Wichita Public Schools sees highest graduation rate ever

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Wichita Public Schools saw its highest graduation rate ever this spring at more than 84%. That's about 5% more than 2023 and the largest increase they have had in one school year.

While the district wasn't expecting to hit that number quite yet, Wichita Public Schools' leadership says they've been working on developing and enacting the "Every Student Ready" strategic plan to boost graduation rates.

Their goal was to get the district to an 85% graduation rate by 2029. In 2024, they hit an 84.3% rate.

WPS-2024Graduation-Data Download

The district used several strategies to target subgroups of students who had lower graduation rates.

They implemented a graduation advocacy program targeting what they call "neglected and delinquent" students.

They also offer night programming for students who need modified school schedules. On top of that, having learning centers in every full-fledged high school to help students learn at a pace allowing them to graduate on time.

The assistant superintendent of secondary schools for USD 259, Loren Hatfield, says a fifth of the students who graduated from the district in the spring were the first to graduate in their family.

"That's generations of families that we are changing by making sure those kids get across the stage to get a diploma," Hatfield said.

Hatfield says of the 36 subgroups in Wichita public schools, 25 had their highest graduation rate ever in the class of 2024. She says girls outpaced boys in every subgroup but one.

She adds the district saw significant gains in graduation rates for African American males. Their graduation rate went up from 68% in 2018 to nearly 85% in 2024.

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Wichita South High School senior Mahogany Butler says she knew she wanted to graduate high school but learned about a career during titan time or homeroom.

"They just go over what- how you want to learn and what kind of job you want to have in the future," Butler said.

Figuring out what style of learning is best helped Butler start looking into a career in real estate.

"The ultimate goal is how can we better prepare them for life after high school, said Travis Rogers, principal at Wichita South High School. "Some of the students go into a four-year college, some went into a trade school, some went straight into the workforce."

The school also brought on principals for each grade to add support systems for students. Additionally, they have home visits when seniors missed more than a week of school.