St. Paul high school 4-year graduation rate drops amid slight statewide decline

Alex Derosier, Pioneer Press
Updated ·4 min read
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St. Paul high school 4-year graduation rate drops amid slight statewide decline

The high school graduation rate dropped for St. Paul Public Schools and schools across the state in 2023, according to data released Thursday by the state’s Department of Education.

It’s the third year St. Paul’s graduation rate has dropped and marks a reversal of slight growth last year in Minnesota.

St. Paul saw the number of students graduating in four years drop by 7 percentage points in 2023, down to a total rate of 68.4%. That’s down from a six-year high of 78.3% in 2020, something the district blames on the lasting impacts of pandemic-era school closures.

Summer graduation rates

In a release announcing the numbers, SPPS also noted when summer 2023 graduation rates are included in the total figure, the graduation rate was closer to 73.4% — a 2 percentage point drop from 2022.

Summer graduations are typically included in four-year graduation rates, but this year the district did not include them due to a technical error, said SPPS spokesperson Erica Wacker.

“Our 128 summer graduates are not included in the 2023 numbers, which they typically are,” the district said in an announcement of the 2023 graduation numbers. “SPPS and MDE are working to identify the scope of the issue to ensure these students are counted correctly moving forward.”

In a statement, the Department of Education said its numbers are based on data submitted by school districts, and includes summer school graduates if the number is reported. The department won’t include the summer graduates from 2023 until later graduation reports.

“We do not recalculate what we report based on data submitted after the deadline,” spokesman Kevin Burns said in a statement. “As corrected data about summer graduates or other cases of incorrect student records are submitted, the future five-, six-, and seven-year rates will reflect the updated information.”

Other metro districts

Minneapolis Public Schools also saw its graduation rate drop from 76.7% to 67.8%, or 8.9 percentage points, but officials there also said a technical error excluded summer graduations. The actual graduation rate drop would have been closer to 3.1 percentage points had they included the summer graduations, according to Minneapolis schools.

It’s not clear if any other districts have had the same issue with reporting summer graduations for 2023.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District which is typically the largest in the state with 38,000 students, saw its graduation rate grow about one percentage point from 2022, reaching 86.7%. Rosemount-Apple Valley Eagan Schools, typically the state’s fourth largest district, saw its graduation rate grow 0.2 points to 87.7% in 2023.

Statewide rates

Statewide four-year high school graduation rate also dropped, though not at the level of Minneapolis or St. Paul. The graduation rate for 2023 was 83.3% and a total of 58,293 students graduated statewide. That’s down from 83.6% in 2022.

This year’s decline comes after the rate grew by 0.2 points last year, bringing high school graduation rates a step closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals also saw their rates increase by 0.8 points, bringing their graduation rate to 71.9%

MDE says a factor contributing to the statewide rate decrease is a 0.4% drop in the “unknown rate” a figure that tracks students incorrectly reported or not reported as enrolled elsewhere. Officials said the number shows the importance of tracking every single student during their high school careers.

Both SPPS and the state education department say they’re working to address declining graduation rates.

On the city level, SPPS is implementing “fair and equitable grading practices” to tackle failing grades and offering options to make up for failing credits including online and hands-on learning programs.

On the state, level, Education Commissioner Willie Jett said his department has started programs including a literacy initiative and has increased student mental health support.

Graduation demographics

Racial achievement disparities remain an issue in the St. Paul district and statewide, though decreases in the graduation rate happened across all socioeconomic backgrounds in St. Paul schools.

When including numbers for summer graduates, about 63% of Black students graduated in four years, versus 83% of white students.

Drops happened across most demographics in Minnesota schools last year. However, students of two or more races did see a 1.1-point increase from 79.2% to 80.3% and white students saw a 0.3- point increase from 88.4% to 88.7%.

Students eligible for free or reduced price meals also saw their rates increase 0.8 points, bringing their graduation rate to 71.9%.

More information can be found at education.mn.gov/mde/index.htm.

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