Fremont Union High Schools Top State Graduation Rates

The graduation rate at most traditional high schools in the Cupertino area far outpaces the state average and dropout rates at nearly all local schools are minuscule, according to data released this week by the state Department of Education.

Monta Vista High School boasted the best graduation rate in the Fremont Union School District for 2011-12 at 98.5 percent. It also had the lowest dropout: 0.8 percent.

Three other schools had graduation rates above 92 percent.

Only Fremont High School lagged, with a graduation rate of 83.9 percent last year. Still, that was an improvement over the past two years. The school's dropout rate also declined more than four percentage points to 12 percent during the 2011-12 academic year.

The schools' showings bested the Santa Clara County and state averages. The county's graduation rate was 81.1 percent in 2011-12; it was 78.5 for the state. The dropout rate for the county and the state were 11 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively.

Dropout Rates in the Cupertino Area

 

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Cupertino High 5.7 4.6 2.8 Fremont High 16.1 16.3 12 Homestead High 4.1 6.6 3.7 Lynbrook High 1.2 0.2 1.9 Monta Vista High 1.1 1.7 0.8

Overall, California's graduation rates rose during the 2011-12 school year while dropout rates declined.

The state superintendent's office reported 78.5 percent of students statewide who started high school in 2008-2009 graduated last year. That was up 1.4 percentage points from the year before.

County Rates Mixed

In Silicon Valley, where the overall graduation rates slightly outpaced the state, the Santa Clara County Office of Education self-critically noted that it trails when it comes to graduating Hispanic students, in particular. The county's graduation rate last year for Hispanic students was only 66.1 percent, the county said in a news release Tuesday, compared to 73.2 percent statewide, up 1.8 points from last year.

Similarly, the county education office stated, the dropout rate for Hispanic students was 24 percent—or nearly one in four—compared to 16.2 percent statewide.  

The county education office also said that indicators of the so-called achievement gap in Santa Clara County was widening. The gap in the county between white and Hispanic graduates who completed "A-G requirements" necessary for admission to the state university system has grown since 2008 by 4.4 percentage points, to over 33 points. That meant 56.6 percent for white students completed the requirements vs. 23 percent for Hispanic students. 

Asian students in Santa Clara County, as a group, graduated at the highest rate—94.3 percent in 2012, and 91 percent statewide. Nearly 72 percent of Asian students in the county completed the A-G requirements.

 

Among African-American students, 65.7 percent graduated with their class in 2012, up 2.9 points from the year before.

Among Hispanic students, 73.2 percent graduated in 2012, up 1.8 points from the year before.

There was a corresponding drop in the state's dropout rate.

The superintendent's office reported 13.2 percent of students who began high school in 2008-2009 dropped out. That was down 1.5 percent from the year before.

The dropout rate among African-American students dropped 3.1 points to 22.2 percent. Among Hispanic students, the dropout rate fell 2.1 points to 16.2 percent.

Another 8.3 percent of students were labeled as neither dropouts or graduate. They include special education students, students who passed the GED exam and those who are still in school.

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said while the trend is positive, California schools still need to do more. He said he'd like to see the graduation rate top 80 percent in the near future and then reach 90 percent by 2020.

He commended local school officials for improving education despite budget cuts the past few years and the fact California is 49th in the nation in education funding.

"As I travel up and down the state, I see great things happening in California schools every day," said Torlakson.

Dean E. Vogel, president of the California Teachers Association, also viewed the data as positive.

“It’s hopeful news that California’s student graduation rate continues to improve despite record cuts to public education in recent years. Nearly eight out of 10 students who started high school in 2008 as the Great Recession hit our nation graduated in 2012," he said in a prepared statement. "... despite soaring class sizes, layoffs and program cuts over the past several years, teachers are proudly watching more of their students receive high school diplomas and a chance at college and a better future. That will always be good news."

—Patch Editor L.A. Chung contributed to this report