Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester School District is reporting its highest graduation rate in six years.

The report released today by the Minnesota Department of Education shows the graduation rate for the Class of 2024 in the Rochester Public Schools was 86%. The rate was up 2 percentage points from the previous year.

"We are incredibly proud to see our district achieve its highest graduation rate in six years, a testament to the hard work of our students, the dedication of our educators and staff, and the support of our families," said Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel. "This 86% rate reflects real progress, particularly the significant gains at our Alternative Learning Center and Century High School, and the positive momentum for our students receiving multilingual services and those identifying as Black or Asian American."

A news release issued by the Rochester School District listed a number of highlights, both positive and negative, from the state report.

● Overall District Rate: 86% (Increase of 2.0 percentage points from 2023) - Highest rate
since the Class of 2018.
● Century High School: 91.7% (Increase of 3.1 percentage points)
● Mayo High School: 92.6% (Increase of 0.6 percentage points)
● Alternative Learning Center (ALC): 72.3% (Significant increase of 15.7 percentage
points)
● John Marshall High School: 89.4% (Decrease of 0.7 percentage points)
● MNSync Online Secondary: 57.8% (Decrease of 4.9 percentage points)

The Graduation cap rate Among Black Students Rose Approximately 10 Percentage Points

The School District also reported an approximately 10 percentage point gain in the high school graduation rate for students identifying as Black or African-American after a decrease in 2023. The report also shows students identifying as Asian American recovered from a drop in the 2023 graduation rate and students receiving Multilingual services posted gains for the first time in several years.

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The news release also noted significant challenges, particularly for students receiving Special Education services. The report also shows that students identifying as Latino still have graduation rates that are below pre-pandemic levels.

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