Newport news high school graduation 2022

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Graduation day is a special moment Newport News Public Schools Graduation Coach Supervisor Vanessa Stephens works closely with students to achieve.

“It’s like a relay race. It starts there, then they move them on to elementary, middle school then they come to high school and that’s when the clock starts ticking,” said Stephens.

It’s a race to beat the clock and Stephens says they’ve cracked the code.

Newport News Public Schools’ graduation rate increased to 95.8% with the Class of 2022. That’s higher than the state average.

They’ve come a long way since 2008 when the graduation rate was 72.9%.

And when it came to high school dropouts, that rate dropped from 12% to less than 1% in that same time period.

It’s an extra impressive feat when you think about the hurdles the class of 2022 faced such as unexpected school closures and adapting to virtual and hybrid learning.

“I would like for every child, when they walk out of the school, to understand they receive a quality education and people in the school care about them,” Stephens explained.

So what’s the recipe to their success?

Stephens says NNPS began a layered approach by bringing in graduation coaches. Every school also has an attendance team that meets every week. The team addresses credit recovery, attendance, resources, and behaviors of at-risk students. It’s comprised of the Principal, Assistant Principal, School Counselor, Registrar, Attendance Clerk, Attendance Officer, Graduation Coaches, Social Worker, Student Support Specialist, Special Education Lead Teacher, Family Engagement Specialist, and Central Office Contact. In addition, and perhaps one of the most hands-on pieces to the puzzle, is at-home visits.

“We were still out there working on the streets during pandemic time. We called them porch visits; we were still doing those visits because we didn’t want to lose their kids. Life has gotten in the way for some of our students, but it’s still our job to make sure we get them back on track”,” Stephens said.

Stephens says each student comes with their own unique story and the resources they provide have to fit that.

“We have students that are living in hotels because of homelessness, their parents are working, and we go to those homes, go the motels and homes because sometimes we find out they need resources like a hot spot,” she said.

It’s a helping hand that goes a long way. Stephens said Graduation Coaches know how important it is for students to obtain a high school diploma because it can determine the quality of life students will have in the future.

NNPS’ on-time graduation rate is higher than the state average of 92.1% and the NNPS dropout rate is lower than the state average of 5.2%. The school division’s overall student completion rate, which includes students who have earned a diploma or a GED in four years, is 97.5%, according to data posted by the Virginia Department of Education.

The school division’s on-time graduation rate increased from 94.5 percent in 2021 and has increased significantly from to nearly 73 percent in 2008. During the same period, the dropout rate decreased from 12 percent to less than 1 percent in 2022 according to data posted by the Virginia Department of Education.

The Class of 2022 faced the unexpected closure of schools during their sophomore year, successfully adapted to virtual and hybrid learning in their junior year, and persevered to complete their graduation requirements on time in four years.

NNPS’ on-time graduation rate is higher than the state average of 92.1 percent and the NNPS dropout rate is lower than the state average of 5.2 percent. The school division’s overall student completion rate, which includes students who have earned a diploma or a GED in four years, is 97.5 percent.

The Class of 2022 was accepted into 120 colleges, universities and military academies and earned more than $55 million in scholarships and academic awards. Forty-five percent of the Class of 2022 graduated with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher and the graduates earned over 2,000 industry and career certifications.

“I am extremely proud of the Class of 2022. They are testaments to hard work, dedication and perseverance. They have truly shown us what it means to be college, career and citizen-ready,” said Dr. George Parker, Superintendent of Newport News Public Schools. “I am also grateful to our teachers and staff. They work diligently every day to ensure that all students graduate on time equipped with the skills and tools they need for successful futures.”

The on-time graduation rate monitors a cohort of high school students entering ninth grade and assesses the graduation and dropout rates of these students four years later. The 2022 on-time graduation and dropout rates monitored students who entered ninth grade in the 2018-2019 school year. Seventeen students in the cohort are still enrolled in school, giving them an opportunity to complete graduation requirements during the 2022-2023 school year.