Bryant High School is celebrating a big win! The school’s graduation rate has increased to 95.2% for the Class of 2023, the highest rate since 2010. Bryant now has the highest graduation rate among Saline County schools and the highest graduation rate in Arkansas 7A schools.
Graduation rate measures the number of students graduating after four years of high school, expressed as a percentage of their cohort. A cohort is a class of ninth-graders beginning high school in the same academic year.What can be attributed to this increase in successful graduates? The high school team worked for several years to build support systems to help students achieve their diplomas. In 2020, they began developing a grad tracking system to monitor each student’s credits and attendance, a predictor of graduation completion. Targeted interventions were put in place for those students struggling to meet graduation requirements. “With a large high school, it was essential to look at every single student. The grad tracker helped us accomplish this goal,” said interventionist Brooke McCain.
Many teachers and staff members played a part in helping students become successful graduates:
- In 9th grade, all classes count toward graduation. The Bryant Junior High team focused on sending students to high school on track to graduate by providing early intervention and support.
- At BHS, teachers worked diligently in focused PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) to identify essential standards, test students on those standards, and provide help for students with deficits. Teachers provided extensive RTI (Response to Intervention) offerings to students in need of support.
- A graduation team, composed of BHS staff, identified at-risk students to provide conferencing, direct support during class time and Buzz Time, and credit recovery options.
A student earning a high school diploma is the culmination of a 13 year program provided by the Bryant School District. A student is impacted by dozens of teachers, administrators, and support staff, along the way. Bryant School District is proud to deliver a premier education to every student. The 95.2% graduation rate for the class of 2023 is a crowning achievement for every person who calls themselves a Bryant Hornet. It is a great day to be a Hornet!