Oregon's public high school on-time graduation rates went up 3.3 percent in 2014 from the previous year. Eugene's 4J school district reports an 8 percent boost in the statewide survey released Thursday.
The state has changed the way it calculates graduation rates which may account for some of the improvement. Kerry Delf with Eugene 4J says the district also made progress in closing the achievement gap:
Delf: "We're seeing a 17.7 percent increase in the graduation rate among our African American students this year compared to last year. English learners, their graduation rate was up 15.8 percent this year. And students with disabilities, theirs was up 13.8 economically disadvantaged students rose 11.9 percent in their graduation rate this year."
The Eugene 4j school district had a 71.9 percent graduation rate overall. Delf says there's still plenty of room for improvement. Governor John Kitzhaber has set a 100 percent graduation goal for Oregon schools by 2025. Oregon's graduation rate currently ranks among the lowest in the nation.
