Almost 79 percent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County high school students graduated this year, the highest rate since the state began tracking the number five years ago, school officials said Tuesday.
The four-year graduation rate of 78.8 percent represents an increase of 5.2 percentage points over the 2010 rate, but state budget cuts could make further progress difficult, Superintendent Don Martin said.
"We've had to reduce 35 high school teachers this year," he said. "Less time for planning and more kids in the classroom could make a difference."
The school system had 100 people graduate through summer school last year, the largest class of summer school graduates the system has had, Martin said.
That number is likely to go down this year because budget cuts mean some students would have to pay a $100 course fee to attend, he said.
Martin also released preliminary end-of-grade test results and end-of-course test results.
Districtwide, elementary and middle-school scores improved in math and science — by 0.6 percentage points in math and 2.5 percentage points in science — but decreased 0.2 percentage points in reading. The proficiency results for third grade through eighth grade were 83 percent in math, 71.6 percent in science and 68.9 percent in reading.
Whitaker Elementary this year became the first school in the district to post perfect scores in all grades on an end-of-grade test. The school scored 100 percent in all grades on the math tests, Martin said.
The end-of-grade results are preliminary until they are certified by the N.C. Board of Education, Martin said. The final results should be available in about three weeks.
The end-of-course preliminary test results showed the most improvement in physical science, which went up 5.6 percentage points, and Algebra 1, which went up 3.3 percentage points districtwide. Scores in biology and English 1 went down slightly.
The high school graduation rate has drawn the attention of various community groups who have been working in Forsyth for the last few years to help boost the rate.
Among them is the Community Education Collaborative, a public-private effort that includes local nonprofit service organizations, businesses and the Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.
The program has been in place at Atkins, where the three schools that make up the high school had the greatest improvement in graduation rate of any high school in the district.
Their combined rate rose from 53.3 percent in 2010 to 72.4 percent in 2011.
All of the county's traditional high schools had graduation rates higher than 70 percent, led by West Forsyth with 91.8 percent.
Atkins Principal Joe Childers credited the program's mentors with helping boost Atkins' rate.
"They had with them a one-on-one person encouraging them all year long," Childers said.
The program has been running for three years and received $500,000 last year from the General Assembly's dropout prevention fund. State budget cuts have eliminated the fund so no more will come to the program, said Gayle Anderson, president and CEO of the chamber.
Eric Aft, chief operating officer at United Way of Forsyth County, said $200,000 of the $500,000 grant will be spent on the upcoming school year.
Aft said the agency is looking for community resources that can continue the trend of improving graduation rates.
"Those dollars do make a difference," he said.
Walter McDowell, chairman of the collaborative, said the United Way, local businesses, foundations and individuals can make up for that lost state money.
He said he is still confident of reaching the collaborative's goal of 90 percent graduation rate by 2018.
"We are on the road to achieving academic excellence in Forsyth County," he said.
To keep some graduation-targeted programs running will mean making cuts in other areas, Martin said.
One program he wants to see continue is at Main Street Academy, formerly Griffith Academy, an alternative middle and high school. The program is designed to keep pregnant teens and young mothers on track for graduation.
"This program has made such a difference," Martin said.
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