Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter knew the district’s dropout and graduation rates were not a reason to celebrate weeks before before the Mississippi Department of Education published statewide data on Feb. 15.

Strides in recent years to lower dropout rates and increase graduation rates for Meridian High School students hit a snag. The school’s dropout rate for the 2016-2017 school year increased by 2.1 percent from the year prior to 18.3 percent. The graduation rate also dipped 2.3 percent for the 2016-2017 school to 76.2 percent compared to the previous year.

Graduation rates involve the number of students who graduated from high school with a standard diploma during a four-year period beginning in the ninth grade.

Dropout rates are defined by the number of students in a four-year period who leave high school without a standard diploma, a certificate of attendance, or any other state-recognized diploma. 

But Carter said she found reasons for hope and optimism in data not included in the Department of Education’s Office of Accountability report. Compared to the 2012-2013 school year, data shows a seven percent dip in the school district’s dropout rate. Compared to the 2011-2012 school year, the report showed a 14.5 percent net increase in the graduation rate.

Significant challenges with Meridian students not graduating didn’t start in recent years and will likely take years of incremental positive change to reach the district’s goal of an 85 percent graduation rate, 8.8 percent higher than now.

Carter became superintendent in July 2016 after five years as assistant superintendent. She said that that prior to her becoming superintendent, the district was focusing on improving graduation rates, and the district continues to seek innovative approaches to keep more  students in school.

“We’re digging into the data and looking at individual students,” Carter said. “We’re constantly looking at supports that students need.”

An out-of-the-box approach

Carter invited The Meridian Star to talk about dropout and graduation rates Friday at the district’s central office.  Also on hand were Deidre Bland, the district’s dropout coordinator since August 2013, and Meridian High Principal Victor Hubbard, who has led the school for more than seven years.

Many students in the district come from high-poverty situations, making it significantly more challenging for them to succeed in school. These students may not have a quiet place to study at home or may have problems related to their health and safety.

“We know we have a high poverty area but do not use it as an excuse,” Hubbard said. “Even amid the challenges of the students we serve, we’re still able to move the graduation rate.”

Hubbard said his goal for the current senior class of 313 students is for each student to graduate.

“When we talk about things that are working, we take an out-of-the-box approach,” he said. “We have tutors who are retired teachers who work with students who are not passing a subject area.”

The school also has resources for students to receive tutorials for taking the ACT, a standardized test used by most colleges as an entrance exam. The school also works with ninth through 11th graders to provide after school programs at the local Boys and Girls Club. The district provides transportation for students to the after school location.

The district has also provided additional academic and behavioral counselors to encourage students to follow paths in school to help lead to a bright future. Meridian High has nine counselors who help students focus on paths to future career and academic success.  

Carter also pointed to the Freshman Academy, which helps students transition easier to the larger high school environment from middle school. 

“We’re able to identify students who struggle and have plans to help them,” said Bland, the dropout prevent coordinator for the school district. 

The district is also including arts immersion programs in each school to provide more engaging lessons, hoping this will lead to more students attending school, making higher grades, and creating fewer behavior disturbances. Partnerships extend to the Mississippi State University-Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts, funding partners the Phil Hardin Foundation and the Riley Foundation, and others. 

Jean Massey, executive director of the Office of Secondary Education within the Mississippi Department of Education, said she has worked with the district periodically for more than year and has been impressed with efforts to improve students’ attendance, behavior issues and academic achievement.

By The Numbers

Meridian Public School District 

School year   dropout rate graduation rate

2011-12             *                      61.7

2012-13             *                      62.5

2013-14             25.3                 68.6

2014-15             22                    72.9

2015-16            16.2                  78.5

2016-17             18.3                 76.2

* The Mississippi Department of Education used a different way to compile dropout rates prior to the 2013-2014 school year.

District leaders have reached out to Massey and others at the Department of Education about different approaches from across the country to find ways to make a difference with students staying in school and graduating. 

“They’re looking at the dollars they’re spending within the district and looking at ways to do a better job for the kids,” Massey said. “They started looking at these dropout rates before these numbers came out.”