By Colleen Flanagan, The Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows News
Graduation rates for students with diverse needs in the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows school district have hit a seven-year high.
The 2014/15 school year saw 69 per cent of diverse needs students graduate from high school in six years. That number dipped slightly in 2015/16 to 66.8 per cent, but has been steadily climbing ever since to 85.3 per cent in 2020/21.
And the number of diverse needs honours student graduates has also been steadily climbing from 38 per cent in the 2016/17 school year to 59 per cent last school year.
Overall six-year grad rates for all students in the district have been increasing steadily. In 2014/15, 89 per cent of students across the district graduated in six years. By last year that rate was 95.6 per cent. The honours rate increased steadily from 56 per cent in 2016/17 to 71 per cent last year.
“The focus on improved levels of student engagement and graduation is a key strategic goal in the school district. We have been putting intentional effort into improving graduation rates and are pleased to see these continued positive results,” said SD42 superintendent Harry Dhillon, including students of Indigenous ancestry.