Class of 2022 earns PSD’s highest graduation rate in 17 years

Gains result of intentional, data-driven work of students, staff 

Poudre School District’s Class of 2022 achieved the district’s highest four-year graduation rate since 2005, according to data released Tuesday by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). 

In all, 87.1% of the PSD Class of 2022 earned a high school diploma within four years. CDE will continue to track the Class of 2022 cohort to see how many students finish high school within five, six, or seven years. CDE also tracks completer rates, which measure how many students complete high school, either through a diploma or other means. Just over 90% of the PSD Class of 2022 either earned a high school diploma or its equivalent last year. 

Graduation rates:

There is plenty to celebrate across PSD based on 2022 graduation data: 

• PSD topped the state average graduation rate of 82.3% by nearly five percentage points.

• PSD’s graduation rate jumped by 4.5 percentage points from the Class of 2021 to the Class of 2022.

• All eight PSD high schools and two PSD-authorized charter schools experienced growth in their graduation rates this year.

• The graduation rate improved year-over-year among most data subgroups, including Hispanic students (up 10.3%), students experiencing homelessness (up 10.3%), students with disabilities (up 8%), and students from households with low incomes (up 7.6%). 

The leap in graduation rates across PSD is the result of hard work by students and staff, according to PSD Assistant Superintendent Scott Nielsen, who oversees middle and high schools. School personnel focused on analyzing data, finding students who were off track or in danger of sliding off the track to on-time graduation, and working with those students to support their unique learning needs, Nielsen said. In addition, through a collaboration with The Matthews House, a local nonprofit that serves youth and families in our community, students from two PSD schools received specialized support in the form specialized support.   

This work didn’t just help more students get across the stage at graduation; – it also helped them perform better academically. For example, the Class of 2022 bested the state average SAT score of 1,011 by 65 points as juniors. 

“We’re not only graduating more students, but we’re also graduating students better prepared for the future,” Nielsen said. “This gives us reason to celebrate on our journey to graduate all students with options.” 

Nielsen said this year’s graduation rate is an admirable achievement, but PSD’s work is not done. 

“The schools will continue to take action to support students who are off track, and we look forward to continuing to make progress,” he said. 

The district’s priorities include literacy, mental health and belonging, safety and graduation with options. The latter is the idea that PSD students not only earn a high school diploma but do so having multiple post-secondary options, including attending a two- or four-year college, enlisting in the Armed Forces, or entering the workforce.