Milwaukee Public Schools Four-year Graduation Rate Rises
MPS continues to show gains in four-year student outcomes
Photo from MPS.
MILWAUKEE — March 10, 2020 – Milwaukee Public Schools continues to make strides in four-year graduation rates according to data released today by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The four-year graduation rate for Milwaukee Public Schools increased for the class of 2019 to 69.1 percent, up from 66.7 percent for the class of 2018, This marks a 10.9 percent increase over a five-year period. The graduation rates for MPS have increased every year since 2015, when 58.2 percent of students graduated within four years.
The four-year graduation data for the MPS class of 2019, as reported by the Wisconsin DPI’s WISEdash Public Portal, also showed increases in graduation rates for Black and Hispanic students, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students over five years. Black and Hispanic students showed an increase of 11.5 percent for both groups; students with disabilities showed a 10.5 percent increase; and a 10 percent increase was shown for economically disadvantaged students.
“This trend shows the continuous progress our district has made investing in our students and giving them the skills to further their post-secondary opportunities,” MPS Superintendent Dr. Keith P. Posley said. “While we’re happy to see improvement in our graduation rates, we cannot be satisfied until 100 percent of our students graduate from high school in four years. We are proud of our students and educators for their talent that has resulted in this improvement and look forward to continued growth.”
Milwaukee Public Schools is experiencing success with programming to help increase four-year graduation.
- Advanced Programs: More MPS schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.
- College & Career Access Centers: Students gain ready access to information about college, career, and scholarship opportunities.
- Dual Credit Opportunities: Through programming offered by M3 (a collaboration among MPS, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee), students have the opportunity to earn 19 college credits during the 2019-20 school year.
- Freshman Bridge: This two-day summer program helps incoming freshmen prepare for high school success by spending time in their schools, meeting teachers, understanding academic and behavior expectations, exploring academic and career planning, and preparing for the important transition to high school.
- Career Pathways: In collaboration with community partners, the district continues to expand programs that give students hands-on work experiences in the culinary arts, construction, information technology, healthcare, manufacturing, and more.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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