LENOIR, NC (October 26, 2016)…The Caldwell Early College High School has been recognized for 100 % Graduation Rate among a select group of districts and schools with the highest graduation rates in the state during the annual Graduation Achievement Awards Recognition and Luncheon, sponsored by the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction. This is the third consecutive year that the Early College High School has been the recipient of statewide acclaim for graduating 100 percent of its students.
Early College High School Principal Candis Hagaman said that she was proud of the faculty and staff who have worked tirelessly to make sure every student stayed the course and graduated. “Their dedication and tenacity enabled our students to experience an incredible milestone, one that represents the gateway to more opportunities and future successes,” said Hagaman.
The Caldwell Early High School also captured the spotlight as one of the state’s Top Two Schools by 9th Grade Cohort Size with fewer than 100 students, meaning that 100 percent of ninth graders (their cohort) graduated from high school, only one of three high schools in the state holding this title.
The success at the Early College High School has contributed to the Caldwell County School System’s graduation ranking that has moved upward for the last eight years and, since 2012, has exceeded 90 percent. The district’s rate of 90.8 percent is in the Top 10 percent of the districts across the state, with all five Caldwell County high schools posting graduation rates above 90 percent and the Caldwell Career Center Middle College reaching an impressive 98.1 percent, an achievement that was also included in the state recognition for districts exceeding 95 percent graduation rate.
“Raising the graduation rate begins in kindergarten,” said Superintendent Dr. Steve Stone. “After years of intense focus and staff development throughout the district toward graduating students, it is encouraging and gratifying for us to now witness more than 90 percent of our students at this level of achievement. However, we want every student to experience graduation on time, and we will continue our efforts in that direction.”
The graduation rate for 2015-2016 rose above the state rate of 85.8 percent, a trend that began in 2008 shortly after the state started reporting a four-year cohort graduation rate. The Caldwell County School System has improved by nearly 25 percent, moving from 65.7 percent to 90.8 percent in nine years. (See chart below)
Superintendent Dr. Steve Stone said that graduating all students has been one of his primary goals since coming to the district in 2006. “Our target goal has been and will continue to be 100 percent graduation rate – a diploma in the hands of every single student in four years. Caldwell County is closer to reaching this goal, than it has ever been.”
About Caldwell Early College High School:
The Caldwell Early College High School opened in 2006 as a collaborative effort between the Caldwell County Schools and Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Students are enrolled in grades 9-13 to earn a high school diploma and two years of transferable college credit or an associate degree at the end of five years. Since 2011 the Early College High School has been showcased as a North Carolina New Schools Learning Lab and in 2012, the school was selected as one of four schools in the state to participate in the STEM lateral entry teacher certification program for mid-career professionals. Among its highest honors is the 2014 National Blue Ribbon School title, and the school currently has received statewide distinction as a North Carolina School of Innovation and Excellence.