APS Graduation Rate Continues to Improve

Posted May 18, 2020, 12:30 PM. Updated May 28, 2020, 8:57 AM.

The Albuquerque Public Schools graduation rate, which has steadily increased over the past four years, topped 70 percent for the Class of 2019.

For the fourth straight year, the graduation rate for Albuquerque Public Schools has improved, inching up to 70.1 percent for the Class of 2019, according to data released by the New Mexico Public Education Department on Monday, May 18.

The district’s 2019 graduation rate increased by half of a percentage point in a year and by more than 8 percentage points in four years. Nine of the district’s 13 comprehensive high schools saw improved graduation rates, as did three of its eight magnet schools.

Without charter schools, the 2019 graduation rate for APS increased by nearly a percentage point in a year to 73.7%, the district’s highest graduation rate in more than a decade. APS has limited academic control over charter schools, and its graduation rate typically is several percentage points higher when they are extracted.

The graduation rate has improved by 8.4 percentage points since Superintendent Raquel Reedy first took the job nearly five years ago in the fall of 2015 – from 61.7 percent for the Class of 2015 to just over 70 percent for last year’s graduating class. Reedy plans to retire at the end of this school year.

“When we look at graduation rates, we need to look at trends, and I am happy to see we are trending upwards because that means more students are graduating,” said APS Superintendent Raquel Reedy. “Our goal, of course, is to keep this trend going so that more and more of our students earn their high school diploma. I am convinced that even after I retire, the district will continue on this positive trajectory.”

Graduation Rates by High School

Nine of the district’s comprehensive high schools saw improved graduation rates in 2019:

Valley by 5.2 percentage points to 72.8%
Albuquerque by 3.8 to 76.6%.
Eldorado by 3.1 to 82.8%
Sandia by 2.3 to 79.6%
Rio Grande by 2.1 to 63.1%
Volcano Vista by 1.8 to 84.1%
West Mesa 1.2 to 69.1%
Atrisco Heritage Academy by .5 to 71.3%
Manzano, increased by .2 to 72.2%

Three APS magnet schools saw improved graduation rates as well:

Early College Academy by 3.1 to 93%
Freedom by 4.9 to 42.7%
And College and Career High School, which gained 1.4 percentage points. The dual-credit school located on the CNM campus has the district’s highest graduation rate, an astounding 98.5%.

Graduation Rates by High School
APS High School	2017 grad rate	2018 grad rate	2019 grad rate	1-Year Difference
District w/ Charters	67.9	69.6	70.1	.5
District w/o Charters	72.6	72.9	73.7	.8
Albuquerque High	70.1	72.8	76.6	3.8
Atrisco Heritage Academy	70.8	70.8	71.3	.5
Cibola High	78.1	82.4	79.4	-3
College and Career	97.3	97.1	98.5	1.4
Del Norte High	58.6	57.9	56.9	-1
Early College Academy	90.6	89.9	93	3.1
Eldorado High	78.8	79.7	82.8	3.1
Freedom High	47.0	37.8	42.7	4.9
Highland High	54.2	59.4	55	-4.4
La Cueva High	87.4	88.5	84.9	-3.6
Manzano High	75.8	72.0	72.2	.2
New Futures	32.2	30.0	23.8	-6.2
NexGen Academy	83.9	95.5	88	-7.5
Rio Grande High	61.0	61.0	63.1	2.1
Sandia High	79.2	77.3	79.6	2.3
School On Wheels	20.8	50.3	43.1	-7.2
Valley High	75.2	67.6	72.8	5.2
Volcano Vista High	84.7	82.3	84.1	1.8
West Mesa High	63.8	67.9	69.1	1.2

Graduation Rates by Demographic Group

Four demographic groups in APS saw improved graduation rates in 2019:

Native Americans by 2 percentage points to 56.2%
Hispanics by 1.4 to 69.3%
Economically Disadvantaged by .5 to 62.8%
English Learners by 2.4 to 70.2%

Graduation Rate by Demographic Group
Demographic Group	2017 grad rate	2018 grad rate	2019 grad rate	1-Year Difference
Asian	83.3	84.6	84.4	-.2
African American	65.2	63.4	59.3	-4.1
Native American	54.6	52.2	56.2	2
White/Caucasian	75.5	77.2	75.4	-1.8
Hispanic	65.8	67.9	69.3	1.4
Economically Disadvantaged	61.6	62.3	62.8	.5
English Learners	69.4	67.8	70.2	2.4
Special Education	62.6	65.2	62.8	-2.4