Fort Worth schools doing better at on-time graduation, numbers show

The on-time graduation rate for the Fort Worth school district improved to 81 percent in 2014, but it still lags behind the state average of 88.3 percent, according to results released by the Texas Education Agency.

Lake Worth (86.3 to 90.3 percent) and Azle (90.9 to 94 percent) showed the greatest increases among Tarrant County districts from 2013 to 2014.

A handful of other districts, including Arlington, Birdville, Castleberry, Crowley, Everman and Grapevine-Colleyville, saw slight decreases.

Fort Worth went from 79 percent to 81 percent, an increase that school officials attributed to efforts over the last nine years to boost the number of counselors and special programs, like dual-credit courses and “choice” schools. Dunbar High School students, for example, can explore careers in aviation and engineering. At North Side High School, a culinary arts, hospitality and event management program is offered to students.

“It’s really exciting to hear [the improvement] because we’ve worked really hard at it,” said Michael Sorum, Fort Worth’s deputy superintendent for leadership, learning and student support services.

Statewide, 88.3 percent is an all-time high and the seventh straight year the rate has gone up. The rates are based on the number of students who graduated in four years.

“The graduation numbers for the Class of 2014 tell us that school districts and charters are working every day to assure every student makes it to the finish line,” state Education Commissioner Michael Williams said in a statement. “Texas continues to lead the way in its efforts to close the achievement gap among all its student groups and other states are taking note of our efforts.”

Tanya Anderson, assistant superintendent at the Azle school district, said the district has worked on several fronts to improve Azle High School’s graduation rate. The school had 1,760 students at the end of the last school year. Efforts at the school include integrating technology in the classroom, offering more career and technology programs, implementing a credit-recovery program and building a sense of community for parents and students.

“We are very much child-centered, student-centered,” Anderson said, adding that parents often say, “You guys take care of our kids.”

Anderson said teachers have been trained to enrich the curriculum using technology, and students in the district, which has slightly over 6,000 students, are equipped with iPads. She said the district also reaches students who seek a different path from college by offering certification programs. For example, a pharmacy-tech certification program allows students to graduate workforce-ready. The district’s Azle Hornet Academy is a credit-recovery program that allows students to take classes online when it fits their schedules.

“It allows our students a lot of flexibility and be able to receive a high school diploma,” she said.

At Lake Worth schools, a variety of programs and efforts are also underway to focus on helping more students get their diplomas. Among efforts are: increased campus emphasis on a college-bound culture or career-readiness training, monitoring attendance rates, getting more students involved in school clubs or other activities, increased academic planning, increasing use of instructional technology and adding more instructors.

Other statewide highlights:

▪ Females had a higher graduation rate (90.4 percent) than males (86.3 percent).

▪ Hispanic (85.5 percent) and black (84.2 percent) students both posted all-time highs.

▪ Asian students had the highest rate (94.8 percent), followed by Anglos (93 percent).

▪ Economically disadvantaged students had a rate of 85.2 percent, the same as 2013 but up from 78.3 percent in 2009.

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Fort Worth schools doing better at on-time graduation, numbers show."