The Plymouth School Board got an update on the alternative high school program Tuesday. Teacher Katie Duran reported that the program’s graduation rate dropped to 80 percent during the 2016-2017 school year, compared to 92 percent the previous year.
However, she highlighted a few specific success stories. Duran said that two seniors started last school year with only 19 credits. They completed two years’ worth of coursework, earning 23 credits to graduate on time this past spring.
Another student who is a single mother was able to graduate a semester early and is now studying nursing at IU South Bend. Meanwhile, Duran said an expectant mother finished her coursework and graduated a year-and-a-half ahead of schedule, before her son was born.
In many cases, students catch up by taking night school classes on top of the regular alternative high school curriculum. That means they are often in class from 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
One of the goals Duran has for this school year is to increase the average daily attendance from last year’s rate of 73 percent. Duran pointed out that attendance usually picks up during the second semester, as students are more motivated to get the necessary credits by the end of the year.
She said that the alternative high school and night school programs had a total enrollment of 73 students during the 2016-2017 school year.
