Justin Murphy and Gary Stern – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle USA TODAY NETWORK – in the D&C on 1/15/21 on page A1
The Rochester City School District made its largest jump in graduation rate in many years in 2020, the state Education Department announced Thursday, rising 5.2 points to 68.2%.
That growth in the August graduation rate outpaced the state average and continued a clear trend of gains over the last decade. The district graduation rate in August 2013 was just 43%.
“Our students endured an unprecedented school year that no one could have expected, and the increase in our graduation rate is due to the collective work of students, families, staff, teachers, and administrators,” Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small said in a statement.
It was unclear what effect the cancellation of Regents examinations due to COVID-19 had on the results. The state awarded a Regents diploma to students who had passed a Regents-level course, even though they could not sit for the exam.