Pittsburg, CA – Superintendent, Dr. Janet Schulze, presented the State of the District to community members and business owners at the CareerLINK event held at Pittsburg High School and highlighted Pittsburg Unified School District’s significant increase in graduation rates.
During her address, she showcased cohort graduation data recently released by the California Department of Education. The District’s cohort graduation rate is 89% for the class of 2016, which is 6% higher than the State of California’s rate of 83% and is even with Contra Costa County’s 89% graduation rate. Pittsburg Unified School District has seen an 18% increase in graduation rates and a 14% decrease in drop-out rates since 2013.
Graduation rate gaps among Pittsburg Unified School District’s student groups have also significantly narrowed.
Monica Couture, the CEO of the Pittsburg Chamber, Dr. Janet Schulze, and Mayor Merl Craft
Major student groups in the district are now almost even in their graduation results and are higher than the State’s or County’s rates for the same student groups: 88% for Hispanic/Latino students (80% State and 84% County), demonstrating a 15% gain since 2013; 89% for African American students (73% State and 79% County), demonstrating a 23% gain since 2013; and 87% for English language learners (72% State and 76% County), demonstrating a 19% gain since 2013. Students with disabilities are at a 72% rate (66% State, 69% County), demonstrating a gain of 12% since 2013.
Dropout rates for 2016 (7.5%) have decreased significantly from 2013 (22%), with the most significant impact on students who are English language learners whose drop-out rate went from 28% in 2013 to 8% in 2016 and African American students whose drop-out rate went from 24% in 2013 to 8% in 2016.
Along with highlighting the graduation rates, Superintendent Schulze’s State of the District also featured PUSD’s demographics, enrollment growth, priority areas, facilities bond work, and celebrations.
For additional information about cohort graduation rates and data released by the California Department of Education, go to: http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/.
To see the full State of the District presentation, go to: State of the District.
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About Pittsburg Unified School District
Awarded the College Board’s Gaston Caperton Opportunity Honor Roll award in 2016 for expanding access to college, Pittsburg Unified School District (PUSD) is one of 130 school districts across the nation recognized for creating opportunities for traditionally underrepresented students. PUSD is a K-12 district serving the community of Pittsburg, California. Founded in 1933, the school system is committed to providing an excellent opportunity for all students to learn. Comprised of eight elementary schools, three junior high schools, one comprehensive high school, one alternative education high school, an adult school, independent study options, and a preschool program, the school district serves more than 11,000 students. PUSD is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, fifty minutes outside of downtown San Francisco.
