staff members to connect with our students in a variety of disciplines including counselors, tutors, teachers, intersession classes, attendance officers, summer school classes, graduation advocates, and more. We are dedicated to helping our students recover emotionally and academically from this global pandemic, and I am confident with our Response to Recovery Strategic Plan as our guide, we will have our students meet their academic and social potential.”

Seven WCSD high schools posted graduation rates above 90 percent, including:

• Academy of Arts, Careers & Technology (AACT) – 100 percent 
• Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) High School – 100 percent
• North Star Online School – 96 percent
• Galena High School – 92 percent
• Incline High School – 94 percent
• McQueen High School – 91 percent
• Reno High School – 91 percent

WCSD continues to work with students, families, and staff members to identify areas in need of support and provide resources to address needs in schools. Through the American Rescue Plan (ARP), the District received ESSER II & III (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding to provide additional resources to support students’ social-emotional needs and assist with academic recovery and success over the next three years. Additional core teachers, counselors, social workers, and graduation support staff (family and student graduation advocates) have been provided to high schools to work directly with students to support individual needs and accelerate learning. Site-specific tutoring plans have been developed to support student learning, while intersessions and summer school are provided for all interested students.

Original source can be found here.