January 07, 2016
There is progress in Camden's troubled school system.
Paymon Rouhanifard, the state-appointed superintendent, announced Thursday that the graduation rate rose from 49 to 64 percent. And the dropout rate fell from 20 to 15 percent.
All sub-groups of students have improved.
Latino students’ graduation rate, for instance, has increased from 44 percent in 2012 to 66 percent in 2015, and special education students’ graduation rate has increased from 38 percent to 56 percent.
Meanwhile, special education students’ dropout rate has fallen from 21 percent in 2012 to 11 percent in 2015.
“This hard-earned progress reflects the efforts of our students, staff, and families,” said Rouhanifard. “At the same time, there’s more work still to do.”
The District’s three magnet high schools – Brimm Medical Arts, Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy, and MetEast – have graduation rates for the Class of 2015 between 94-98 percent, which exceed the 2014 state average of 89 percent. The state has not yet released its 2015 average.
Woodrow Wilson High School’s graduation rate rose for the fourth year, increasing from 46 percent in 2012 to 63 percent in 2015.
From 2014 to 2015, Camden’s graduation rate rose from 62 percent to 64 percent, with 431 of the 678 members of the class of 2015 graduating in four years.
Aside from graduates, 13 percent of students are still enrolled in high school and might eventually graduate from high school.
Fifteen percent of students dropped out, and nine percent of students transferred.
