Teche Area graduates, like these students from the Westgate High School Class of 2012, helped the graduation percentage rate rise in the area and in Louisiana.

The state public high school cohort graduation rate increased to an all-time high of 72.3 percent, and the three Teche Area parishes contributed to the rise in numbers.

The state’s cohort graduation rate increased for the second consecutive year, this year by 0.9 percentage points, according to data from the state Department of Education. Iberia Parish saw a slightly larger increase of 1.4 percentage points, bringing its total to 71.3 percent.

“A small increase is an increase nonetheless,” Iberia Parish Superintendent of Schools Dale Henderson said. “It’s an important figure for our high schools that try to get every student to graduate from school.”

Henderson said the state defines a graduation cohort as the number of students enrolled in a specific grade during a given year, meaning the results are comprised of students who entered the schools as freshmen and graduate with their class.

The results do not include students who complete the Graduation Equivalent Diploma program at the Iberia Parish Career Center, Henderson said.

The state Department of Education is aiming to achieve a cohort graduation rate of 80 percent by 2014, a goal Henderson said the school system will work to meet.

“It’s the state goal, and we’re going to try to meet and exceed it, but we’ve got our work cut out for us,” he said. “We want to get as many kids to graduate from high school as possible.”

St. Mary Parish Superintendent of Schools Donald Aguillard said he thinks the district, which increased its graduation rate by 3.9 percentage points to 73.8 percent, also will meet the goal.

“Rates are increasing due to the concerted effort of all district high schools to target at-risk students,” he said. 

“All schools work to provide multiple options for students to makeup lost credit and remain on track to graduate with their cohort group.”

Districts have taken advantage of state options for transitioning students into the high school setting and have used intervention and acceleration programs to help students graduate on time, according to a St. Mary Parish School Board statement.

Districts also use data systems to carefully monitor incoming students to address issues and risks that could potentially delay their graduating on time, according to the statement.

The St. Martin Parish school district incorporated a monitoring program into its schools, which St. Martin Parish Superintendent of Schools Richard Lavergne said he believes helped it increase by 8 percentage points to 77.8 percent.

“I think the tracking program is really helping us. We look at the kids who enter as freshmen and we track them,” he said. 

“We’re trying to put in some strategies with these young people. It helps to identify who is falling behind and it helps us keep them and help them.”

Lavergne said before the program was implemented, a large portion of the freshmen classes were falling behind and not graduating on time. Now, students are staying involved and in the schools, he said.

“We just work hard every day. We work with our students, teachers and administrators, and we try to put new things in, such as a virtual classroom,” he said. “We’re trying to do different things and it’s worked very well for us.”

Of the top districts in the state to make significant gains, St. Martin Parish ranks ninth. In the parish, St. Martinville Senior High School increased from 63.5 percent to 85.5 percent, which Lavergne said the district is excited to hear but couldn’t point to any one factor that led to the enormaous improvement.

“Obviously, we’re very, very pleased. We’ve been following our classes through the years and that way you can kind of predict it,” he said. “We see a lot of good things for this year and upcoming years.”

Lavergne said he thinks the district will reach the state’s goal of an 80 percent cohort graduation rate in 2014.

“We expect just as good if not better next year if we continue like the progression shows,” he said.