Nevada high school graduation rates inch up with fifth year added

Given an extra year, Nevada saw an extra 630 students from the Class of 2016 earn a diploma.

The most recent five-year graduation rate, based on students who started high school in fall 2011, came in at 73.5, the state reported Wednesday. That’s up slightly from the four-year graduation rate of students who started high school that same year, which was released in the fall and calculated at 70.8.

Both numbers look at the same set of students, who started high school in fall 2011. After four years, 24,247 students in the state earned a diploma. In the next year, 630 more earned enough credits to receive a diploma — either by being held back or via adult-education classes — causing the slight bump up.

“Our graduation rate is trending in the right direction and very close to the goals we established in our ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) plan to become the fastest improving state in the nation,” Superintendent of Instruction Steve Canavero said in a statement.

Almost every district in the state saw a bump with the extended rate, although some districts rates were unchanged. Clark County jumped from 72.1 percent to 74.4 percent with the extra year.

The four-year and the five-year graduation rates are both used by the state when evaluating schools and districts.

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.