LAUSD sees boost in high school graduation rate: 'We are meeting the goal'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Unified School District is celebrating two big wins when it comes to their graduation rates and overall performance as a district.

According to newly released data from the state, LAUSD's graduation rate for the 2023-2024 school year was 87%, which is three points higher than the previous school year.

"These are phenomenal sets of data that represent the hard work of our teachers, our support staff, and the coherence across the district, the leadership of our principals and the vision of this board," said Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who shared the findings during a news conference Friday at Jefferson High School. "Understand that this board has but four goals, and graduation and post-secondary success is one of those four goals. We are meeting the goal."

Carvalho said Latino students, English language learners, students living at or below poverty levels, students in foster care and students experiencing homelessness all had improved graduation rates.

In addition to the graduation rates, Carvalho discussed the data from the California School Dashboard, which was recently made public.

Parents, educators, or anyone interested in the state of education in California, can access the dashboard and check out detailed data on schools and districts. The dashboard looks at things like chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, mathematics, and English learner progress.

The scores are color-coded: the highest level is blue followed by green and the lowest levels are orange followed by red.

Carvalho said for the first time in LAUSD history, there is no category marked red or orange. He adds that out of the seven dashboard indicators, the district improved in four compared to last year.

"This is a terrific day for Los Angeles Unified. We have proven that, at last, our district is punching at its weight, and soon to be punching above its weight," said Carvalho.

Last month, the district announced the results of its Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) test in which scores showed growth in every grade and every demographic.

LAUSD said the rate of students who met or exceeded standards in ELA (English Language Arts) increased by 1.9%, which outpaced the state by 500%. Plus, the rate of students who met or exceeded standards in Math increased by 2.3%, outpacing the state by 300%. You can read more about the SBA test results here.

"When our workforce, when our community parents, and the advocacy entities, see the light at the end of the tunnel, and sees what is working, then the results will follow," said Carvalho. "I do think that there is a great deal of value to believing in the culture of the system, embracing it and implementing it. I think that is, in large part, why we're seeing this level of improvement. It's strategic, it reflects the right investments, it reflects the right pressure on what works."