HUNTINGTON — In 2019, Cabell County experienced its highest high school graduation rates since rates started being recorded by the West Virginia Department of Education, said Superintendent Ryan Saxe.
At the same time, Saxe said overall student enrollment continues to decline, which is on trend with a decades-long loss in students statewide. This trend will likely result in less money for the county as the state school aid funding formula is largely based on enrollment.
Saxe made the announcements during a Cabell County Board of Education meeting Tuesday.
Graduation rates are certified by the State Department of Education in the October following students’ graduation to ensure spring and summer are included in the data. The most recently released data reflects the 2018-19 school year.
In Cabell County, 88.9% of students graduated within four years, which is the highest rate in nearly a decade. For comparison, that rate was 71.9% in the 2011-12 school year.
“The rate increases represent numerous struggling students who have found success by completing their required credits and earning a diploma,” Saxe said. “I’m beyond proud of our students, of our district, our school administrators, and each school’s teaching and counseling staff for their relentless work to ensure more students are successful and they graduated last school year.”
Those results also reflect record-setting rates for both Cabell Midland High School and Huntington High School, he said.
Huntington High saw graduation rates in 2019 at 82%. This is an increase from the 2017-18 school year, when rates were recorded at 74.5%. Cabell Midland finished 2019 with a gradation rate of 95%, an increase from 2017-18 rates of 89%.
“Those represent the highest graduation rates for both high schools in their history and since graduation rates have been recorded by the West Virginia Department of Education,” he said.
The special education graduation rate also increased by 9% over the previous school year, Saxe said.
With the positive graduation rate news, Saxe also delivered news that the county lost 323 students in 2019, finishing the year with 12,111 students.
This is a decrease from the 2014-15 school year, which was the year with the highest enrollment ever recorded at 13,204 students.
Statewide, those enrollment numbers reflect about a 1.6% decrease, with a vast majority of counties losing students. The statewide school aid formula is largely tied to enrollment numbers, determining how much money each county will be allocated for that school year.
Saxe said it’s still too early to consider how the county’s budget might be affected, but he warned board members that less money is to be expected by the 2020-21 school year.
Travis Crum is a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch. He may be reached by phone at 304-526-2801.
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