County graduation rates stay higher than state average

Once again, the students of Crook County have outdone the state average with a graduation rate for the 2022-2023 school year of 89%.

This places Crook County School District among the top 15 in the state, which has 48 school districts.

"We appreciate that our graduation rate is above the state average but, to be honest, our goal is always going to be 100%," says Superintendent Mark Broderson.  

"Graduation rates include many factors that are out of a school's control but we want all students to walk across the stage with the ability to pursue any path they wish. Graduation is our final celebration and a day of acknowledgement for what students have accomplished." 

Overall, graduation rates in Wyoming have been statistically strong over the last decade, staying above 81% since 2014 according to the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE).

This year's state average was 81.4%, down slightly from 81.8% in 2021-2022.

A total of 89 students graduated in Crook County at the end of the last school year. Hulett School reported a 94.1% graduation rate, while Sundance High School saw 87.9% of students graduate and Moorcroft High School graduated 75% of students.

Graduation rates were down very slightly from last year's 90.6%, but up from the year before in Crook County, when WDE reported that 87.2% of students graduated.

However, Superintendent Mark Broderson has cautioned in the past that year-to-year fluctuations in graduation rates can be misleading. When dealing with a low number of students, small differences can make an outsized impact on the statistics.

The WDE stated in a press release that graduation rates have remained relatively consistent and statistically strong since 2015-16, staying above 80% since that time. Despite the small decrease in the percentage, 284 more students graduated in Wyoming last year than the year before.

"Not only will we continue to work toward every high school senior graduating, but that when they do they are fully prepared for the future workforce," commented State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

Graduation rates are calculated using the Federal Four-year Adjusted Cohort Methodology established by the U.S. Department of Education. A student is counted in the four-year "on time" graduation rate if they earn a diploma by September 15 following their cohort's fourth year.