From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE –The Alabama State Department of Education has released the graduation rates for 2016 and Hewitt-Trussville High School was one of 34 high schools statewide to post a grad rate of 95 percent, the highest in Alabama. It was the third straight year for HTHS to hit that number.
Statewide, there was a decline of 4.5 percent after federal officials discovered Alabama had improperly counted graduates in previous years. In 2016, the statewide rate fell to 84.8 percent from the previous year’s 89.3 percent.
Asked if she was confident that local school leaders knew how to accurately report the numbers this year, state school board member Mary Scott Hunter said she was more confident, but still felt the state department of education had work to do.
“I’m skeptical by nature, but I am more confident than I was,” Hunter said. “The State Department of Education still has some work to do internally in terms of tightening up organizational processes. So, to that extent I’m not as confident as I would like.”
Hunter said her attention was on the job the state department was tasked with.
“My focus is on the workings of the State Department of Education,” Hunter said. “It’s the SDE’s job to put out clear guidance, answer all questions, etc. Local boards take it from there.”
Many of the local area schools saw a decline in graduation rates from 2015 to 2016. Those rates are listed below.
- Clay-Chakville 2015-90.2% 2016-87.1%
- Center Point 2015-87.6% 2016-77%
- Hewitt-Trussville 2015-95% 2016-95%
- Homewood 2015-95% 2016-90%
- Hoover 2015-92.3% 2016-89,8%
- Huffman 2015-79.9% 2016-79.7%
- Mountain Brook 2015-95% 2016-93.4%
- Pinson Valley 2015-90% 2016-86.4%
- Spain Park 2015-95% 2016-92.2%
- Springville 2015-92.6% 2016-88.6%