Montana’s high school graduation rates continue to increase while the number of students who drop out is on the decline.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said Wednesday that Montana’s graduation rate was 83.9 percent for the 2011-12 school year, up from 82.2 percent the previous year. The number of dropouts declined from 1,975 for 2010-11 to 1,841 last year. The dropout rate last year was 4.1 percent, down from 5.1 percent in the 2008-09 school year.
Juneau says making dropout prevention a state priority is paying off.
Juneau also announced the availability of $150,000 in grants through the Graduation Matters Challenge Fund to support new and existing Graduation Matters initiatives in communities across the state. The money is donated by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.