Natomas Unified continues to make progress in connecting students to schools and preparing them for college, with newly released state data showing our graduation rate rising, our dropout rate falling, and NUSD topping every other Sacramento County school district in the percentage of graduates eligible to enroll in a California college or university.
Over the past year, NUSD rose 8 percentage points in college access, measured by the a-g rate, representing the percent of students eligible to enroll in the University of California or California State University. Nearly six of every 10 NUSD graduates now meet that threshold, the highest percentage countywide. At Inderkum High School, the a-g rate rose by nearly 16 percentage points in 2016, with gains of nearly 16 percentage points by Hispanic students and nearly 7 by African American students.
More students than ever before are graduating from NUSD schools, nearly 95%, a one-year increase of 3.2 percentage points — far exceeding the state increase of 0.9. The new data shows a continued rise in graduation rates for NUSD’s Hispanic and African American students, which rose by 9.7 and 9.4 percentage points, respectively, in the past four years. Hispanic students now graduate at a higher rate than the district average, after jumping by 3.9 percentage points in 2016.
Not only are more NUSD students graduating, but fewer are dropping out, state statistics show. Our dropout rate fell to 3.2% this year, an improvement from 4 percent one year ago. This also continues a multiyear trend: NUSD’s dropout rate has declined 7.4 percentage points in the past four years, records show.
The newly released state data reflects the hard work of Natomas teachers, counselors, classified staff and leaders, who are pushing each day to increase access and improve the readiness of our students. Together they demonstrate the commitment to our Board approved Vision that, “All NUSD students graduate as college and career ready, productive, responsible, and engaged global citizens.”
