Students within the Waterloo Catholic District School Board have been earning their high school diploma at a higher rate than their provincial peers.
The WCDSB recently released their graduation rates in comparison to the overall Ministry of Education rates. The numbers took into account Grade 9 cohort groups from the 2014-2015 to 2018-2019 school years.
Those cohorts are then divided into categories that separate students who graduate in four and five years.
The Catholic board’s internal graduation metrics include students who leave to learn under another school board but ultimately return to graduate at a WCDSB school. It doesn’t include students who begin grade nine in the board but leave and don’t return.
Students who began their academic career at a WCDSB school but didn’t graduate under the board are counted in WCDSB’s Ministry-reported totals as having failed to graduate, even if they did ultimately graduate from another school board.
“In Waterloo region’s Catholic schools nothing is more important than preparing our students for a successful future in their chosen life pathway,” the board said on their website.
“Our student-focused and often individualized programs and services provide a unique depth and breadth of opportunities to ensure all students can achieve the graduate expectations in ways that maximize their personal abilities and capitalize on their individual potential. The success of this student-centred approach is clearly reflected in our graduation rates.”
Breaking down graduation rates by Grade 9 entry year:
2014-2015, graduation years of 2018 and 2019.
WCDSB:
four-year: 84.4 per cent
five year: 88.8 per cent
Ministry average:
four-year: 79.8 per cent
five-year: 86 per cent
2015-2016, graduation years of 2019 and 2020.
WCDSB:
four-year: 84.9 per cent
five-year: 88.7 per cent
Ministry average:
four-year: 79.7 per cent
five-year: 85.7 per cent
2016-2017, graduation years of 2020 and 2021.
WCDSB:
four-year: 87.2 per cent
five-year: 90.2 per cent
Ministry average:
four-year: 83 per cent
five-year: 88.2 per cent
2017-2018, graduation years of 2021 and 2022
WCDSB:
four-year: 84 per cent
five-year: 87.9 per cent
2018-2019, graduation years of 2022 and 2023
WCDSB:
four-year: 83.7 per cent
five-year: Pending
Ministry graduation rates for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 grade nine cohorts are still pending.
To learn more about WCDSB's graduation rates visit wcdsb.ca
