Lawrence, Mass. (Jan. 21, 2015) – Both the graduation and dropout rates of the Lawrence Public Schools improved for the fifth straight year, according to data released today by the Massachusetts Department of Secondary and Elementary Education.
The four-year graduation rate jumped 4.9 percentage points to 71.8, representing a total increase of 19.5 points since state receivership began in 2012. The dropout rate continued its steady decline with an announced rate of 4.5 for 2014-15, for a total drop of 4.1 points in that four-year span.
Both rates represent LPS bests since the state began tracking under the current system (2005-06 for graduation rates; 2006-07 for dropout).
“Just a few years ago fewer than half of Lawrence Public School students were crossing the graduation stage, and in 2015 more than seven in ten did,” said Superintendent Jeffrey C. Riley. “The credit goes to our teachers, school leaders, scholar re-engagement specialists and of course the students themselves. These gains represent a lot of hard work, and it will take a lot more to keep the improvement going.”
All subgroups also showed impressive gains, including students with disabilities (47.6 to 51.1); low-income students (67.1 to 72.6); and English language learners (60.7 to 65.8). In fact, Lawrence’s English language learners fully closed the gap with their state peers (64 percent).
