Central Oregon graduation rates remained high last year, even as three school districts reported modest dips from the previous year.

All six districts in Central Oregon had graduation rates above the statewide rate of 81.3% for the 2022-23 academic school year, which tied with the previous year for the second-highest graduation rate in the state. The data was released by the Oregon Department of Education.

Central Oregon’s graduation rates ranged from 83% to 97%.

Bend-La Pine, Crook County, Sisters

Bend-La Pine Schools saw an increase of 0.1% in its 2022-2023 graduation rate to land at 83.6% overall. It is the district’s second-highest graduation rate in the last 12 years. Like graduation rates across the state and Central Oregon, the overall rate at Bend-La Pine Schools was an average derived from all of its high schools.

Students who focused on career and technical education courses had high graduation rates across the district. There were 11% more La Pine High School graduates last year than the previous year.

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“I’m very happy and proud of our staff that we have double-digit gains,” La Pine High Principal Scott Olszewski said in a district press release. “We have great teachers in La Pine, and we offer a lot for a small high school, from our Career Technical Education offerings to fantastic music and theater programs and world language.”

Crook County School District saw an increase of 5.3% in its overall graduation rate of 97.3%.

Individually, Crook County High School had a 98% graduation rate, and Pioneer Alternative High School had a 95.8% graduation rate, an increase of 11% from the previous year.

Jason Carr, communications director for the Crook County School District, said the graduation rates spoke to the district’s continued focus on monitoring individual students, promoting consistent attendance and making sure students remain on track.

Pioneer Alternative High had elements in place that ensured the higher graduation rate, including moving closer to Crook County High in October 2022, he said. Since relocating, the school has been able to offer a wider range of elective classes and career and technical education classes.

“I would say at Pioneer, our secret sauce has been a combination of having a full-time graduation coach, developing individual student success plans, really focusing on building meaningful relationships with students so they have that connection with their teachers and staff,” said Carr.

Sisters School District increased its already high overall graduation rate to 93.6%.

Redmond, Jefferson County, Culver

The Redmond School District maintained its 87% overall graduation rate.

Dave Burke, the district’s director of secondary programs, said in a district press release the consistent graduation rate was a testament to specific academic programs. Last year, the rate was also 87%.

The district tracks markers of success throughout a child’s academic journey, including third grade reading benchmarks and grade point average in middle school, according to the press release.{span style=”background-color: #deffde;”} {/span}

The Jefferson County School District’s overall graduation rate was 87.3%, a slight decrease from last year.

Bridges High School saw an overall 20.9% decrease in graduation rate, though Madras High School saw a small increase to 95.4%. Overall, the district had a 95% graduation rate for girls.

The Culver School District had a high overall graduation rate of 92% but saw a slight decrease from the previous year.

Stefanie Garber, superintendent of the Culver School District, said it’s important to her to get every student through to graduation.

“These kids had disrupted high school, and despite that, we still had a 92% graduation rate,” said Garber. “Of course, our goal is always 100, and we continue to individually address students that may need extra support to graduate, but we certainly are always proud of our graduates and the hard work that the teachers do to get them across that stage.”