Graduation Rates in New Schools Throughout Nation Show Promising Results

New York -- Promising results from graduating classes in schools from New York City and Washington, DC, to Chicago and Oakland are changing the ground rules for high schools in America in 2006. By holding all students to high expectations and by providing students with personalized attention and supports critical to success, several of these schools supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are surpassing district-wide student performance measures, and sending a majority of their students on to college.

Today, the New York City Department of Education announced a June graduation rate of 73 percent for the 15 new small schools it opened in September 2002. Fourteen of those schools were supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the New Century High School Initiative. The graduation rate reported for these new small schools compares favorably with the 2005 district-wide rate of 58.2 percent that was also released today. Many of these schools are located on campuses where a low-performing school had been phased out. The 73 percent graduation rate for the new small schools far exceeds the graduation rates of the schools that were phased out—rates that ranged from a low of 31 percent to a high of 51 percent.

“The progress of schools in New York City and of others throughout the country is an important milestone in our efforts to provide all students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college or work,” said Tom Vander Ark, executive directive of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Efforts like those in New York City and in other districts throughout the country demonstrate that high standards, strong support, and a personalized learning environment can help more students reach higher levels of academic and personal achievement.”

While many schools are making progress, a new report issued last week shows that too many young people throughout the country are still not being prepared for the challenges of college and work. According to Diplomas Count, issued by Education Week with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, three out of every ten high school freshmen fails to graduate on-time and the problem is even worse for minority students: only about half of African-American and Latino youth make it to graduation day and fewer than 25 percent are ready for four-year college-level academics.

Through teaching models that emphasize the new 3 Rs—rigor, relevance, and relationships—schools that provide academic rigor, career-oriented instruction that is relevant to students’ interests, and individualized attention and support from teachers are serving as a catalyst for a culture of high achievement in New York City and many other schools throughout the country—including 65 graduating classes in 12 states supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase graduation and college-readiness rates.

To date, the foundation has invested about $1 billion on efforts to improve the nation’s high school system, including supporting the creation of more than 1,600 high-quality high schools in 40 states and the District of Columbia. With the additional support announced this week by Warren Buffett, the foundation expects to deepen and accelerate its work to transform high schools that prepare all students for college and career success.

Examples of foundation-supported schools that are producing high-achieving graduates:

• Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, Washington DC reports that 100 percent of its graduating seniors have been accepted to a college or university, with more than 80 percent of these students being the first generation in their families to attend college. This year’s graduating class received over $2 million in financial aid over four years and was accepted into more than 50 institutions across the country, including Grinnell College, University of Virginia, Bates College, University of Chicago, Syracuse and Temple, among others. 
  
  
• MetWest High School in Oakland, CA reports a 100 percent college acceptance rate and the top high school exit exam pass rates of the 24 high schools in the district. MetWest is a non-traditional school with internships two days/week and, as part of the Big Picture network of schools, uses its "one-student-at-a-time" school design.
  
  
• Bronx Aerospace Academy in New York City, reports 93 percent of students graduated on-time. Bronx Aerospace courses incorporate the theme of aviation and aerospace careers into rigorous, college-preparatory academics.
  
  
• TechBoston Academy reports all seniors and 95 percent of juniors met the Massachusetts graduation requirements for the English Language Arts and Math sections of the state’s MCAS test. Of this year’s 53 graduates, 46 have been accepted to two- or four-year colleges next year. The school has covered a wall with college acceptance letters.
  
  
• Cristo Rey Network’s North Cambridge Catholic High School in Boston, MA reports a 100 percent graduation rate, compared to the district average of 68 percent. Of 46 students that entered as freshman, 40 will graduate this June with the other six having moved or transferred. One hundred percent of the students have been accepted to college. Fifty-seven percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch.
  
  
• Noble Street Charter School in Chicago, IL reports that 83 percent of students who started in the school as freshman four years ago will graduate in June.  It is the only charter school to achieve AYP. Monica Avalos—a graduating senior at Noble—was awarded a Gates Millennium Scholarship. The merit-based scholarship for low-income minority students allowed her family to be able to afford to send Monica and her identical twin sister to their first college choice—De Paul University. They will be the first in their family to attend college.
  
  
• Chicago International Charter School (CICS) Northtown Academy reports that students in the class of 2006 have the highest composite ACT scores of any non-selective enrollment school in the Chicago public schools.
  
  
• Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles, CA reports a 100 percent college acceptance rate and a 90 percent graduation rate, which is well above the district average. Fifty percent of students live at or below the poverty level.
  
  
• YES College Preparatory Schools in Houston, TX reports a 100 percent college acceptance rate with more than 85 percent of these students being the first generation in their families to attend a four-year university. 
  
  
• The Academy for Math, Engineering and Science (AMES) in Salt Lake City, UT reports that every graduate will be graduating from high school this year with an Associate’s degree from the University of Utah, saving more than $100,000 in tuition and hundreds of hours.  More than half of the 51 graduates will also be the first in their families to go to college. These achievements are coming from students who were not expected to be on a college track.
  
  
• Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, IL reports that 100 percent of the last 5 graduating classes, including this year’s graduates, have been accepted to colleges and universities. Pete Beale-delVecchio, associate director of operations and development, reports a 91 percent graduation rate. He says the two closest high schools  have five-year graduation rates of 47 percent and 48 percent respectively. Cristo Rey Jesuit has the highest percentage of students in the nation to pass the AP Spanish exam. Parent involvement at the school is remarkable. Sixty percent of the school’s parents attend Escuela Para Los Padres (school for the parents) monthly to learn about how to help or talk with their teenagers or figure out how to help their children apply for college and other topics around having a teenager in high school.