Robbinsdale Area Schools graduation rate down in 2023, matching state trend

Mirroring a trend seen at the state level, the percentage of students graduating from Robbinsdale Area Schools (Rdale) fell in 2023, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Thursday.

Rdale’s four-year graduation rate of 81.3 percent for 2023 is 3.3 percentage points lower than the 2022 number of 84.6, but remains higher than the 2020 rate of 80.2 percent.

The decrease is similar to the state numbers: Minnesota’s 2023 graduation rate of 83.3 is also down, dropping 0.3 percentage points from the previous year (83.6).

“As educators, our goal is that every student receives their diploma and feels pride in their accomplishment,” said Interim Superintendent Marti Voight. “Our students deserve nothing less.”

In addition, 10.6 percent of students chose to continue their educational journey, meaning 91.9 percent of Rdale students either graduated or are working to complete their diploma. That is 0.9 percentage points better than the state (91.0).

There are a number of positive highlights in the data: 

• Armstrong High School’s graduation rate increased 2.2 percentage points to 91.7 percent in 2023, which is well above the state.
• Cooper High School’s graduation rate of 86.1 percent is 2.8 percentage points higher than the state.
• American Indian students are graduating from Rdale (57.7 percent) at a similar rate to their statewide colleagues (61.3 percent).
• The 88.2 percent graduation rate for Asian students is 2.8 percentage points higher than the state’s 85.4 percent.
• The graduation rate for Black/African American students of 73.9 percent is higher than the state’s 72.1 percent.
• The graduation rate for Hispanic/Latino students increased 1.4 points to 77.5 percent and remains much higher than the state's 69.2 percent.
• The rate for white students increased 0.3  percentage points to 89 percent and remains higher than the state (88.7).
• Students identifying as two or more races increased 3.2  percentage points to 88.9 percent, which is 8.6 points higher than the state.
• Graduation rates for special education students (69.5) is 3.9 points higher than the state (65.6).
• The rate for English Learners (EL) students (71.2) is 7.8  percentage points higher than the state (63.4).
• Students who qualify for free/reduced price meals had a graduation rate of 76.5 percent, which is 4.6  percentage points higher than the state (71.9).

Comprehensive data will be shared with Rdale’s Board of Education at an upcoming work session and business meeting. A historical look at the four-year graduation rates for the district and high schools is listed below.