School District 2 Graduation Rates Up Compared to State

Graduation rates at the two high schools in Sheridan – Sheridan High School and John C. Schiffer Collaborative School – exceed the statewide graduation rates released earlier this week.

Mitch Craft, who’s an assistant superintendent with Sheridan County School District 2, said the combined graduation rates of the two schools in 2019 was 85.5 percent. The statewide graduation rate was just slightly over 82 percent.

Historically, Craft said, graduation rates at the two Sheridan schools were also significantly over the just under 74 percent recorded 11 years ago.

However, he said, rates at both the high schools were down slightly from the 2018 numbers.

He said the analysis at this point is a student-by-student exercise. He said every student has a unique story, and the goal of the district’s staff, including counselors, principals and graduation coach, is to help each student as an individual. He said the goal is to make sure that each individual student’s needs are met.

Craft said in 2019, John C. Schiffer Collaborative School graduated 15 students, and Sheridan High School graduated just over 200 students. He said this year’s class of seniors, the ones that will graduate in May, is one of the smallest classes the district has seen in years, but looking at numbers currently in the junior high and elementary schools, there are classes coming up that are pushing 300 students.