Guilford County Schools achieved its highest ever graduation rate last year at 92%, surpassing the state average by roughly 5%.
It was also higher than other large school districts like Wake and Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
GCS officials say the graduation rates increased across every student group with Black and Hispanic students, students with disabilities and English Learners also hitting record highs.
At a press conference about the data, Superintendent Whitney Oakley credited multiple initiatives for the success, including work around chronic absenteeism.
“It's really boots on the ground. It's knocking on doors and finding students," she said. "It's possible that they've taken on a job, and we need to help them with a flexible schedule to be able to meet those graduation requirements. So I think it's treating students as individuals and helping the system fit the student needs.”
Oakley also said the Learning Hub program, which was implemented in 2021, has had a positive impact. The hubs offer students at risk of not graduating access to instruction, credit recovery and enrichment activities on a flexible schedule which includes evening hours.
But with the loss of federal COVID-19 funding, Oakley said the district will need to find other resources to continue successful programs like this one.
“I think that we have to think about the long road ahead, and that part of these things should probably just become a part of the fabric of what we do every day, and not something that are on a chopping block every year," Oakley said.
Students who attended Learning Hubs had higher graduation and attendance rates last year than those who didn’t.
Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.