NH dropout rates decline, mixed locally

CONCORD – The dropout rate dropped by more than half last year at high schools in Merrimack and Litchfield while it inched back up at schools in Amherst and Wilton, according to figures released Tuesday.

The dropout rate at Nashua’s two high schools dropped only slightly last year.

Paul Leather, an official with the state Department of Education, said this was because dropout prevention programs already in place at both schools caused numbers to decline significantly in recent years.

“Nashua put folks in each high school and middle school to track the truants, follow the kids, and it had a dramatic effect on the dropout rate,” Leather said. “Manchester schools have picked up on that strategy, and it’s helped them cut theirs by more than half last year.”

Gov. John Lynch credited the work of state and local educators for cutting dropouts across the state by 30 percent.

All told, 1,127, or 6.7 percent, dropped out from a statewide enrollment in high school of 65,057.

A year earlier, there were 1,652, or 9.7 percent, who had dropped out from a slightly larger high school enrollment of 66,456.

“That’s an outstanding statistic,” Lynch said with educators and legislators from both parties at his side to share the good news. “We are making significant progress on this very important issue.”

The number of students who earned a GED increased during that time period, from 253 in 2007-2008 to 352 in 2008-2009. Students who earn a GED are no longer considered a dropout by the state, which was not the case prior to 2007.

Nashua Superintendent Mark Conrad credited a robust adult education program, the creation of a tiered high school diploma system and an improved referral process for the GED as reasons for the school district maintaining a low dropout rate.

“We’re learning to become adaptable to the needs of students in ways that are creating more success for them,” Conrad said. “We’re more aggressive in following up on each and every student who is not returning in the fall. We go to students’ homes, follow up with phone calls.”

There were 67 dropouts in Nashua last year between the two high schools, for a dropout rate of 1.6 percent. Of the total dropouts, 34 were from Nashua South and 33 from Nashua North. There were 19 students who earned their GED. By comparison, Manchester’s dropout rate was 3.4 percent last year.

Conrad noted the school district was able to keep its dropout rate below the state average despite having a poverty rate that is twice the state average.

Although Nashua’s graduation requirement is 27 credits, the district developed a “core diploma” program last year that would allow some students to graduate with only 20 credits, the state minimum. Students have to be approved by the principal to be eligible for the program.

When asked whether he had concerns about the school district simply lowering the bar, Conrad said it’s something he is mindful of, but added he believes the district has maintained high standards while allowing for different paths to graduation.

“Ultimately, the issue is whether we are graduating students with the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century,” he said.

Lynch predicted the dropout rate would go still lower with the new law that, since last July 1, requires students to stay in school until they turn 18.

Nashua has received grant funding from the state to help cover the cost of programs to address the change to the law. That money has been used to pay for a dropout prevention coordinator for each high school and to pay teachers to teach credit recovery courses after school.

Because of the change to the minimum dropout age, school officials have had to track down students this year who had dropped out within the past few years but hadn’t yet turned 18.

Lynch maintained the slumping economy has had little to do with the improvement. Rather, Lynch said the declines are because school administrators and policy makers have flexibility to devise their own programs to keep teens working on getting a diploma.

Mark Joyce with the New Hampshire School Boards Association, agreed with Lynch’s assessment.

“It used to be a high school had to look a certain way and have the same programs at the same hours and the like,’” Joyce said. “The real story out there is that the schools locally have been able to expand their continuum of services.”

Lynch warned against over analyzing increases in school dropouts from year to year particularly in very small schools.

“In a small school only one more dropout can really skew the rate,” Lynch said.

The number of dropouts at Wilton-Lyndeborough High School during the last school year was seven compared to two the year previous.

This caused the dropout rate to nearly quadruple to 11 percent last year compared to only 3 percent in 2008.