More Latino and English learner students are graduating from Richmond Public Schools on time, according to data from the 2023-24 school year.
At Monday’s school board meeting, Solomon Jefferson, the division’s chief academic officer for secondary education, highlighted significant increases in on-time graduation rates: 17 percentage points for Latino students and 19 points for English learners. (Enrollment data shows that many of the division’s English learners are also Latino.)
With the year-over-year improvements, 65% of Richmond’s Latino students and 59% of English learners graduated on time in the Class of 2024. Those rates are still low when measured against statewide averages for the Class of 2023: 83% for Latinos and 73% for English learners.
During the 2022-23 school year, less than half of Latino students and English learners graduated on time — compared to more than 80% of Black students and nearly 90% of White students.
Disparities in graduation rates have long existed within RPS when it comes to Latino students and multilingual learners. According to data from the Virginia Department of Education, RPS had the state's lowest on-time graduation rate for Latino students across all state divisions in all but one year from 2013–2023.
John Grove, director of data analytics for RPS, told the board the Latino and English learner groups were critical to the division’s progress — an overall increase of 6 percentage points, the largest in the state, to 78%.
The most significant change in graduation rates, Grove said, were at Richmond High School for the Arts (formerly known as George Wythe High School), where Latino students make up more than half of the student body.
The school’s overall graduation rate increased by 15 percentage points, while its dropout rate fell from 45% to 34%.
Jennifer Blackwell, director of multilingual learner success for RPS, said in the meeting that the division’s culturally responsive alternative education programs have been a driving factor for the positive change.
“Last year, we were able to introduce our bilingual LIEP (Language Instruction Educational Program) tutoring program,” Blackwell said. “These tutors really were a perfect addition to our Newcomer Academy, to Secondary Success Center, ¡Con Ganas! and Test Takers Academy.”
¡Con Ganas!, a program that gives English learners the chance to work at their own pace towards earning diplomas, helped 32 students graduate with the Class of 2024. And Test Takers Academy, aimed at students who are only missing one or two verified credits for their high school diploma, helped an additional 38 students graduate.
“With all of these programs, we've seen that when we design with our special populations in mind, all of our RPS students will thrive,” Blackwell said.
Board member Shavonda Fernandez, who represents the 9th District, congratulated RPS staff and students on the progress.
“It looks like you guys have found something that is moving the needle in the right direction,” she said. “Definitely want to call out our Hispanic and Latino and English learners group. That is outstanding.
“There's a lot of work to do, but I think it's important that we celebrate our wins.”
Cheryl Burke, the 7th District representative, also celebrated the progress among Latino and English learner students — but expressed concern that the on-time graduation rate had only gone up by 1 percentage point for Black students.
“Is there something else that's going to be in place to address that?” Burke asked. “Because the Hispanics and the English learners … to make up 19%, then the other children of color should also be more than 1%.”
Blackwell said her department has prioritized making needed gains for Latino and English learner students, but acknowledged that more work needs to be done to close the achievement gap for all RPS students.
