District 742 Releases Corrected Graduation Rates

(KNSI) – After some extra study time, the St. Cloud Area School District has published its corrected graduation rates.

Minnesota released the data on April 24th, but District 742 said their data was inaccurate due to a reporting issue. In an email sent to parents and obtained by KNSI News, the district says it discovered incomplete data had been reported to the Minnesota Department of Education. District 742’s summer graduates were not included, and the district didn’t account for students who left the school system after they moved, transferred to a private school, or were homeschooled. After being validated by MDE officials, the revised data was released.

Both St. Cloud Apollo and Tech High School improved, while the McKinley Alternative Learning Center saw a drop.

Apollo’s rate went from 79.2% in 2021 to 79.7% in 2022.

Tech’s rate was 77.4% in 2021 and improved to 78.5% in 2022.

The ALC dropped from 39.1% in 2021 to 33.7% in 2022.

The statewide average is 83.5% compared to the district average of 68%. The incorrect data originally sent to the state showed St. Cloud’s overall graduation rate of 60.9%.

School officials say the McKinley ALC serves students from District 742 and surrounding schools who need to catch up on credits and often face significant barriers in life. As a result, when assessing the ALC’s data, they focus on a seven-year graduation rate, but state regulations require a four-year graduation rate. The majority of ALC students will get their diplomas.

Check out how other area schools did by clicking here.

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