Local graduation rates above average

Graduation rates at all four Putnam County high schools exceeded the statewide average in 2016, according to an Indiana Department of Education report released this week.

With the state graduation rate at 89.1 percent in 2015-16 and the non-waiver rate at 82.4 percent, local schools exceeded the mark in all four categories.

South Putnam High School leads the way at a 90.3 percent graduation rate and a 90.2 non-waiver rate, nearly eight points above the state average.

The non-waiver rate represents the percentage of students who met all graduation requirements, including passing end-of-course assessments in Algebra 1 and 10th-grade English.

The waiver rate includes students who don’t pass the assessments but qualify for waivers because they meet additional criteria. These include a C grade-point average and an attendance rate 95 percent or grader.

At South Putnam, this means that 79 of 82 possible students graduated, while 74 passed all assessments in the process.

North Putnam High School was next with a 92.7 percent (101 out of 109 students) graduation rate and an 89.9 percent non-waiver rate (98 of 109).

Cloverdale High School boasted a 96.2 percent (101 of 105) graduation rate and an 89.5 percent (94 of 105) non-waiver rate.

At Greencastle High School, 93.0 percent (119 of 128) of students graduated, coupled with an 83.6 percent (107 of 128) non-waiver rate.

The state report also notes the progress Indiana has made over a 10-year period, with an increase of nearly 11 percentage points from 78.2 percent in 2006 to 89.1 in 2016.