On the North Coast, graduation rates are up slightly for the class of 2024. According to data released by the Oregon Department of Education on Thursday, 81.8% of high schoolers statewide graduated on time in the class of 2024 — the second-highest rate ever.
That’s despite a range of challenges, including a freshman year dominated by online learning and struggles to bring attendance rates back up to pre-pandemic levels. Local high schools have faced similar challenges. According to past ODE data, only 57% of ninth-graders were on track to graduate from Astoria Senior High School during the 2020-2021 school year.
“These were students who started their high school career entirely in a remote learning model, that comprehensive distance learning model, which proved to be very challenging,” said Lynn Jackson, the school’s principal. Still, the Astoria class of 2024 managed to achieve a 91.5% four-year graduation rate — the highest in Clatsop County, and roughly 10 percentage points above the state average.
Jackson attributed much of that success to the high school’s on-track-to-graduate program, which includes two on-track coaches and a student success coordinator who work together to support student needs, and the district’s family liaison, who helps reengage students who have missed school. Students have also been able to receive academic and peer support during the school day and make up credits through summer learning programs. In addition, the district offers .
