For the first time in more than ten years, the Allendale-Fairfax High School (AFHS) graduation rate has surpassed the State’s graduation rate. The percentage of students graduating on-time in 2019 – 2020 reached 87.3% which is the highest AFHS has as far back as 2008.
The AFHS administration team attribute this 10.8% gain from last year’s graduation rate was achieved by consistently monitoring each student’s academic progress. District and school staff developed a graduation progression form to ensure each student stayed the course to complete high school on time. With this form, students who needed interventions were identified before falling behind.
“We are thrilled that our graduation rate has improved tremendously. Helping students reach the end of their high school journey requires a lot of time, effort and motivation to finish strong. Reaching this milestone of increasing our graduation rate is due to the hard work of our principals, teachers, support staff and ACS community. When students are on pathways that are relevant and meaningful to their interests, they are more likely to feel as though they are co-designers of their curriculum and environment. Further, increasing our high school graduation rate shows a positive impact and improvement in academic support, and school/classroom climate,“ said Dr. Gilmore, Superintendent of Allendale County Schools.