East took top honors among the city’s 10 comprehensive high schools posting a 2023 graduation rate of 96.1% with Northfield a close second at 94.4%.
It was the second year in a row that Northfield and East led the district, tying last year for the highest four-year graduation rate of 95.1%.
East also posted the highest percentage of Hispanic graduates in Denver Public Schools, 96.5%, with North second at 92.9%. Northfield was third with 92.6% of its Hispanic seniors graduating on time, meaning within four years of starting high school.
The two other high schools in Central Park, DSST-Conservatory Green and DSST-Montview, were close behind with 93.8% and 92.1%, respectively. They had the largest percentage in DPS of Black seniors graduating at 94.9% for Conservatory Green, and 93.9% for Montview. Northfield was third in DPS at 92.3% and East was fourth with 91.5%.
The DPS graduation rate rose to 79% from 76.5% in 2022, the highest the district has registered in more than 10 years, according to stats released by the Colorado Department of Education Jan. 8. As for the state, 83.1% graduated on time last spring. That was up from 82.3% in 2022.
The positive DPS news was offset by a continued gap between white and Hispanic students. More than 13 percentage points separates them – 89.2% for white students to 75.5% for Hispanics. Black students were a bit higher than Hispanics with 76.2% graduating.
Hispanic students make up more than half of the nearly 90,000 students in DPS. White students are 25% of DPS and Black students account for more than 13% of enrollment in the state’s largest district.
Northfield has been a leader in DPS since its first class in 2019 had a 95.2% graduation rate. In 2020 it was 96% and 95.5% in 2021.
In a statement, Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova called the 0.8% graduation rate increase “modest.” She credited the hard work of educators, families, and students and nodded to the educational difficulties of the pandemic, according to Chalkbeat.
“Given the challenges that our students and educators have faced over the last four years, I am glad that in Colorado we continue to see an improved graduation rate and a decreasing dropout rate,” Córdova said. “It shows students know the value of staying in school and receiving a quality education.”
Denver Public Schools 2023 Comprehensive High School Graduation Rates
|
School
|
2023 Grad Rate (Percentage) | 2022 Grad Rate | 2023 Black Grad Rate | 2022 Black Grad Rate | 2023 Hispanic Grad Rate | 2022 Hispanic Grad Rate |
| East |
96.1 |
95.1 |
91.5 |
91.7 |
96.5 |
94.9 |
| George Washington |
89.8 |
81.1 |
93.2 |
84.3 |
86.5 |
67.6 |
| Lincoln
|
62.9 |
70.3 |
88.9 |
100 (two students) |
62.6 |
70.1 |
| Kennedy |
87.2 |
73.2 |
64.3 |
83.3 |
88.6 |
73.1 |
| Manual |
81.8 |
73.4 |
87 |
76.9 |
73.1 |
70.6 |
| North |
93.6 |
91.4 |
88.2 |
92.9 |
83.3 |
91.8 |
| Northfield | 94.4 | 95.1 | 92 (fewer than 50 students) | 100 (28 students) | 92.6 | 94.1 |
| South |
92.2 |
91 |
83.7 |
86 |
87.4 |
89 |
| Thomas Jefferson |
81 |
86.4 |
84.6 |
82.7 |
73.5 |
82.1 |
| West | 82.9 | 83.9 | 98 (fewer than 50 students) | 93.8 | 81 | 83.1 |
| Central Park Charters | ||||||
| DSST-Conservatory Green |
93.8 |
96.8 |
94.9 |
95.7 |
92.1 |
96.2 |
| DSST-Montview |
92.1 |
92.7 |
93.9 |
92.5 |
92.1 |
89 |
