Montana can build on success at lowering the dropout rate – Graduation Matters Montana

The latest numbers are in, and they hold some encouraging signs regarding dropout rates in Montana.

Earlier this month the Montana Office of Public Instruction released a statewide dropout and graduate overview for the 2009-10 school year that shows Montana’s dropout rate declining for the third year in a row.

The dropout rate for high school students has dropped since 2007-08, when it topped 5 percent, to 4.3 percent at last count. In 2009, OPI counted 2,423 dropouts in grades 7-12. In 2010, it counted 2,010 – a difference of 413 students.

That’s an improvement worth celebrating – and building on. Montana may be making progress, but there is still a lot of work to do. Last year, remember, the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked Montana among the bottom 10 states in the nation for its high school dropout rate.

Full Editorial: http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_b8e9d098-9c11-11e0-9c23-001cc4c002e0.html

Graduation Matters Montana http://opi.mt.gov/Programs/SchoolPrograms/Graduation_Matters/index.html