Congratulations to Oak Harbor High School (OHHS) class of 2010 graduates! Unfortunately, only two-thirds the number of students who were ninth-graders with the class of 2010 graduated with this class. Fully one-third was absent; not receiving diplomas. This is a long-term trend.

In October 2009, OHHS reported 421 12th-grade students. A recent “Communications Briefs” email from OHSD indicated about 350 students received diplomas this June. About 17 percent of students who started as 12th-grade students this year did not graduate this June. Some might conclude 83 percent is therefore a graduation percentage or an on-time graduation rate, except that high school actually starts in ninth-grade, not 12th-grade.

In October 2006, OHHS reported having 526 ninth-graders. Only about 67 percent of that number of reported ninth graders graduated from OHHS in June 2010. Back in 2002, a study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation concluded: “Only 67 percent of all Washington State public school students from the class of 2001 graduated from high school; this is significantly lower than the 82 percent graduation rate suggested by official Washington State statistics.” Little appears changed since 2001.

Some who did not graduate may eventually obtain a GED; for others, that’s not likely. It is not plausible, however, that throughout grades nine through 12, 176 students simply moved away but practically no new students’ families ever arrived. Yet, school district officials have actually claimed that to be the case in attempting to explain, or, rather, to explain away, this graduation rate reality.

William Burnett

Oak Harbor