Idaho’s 2021 graduation stats show increase in five-year rate, impact of pandemic
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho’s five-year graduation rate is the highest it’s ever been, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said Tuesday.
“The traditional four-year graduation rate for the Class of 2021 shows the impacts of the pandemic, not surprising considering COVID-19 disrupted both the junior and senior years for these students,” Superintendent Ybarra said. “Many students need a little extra time to complete graduation requirements, especially during the pandemic. We know that extra academic time, tutoring and intervention are essential to addressing unfinished learning. The good news is that the five-year graduation rate rose again, with 84.1 percent of the cohort receiving their diplomas by 2021.”
This is the fourth year Idaho has calculated a five-year rate to include the number of graduates who didn’t quite complete high school during the traditional freshman-to-senior time frame.
“We are finding that the five-year rate is a more accurate indicator of a student’s ability to succeed in high school and in college or career,” she said. The five-year rate for the class of 2021 won’t be known until after graduation in 2022.
| Cohort Class | Four-year | Five-year |
| 2017 | 79.7% | 82% |
| 2018 | 80.6% | 82.8% |
| 2019 | 80.7% | 83.3% |
| 2020 | 82.1% | 84.1% |
| 2021 | 80.0% | Not available |
The State Department of Education will continue to analyze the results and work on strategies to improve outcomes for all student subgroups.
This past year, 73 Idaho schools had a four-year graduation rate higher than 90 percent, and 16 had a 100 percent graduation rate. Five schools – Kootenai Junior/ Senior High School, Nezperce School, Culdesac School, Vision Charter School and North Idaho STEM Charter Academy -- graduated 100 percent of their seniors in each of the past three years. An additional five – Clark County Junior/Senior High School, Leadore School, Cambridge Middle/ High School, Liberty Charter School and North Star Charter School -- posted four-year graduation rates of 100 percent in both 2021 and 2020.
State, district and school-level results for the five-year and four-year graduation rates will be posted Wednesday on the SDE website.
