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Hispanic students are seeing major gains in Colorado, and that’s even more true for the St. Vrain Valley School District.
Hispanic students make up roughly a third of K-12 students statewide, similar to the demographics in St. Vrain.
Reporting by Chalkbeat found that high school graduation rates for Hispanic students statewide rose from 55.5% to 75.4% from 2010 to 2020, faster than any other demographic. For all students, graduation rates have gone up from 72.4% to 81.7%, according to the Colorado Department of Education.
That improvement for Hispanic student graduation was even greater in St. Vrain, jumping from a Hispanic student graduation rate of 55.9% to 83.3% from 2010 to 2020, according to state reporting. Districtwide, graduation went from 76.4% to 87.8% of students over the same time period.
Notably, St. Vrain has continued to improve district graduation rates above the state average while increasing graduation requirements to 24.5 credits, among the highest in the state.
“Across all schools in the St. Vrain Valley, our students are advancing excellence and will be the future leaders who will change our world,” district spokesperson Kerri McDermid said. “It continues to be among our highest priorities to advance opportunity and success for all students.”
With higher graduation rates, the state is seeing fewer Hispanic students dropping out of high school, decreasing by nearly half in the last 10 years from 5.4% to 2.8%. For all students in Colorado, the dropout rate is about 1.8% compared to 3% a decade ago.
In the 2020-21 school year, just 1.4% of Hispanic students dropped out of the St. Vrain school district on average compared to 0.7% districtwide. Ten years ago, the Hispanic student dropout rate was over 5% while districtwide it was 2.9%.
The district has also made huge strides in increasing Hispanic student enrollment and achievement in Advanced Placement classes. According to district reporting, the number of Hispanic students taking AP exams has increased by 92% in five years.
The school district was also one of four Colorado school districts to make the College Board’s Annual AP District Honor Roll for increasing access to AP courses for all students. The district decreased the gap between all student and Hispanic students taking advanced coursework by 12% over seven years.
“Through our P-TECH programs, we also have students graduating with their associate degree alongside their high school diploma, many of which are Hispanic students and first-generation students,” McDermid said. “This year, 40 P-TECH students at Skyline High School also graduated with their Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Front Range Community College.”
In younger grade levels, the St. Vrain school district is also seeing improvements for Hispanic students. According to the district, Hispanic students meeting or exceeding expectations in state testing of reading and math has increased by 11% and 10% over the past five years.
Seven percent more Hispanic students are also participating in eighth grade algebra classes compared to three years ago.
