Malibu High Graduation Rate Rises to 98.3 Percent

SANTA MONICA, CA -- The dropout rate among Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District students in the high school class of 2015-16 rose slightly from the previous year and the graduation rate dropped slightly according to figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.

The dropout rate for SMMUSD students who started high school in 2012-13 was 6.2 percent, up from 5.2 percent for the class of 2014-15. The graduation rate dropped slightly from the previous year's class at 90.7 percent compared to 91.7 percent. The dropout and graduation rates for the district included numbers from Olympic High, a continuation school, and chartered and homeschooled students.

The district two main high schools graduation rates are around 95 percent and the dropout rates average around 3 percent, SMMUSD spokeswoman Gail Pinsker said.

"Our Excellence through Equity plan calls for early interventions and differentiated instruction to help all students meet their individual potential with the desired outcome of all students graduating high school," she said. "We continue to focus on providing all students with access and opportunity. It is encouraging to see the averages in the state increasing as districts embrace the California Standards and develop and implement Local Control Accountability Plans."

Santa Monica High saw a slight uptick in students dropping and a slight decrease in the graduation rate. The graduation rate for Samohi for the 2015-16 school year was 94.1 percent compared to 95 percent the previous year. The dropout rate was 4.3 percent compared to 3.2 percent.

The numbers were better for Malibu High. The graduation rate increased to 98.3 percent compared to 94.7 percent for the 2014-15 school year. The dropout rate decreased to 1.1 percent from 5.3 the previous year.

The Los Angeles county saw similar trends, with the 2015-16 dropout rate at 10.6, down from 12.5 the previous year. The graduation rate was 81.3 percent, up from the previous year's 78.7 percent.

In Orange County, the graduation rate was 90.8 percent, up slightly from 90 percent the previous year. The dropout rate was 5.4 percent, down from 5.7 percent the previous year.

Statewide, the graduation rate climbed for the seventh year in a row, according to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.

A total of 83.2 percent of the state's students who started high school in 2012-13 graduated with their class in 2016, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous year, according to the state.

"This is great news for our students and families," Torlakson said. "Graduation rates have gone up seven years in a row, reflecting renewed optimism and increased investments in our schools that have helped reduce class sizes; bring back classes in music, theater, art, dance and science; and expand career technical education programs that engage our students with hands-on, minds-on learning."

The report also showed a statewide lowering of the dropout rate. Of the students who started high school in 2012-13, 9.8 percent dropped out, down from 10.7 percent the previous year.

-- City News Service contributed to this report. Photo via Shutterstock