DeKalb School District Graduation Rate at 91.9% for 2019-20

September 18, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County School District’s graduation rate which had been on the rise in the previous two years lost ground in 2019-20 amid a turbulent school year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to data released this week by the Tennessee Department of Education, DeKalb County’s graduation rate was at 91.9%, a drop from the 94.4% in 2018-19 and below 93.7% in 2017-18. It still exceeded the state’s graduation rate by 2.3%.

The DCHS graduation rate has been up and down over the last several years. For 2016-17 it was 95.41%. Four years ago, the rate was 97.58% and 95.8% five years ago.

Statewide, of the 2019-20 cohort, over a third of districts improved their graduation rates and 89.6 percent graduated on time with a regular diploma, a slight dip (0.1 percent) compared to last year.

Access the 2019-20 graduation rate data here: https://www.tn.gov/education/data/data-downloads.html.

Each year, there is a critical time period from around March through August when schools help students complete credits and meet graduation requirements. This year in those critical months, there were significant COVID-19 disruptions that may have impacted how students received essential supports.

“Tennessee has set high expectations for students and educators and we recognize their hard work and achievements despite a global pandemic, but any dip in graduation rate is highly concerning,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “As we look for ways to improve, we will continue to partner with districts and use data to help inform strategies for setting students on a path to success.”

For the 2019-20 school year, the most notable takeaways in the state are:
69 districts improved their graduation rates from 2019 to 2020.
58 districts graduated 95 percent or more of their cohorts.
37 schools had graduation rates of 100 percent.

Six districts improved by five percentage points or more—Dyersburg City Schools, Fayetteville City Schools, Hardeman County Schools, Obion County Schools, Weakley County Schools, and West Carroll Special School District.

529 fewer students graduated in the 2020 cohort compared to last year, for a total of 64,514.
The most notable takeaways from the student groups statewide for the 2019-20 school year are:

36 districts improved the Students with Disabilities student group by five percentage points or more. Overall, the Students with Disabilities student group improved from 72.5 percent for the 2018-19 school year to 73.1 percent for 2019-20.

While 23 districts improved the Economically Disadvantaged student group by five percentage points or more, the overall student group slightly declined from 82.9 percent to 82.7 percent for 2019-20.

14 districts improved the Black/Hispanic/Native American student group by five percentage points or more. Moreover, this student group slightly declined from 83.7 percent in 2018-19 to 82.9 percent for the 2019-20 graduation cohort.

Five districts improved the English Learner student group by five percentage points or more. Overall, the English learner student group declined from 71.9 percent for 2018-19 to 68.6 percent for the 2019-20 cohort.

For more information on graduation rates for individual districts and schools, please visit the department’s Data Downloads webpage.

September 18, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

A DeKalb County Blood Assurance Drive will be Wednesday, September 23 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital inside the Bloodmobile at the hospital parking lot.

All donors will be given either a t-shirt or beach towel. All donors who donate 2 times this summer will automatically be entered for a chance to win a “Big Green Egg+ Eggcessories”

Save time on your donation by answering your health history questions the day of the blood donation before you arrive. Download “bloodassurancequicksreen” on your phone and answer the questions online.

Blood Assurance will also be doing the Antibody Screening for donors who wish to have this done the day of the drive during their donation.

To schedule an appointment, go to Bloodassurance.org/saintthomasdekalb or contact Trudy Cody at 931-239-9411 or trudycody@bloodassurance.org.

Please remember to EAT A GOOD MEAL and drink additional water and bring a photo ID. Blood Assurance is the SOLE blood provider for our local hospitals.

September 17, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is offering an option to complete Tennessee Hunter Education all online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course can be completed by using the online course, Hunter-Ed.com, with no in-person portion required.

The online course found at https://www.hunter-ed.com/tennessee/ allows Tennessee students (ages 9 and up), who satisfactorily complete this online course to become certified Tennessee Hunter Education graduates. This option would allow students who complete the online course to forego the previously required 4-hour field day. Students would have immediate proof of course completion in the form of their completion certificate.

Hunter-Ed.com is highly acclaimed. The course is very interactive and contains videos, animation, and active quizzes. The course also features a lot of Tennessee specific information. The online course costs $28.95. Students will only pay if they pass the course.

Students ages 9 and over, who already are enrolled in a Hunter Education course, can switch over to Hunter-Ed.com to complete the course.

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