Oakland Tech, Skyline Outperform State in Graduation Rates

The 2012 graduation rate in the Oakland Unified School District was substantially lower than the state average and the district's percentage of high school dropouts substantially higher.

But at two local high schools, Oakland Technical and Skyline, the news was vastly better. Both schools showed graduation rates well above the state average.

Figures released Tuesday by the state superintendent of schools' office show that overall the district's graduation rate last year was 58.9 percent, below the state average of 78.5 percent.

The dropout rate for the district was listed as 25.5 percent, above this year's 13.2 percent statewide average.

This year's figures track the class of 2012. For the previous year, the district's graduation rate was 58.4 percent and the dropout rate 28.1 percent.

The district figures include continuation schools and other campuses that are not listed individually in the superintendent's report.

There are also a small percentage of students who are not counted as either graduates or dropouts because they are still in school or passed the GED or are special education students.

Oakland Technical High School

Oakland Tech's 2012 graduation rate was 83.4 percent, about 5 points higher than the statewide average. The dropout rate of 13.7 percent was slightly above statewide figures.

A breakdown of graduation rates at Oakland Tech by race/ethnicity shows graduation rates of 100 percent for Native American/Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander and Filipino students; 92.8 percent for white students; 87.8 percent for Asians; 80.6 percent for African Americans; 78.7 percent for Hispanic or Latino students (of any race); and 75 percent for students of two of more races, the only group to rank below the statewide average.

Skyline High School

Skyline's 2012 graduation rate was 82.0 percent, also above the statewide average. The dropout rate of 13.4 percent was slightly above statewide figures.

A breakdown of graduation rates at Skyline by race/ethnicity shows graduation rates of 100 percent for Pacific Islanders and students of two or more races; 92.2 percent for Asian students; 85.7 percent for Filipino students; 81.1 percent for African Americans; 79.3 percent for white students; and 72.2 percent for Hispanic or Latino students, the only group to rank below the statewide average.

Statewide Figures

Overall, California's graduation rates rose while dropout rates declined.

The state superintendent's office reported 78.5 percent of students who started high school in 2008-2009 graduated last year. That was up 1.4 percentage points from the year before.

Among African-American students, 65.7 percent graduated with their class in 2012, up 2.9 points from the year before.

Among Hispanic students, 73.2 percent graduated in 2012, up 1.8 points from the year before.

There was a corresponding drop in the state's dropout rate.

The superintendent's office reported 13.2 percent of students who began high school in 2008-2009 dropped out. That was down 1.5 percentage points from the year before.

The dropout rate among African-American students dropped 3.1 points to 22.2 percent. Among Hispanic students, the dropout rate fell 2.1 points to 16.2 percent.

Another 8.3 percent of students were labeled as neither dropouts nor graduates.

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said while the trend is positive, California schools still need to do more. He said he'd like to see the graduation rate top 80 percent in the near future and then reach 90 percent by 2020.

He commended local school officials for improving education despite budget cuts the past few years and the fact California is 49th in the nation in education funding.

"As I travel up and down the state, I see great things happening in California schools every day," said Torlakson.

What have been your experiences with Oakland Tech or Skyline? Tell us in the comments section below.

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