NEW ORLEANS – (May 15, 2019) – Today, the Louisiana Department of Education announced graduation rates across the state with Orleans Parish Schools showing remarkable improvement. According to the Department of Education, the citywide graduation rate has increased by nearly five percentage points, rising from 72.9 percent in 2017 to 77.8 percent in 2018. This rate of improvement outpaces average growth made statewide, setting Orleans Parish apart from other parishes across the state.
Table 1: Orleans Parish Cohort Graduation Rate over time
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
| Orleans Parish |
72.1% |
72.9% |
77.8% |
| Louisiana |
77.0% |
78.2% |
81.4% |
Source: Louisiana Department of Education
Most notably, the city’s impact with Economically Disadvantaged students and Students with Disabilities exceeded the state average for those students who graduated on time in 2018. In New Orleans, 76.4 percent of Economically Disadvantaged students in the class of 2018, compared to 75.5 percent statewide graduated on time. Graduating Students with Disabilities in New Orleans exceeded the state average by 6.5 percentage points, with 65.8 percent graduating on time compared to 59.3 percent statewide in 2018.
Additionally, the improvement citywide was also mirrored across specific sub-groups. New Orleans saw increases for African-American, Economically Disadvantaged, Students with Disabilities, and English Learners, ranging from 3.6 to 10.5 percentage points between 2017 and 2018. The largest gains came from Students with Disabilities. In 2017, the cohort graduation rate for students with disabilities was 55.3 percent, compared to 65.8 percent in 2018.
Table 2: Orleans Parish Cohort Graduation Rate – By Subgroup
|
All students |
African-American students |
Economically disadvantaged students |
Students with disabilities |
English Learners |
| 2016 |
72.1% |
70.7% |
72.4% |
47.1% |
50.9% |
| 2017 |
72.9% |
71.6% |
72.8% |
55.3% |
30.9% |
| 2018 |
77.8% |
78.0% |
76.4% |
65.8% |
35.6% |
Source: Louisiana Department of Education
Compared to other similarly sized districts, New Orleans continues to have the highest graduation rate.
Table 3: Orleans Parish compared to large Louisiana Districts
|
Orleans Parish |
East Baton Rouge + RSD |
Jefferson Parish |
| 2017 |
72.9% |
66.1% |
71.8% |
| 2018 |
77.8% |
71.7% |
73.4% |
Source: Louisiana Department of Education
Orleans Parish also outperforms large Louisiana districts for graduation outcomes for Students with Disabilities.
Table 4: Orleans Parish compared to large Louisiana Districts-Subgroup
|
African-American students |
Economically disadvantaged students |
Students with disabilities |
English Learners |
| Orleans Parish |
78.0% |
76.4% |
65.8% |
35.6% |
| Jefferson Parish |
76.6% |
69.9% |
35.9% |
30.8% |
| East Baton Rouge + RSD |
71.1% |
64.7% |
46.5% |
22.4% |
Source: Louisiana Department of Education
“As a unified school system in New Orleans, we have reason to be proud of our rising graduation rate. Excellent progress is being made every day, especially for our students most in need. These outcomes reflect the hard work of our students and educators along with the support of our families and the community-at-large, working together to ensure every student graduates on time and prepared for the future,” said OPSB Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.
“While our system of schools must be relentlessly focused on ensuring every student is prepared to meet the demands for graduation, these new outcomes indicate our elementary schools and high schools across the city continue to stand out among their counterparts statewide. Their results showcase our educators’ excellent work in helping students graduate on time and preparing them for college and future careers,” said OPSB Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.
ABOUT OPSB: The OPSB currently oversees 78 public schools, including 75 charter schools, three direct-operated schools and a school with two educational programs for students in secure-care facilities. On July 1, all New Orleans public schools were unified under the oversight of the locally-elected Orleans Parish School Board for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Learn more about Unification here.
For more information, visit www.opsb.us. For updates, follow OPSB on Facebook, Instagram @orleansparishschoolboard and Twitter @_OPSB.
