Tennessee graduation rate drops second year in a row amid pandemic
The percentage of students graduating high school on time in Tennessee continues to drop during the pandemic.
After a nearly decade-long climb, the state's graduation rate has dropped two years in a row with about 88.7% of students graduating on time during the 2020-21 school year, compared to 89.6% the year before.
Three of the state's four largest urban school districts also saw their graduation rates decline, with Shelby County Schools' rate remaining stagnant, according to data released by the Tennessee Department of Education last week.
During the 2019-20 school year, Hamilton County Schools did see an increase, but the Chattanooga district didn't maintain that rise last school year.
Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said the state is committed to combatting the effects of the coronavirus on student learning, including supporting soon-to-be high school graduates.
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“Our state remains committed to swift and urgent action to mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 on our students,” Schwinn said in a statement. “The department was prepared for the negative impacts of the pandemic on our statewide graduation rate, but we are confident that with the right investment and the partnership and dedication of our districts and schools, we can resume the upward trajectory in graduation rate and ensure we are preparing Tennessee students for success.”
Just before the pandemic, the state saw an all-time high with 89.7% of students earning a high school diploma within four years in 2019, but the upward trend was interrupted along with the school year.
Though the class of 2020's graduation rate was only a slight decrease, it came after the state relaxed graduation requirements as schools first shuttered in the early days of the pandemic.
The decline in graduation rates also comes as enrollment at colleges and universities also drops, especially when it comes to students of color or students from economically-disadvantaged communities.
Those same students remain less likely to graduate high school. Black and brown students continue to graduate at lower rates than their white peers with only 82.5% of Black, Hispanic and Native American students in this four-year cohort graduating on time, compared to 92% of white students.
Overall statewide highlights:
Tennessee’s overall grad rate: 88.7%
Black or African American students: 82.2%
Hispanic: 83%
Asian: 95.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 86.7%
White: 92%
Students with disabilities: 71.3%
Economically-disadvantaged: 80.8%
English language learners: 71%
Homeless students: 72%
Male students: 86% compared to 91.5% of female students
Among specific populations of students, English language learners did see a slight rebound to the group's pre-pandemic graduation rate.
Last year, education watchdogs were most alarmed by the student group's 3 percentage point plunge from 71.9% in 2019 to 68.6% in 2020, but the rate increased to 71% in 2021.
Hispanic students also saw a slight increase, though the rate for Black students continued to decline. Homeless student graduation rates also continued to plunge, dropping from 76.6% in 2020 to 72% this year.
Schwinn did note that 37 districts managed to improve their graduation rates despite the challenges and another seven districts graduated 95% or more of their cohorts.
IN MEMPHIS: Most Memphis area school district graduation rates stagnate during second pandemic year
Middle Tennessee graduation rates
Metro Nashville Public Schools' graduation rate continues to lag behind the state's, but the district's 2021 rate declined less than the state's, dropping only half a percentage point from 82.3% in 2020 to 81.8% this year.
Most of the other school districts surrounding Metro Nashville continue to outperform the state, despite some declines.
Williamson County Schools saw a slight increase from 95.9% of the class of 2020 graduating on time to 96.2% of the class of 2021.
County level: Dickson County Schools 2021 grad rate stays above TN average, dips slightly
Wilson County Schools, which saw an increase in 2020, is down half a percentage point, from 96.8% to 96.3%, and Rutherford County Schools' rate declined from 95.3% to 95.1%. Sumner County Schools dropped from 95.7% to 94.5%.
But Robertson County Schools saw steep decreases, with a more than 6 percentage point drop from 93.1% in 2020 to 86.8% this year. Cheatham County Schools' rate dropping from 92.3% to 87.7%.
Metro Nashville Public Schools graduation rates
Here's a look at the 2020 graduation rates for MNPS high schools:
Antioch High School: 74.8%
Cane Ridge High School: 81.3%
East Nashville Magnet High School: 97.5%
Glencliff High School: 61.2%
Hillsboro High School: 89.8%
Hillwood High School: 85.2%
Hume-Fogg Magnet High School: 99.1%
Hunters Lane High School: 81%
John Overton High School: 83.8%
Maplewood High School: 69.5%
Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School: 100%
McGavock High School: 76.7%
Early Middle College High School: 100%
Nashville Big Picture High School: 100%
Nashville School Of The Arts: 93.3%
Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School: 79.7%
Stratford STEM Magnet School: 76.3%
Whites Creek High School: 82.9%
Davidson County charter schools:
Lead Academy: 90%
Lead Southeast: 92.6%
Intrepid College Preparatory Charter School: 78.6%
KIPP Nashville Collegiate High School: 89.4%
Knowledge Academies High School: 86.2%
STEM Prep High School: 96.2%
RePublic High School: 86.5%
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Meghan Mangrum covers education for the USA TODAY Network — Tennessee. Contact her at mmangrum@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee graduation rate drops second year in a row amid pandemic
