Sumner-Bonney Lake Schools See Record High Graduation Rate

SUMNER, WA — The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is celebrating an all-time high graduation rate.

According to the district, for 2020 their four-year graduation rate rose two percent to 92.5 percent. Educators say that's an impressive 10 percent higher than the statewide graduation rate.

In celebration, the district is thanking parents and students for working hard and overcominhg the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic:

"Despite arguably one of the most challenging years in education, our students reached this well-earned milestone with the help of many. After a required quick pivot to distance learning last spring, our families played a critical role in their child’s education. The hard work and persistence among our families, staff, partners and community leaders does not go unnoticed. You play an important role in helping us reach every student, every day. We thank you!"

The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is also celebrating success raising the graduation rate for racially-diverse student groups. In particular, they say their American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander student groups all hit 100 percent graduation. In 2019, just 33 percent of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students at the district graduated, and only 63 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native students did.

The district also saw improving graduation rates for special education, low-income and homeless students. Students in special education had an 84 percent graduation rate, up from 75 percent in 2019, homeless students saw their graduation rate rise 17 percent to 87 percent, and low-income students hit 86 percent graduation.

In a review of their graduation rates, the district highlighted a few ways they could inspire even more students to finish school, including:

• Adding preventative measures to stop dropouts in younger grades
• More flexible opportunities for struggling students to earn credits
• Additional drug, alcohol and mental health resources
• Instructional strategies for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch
• More learning supports for students who qualify for IEP