Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill remains focused on reaching a 100% graduation rate

More than 1,300 students in Burbank Unified received their high school diplomas last May to the applause of Burbank school officials, who, months later, have turned their attention to seniors who didn’t earn enough credits to graduate.

Of the 1,315 seniors who were part of the class of 2016, 88 did not graduate last May, according to data school officials released last week.

Since then, school officials have kept a close watch on those students and what they’re doing to finish their studies.

“Here in Burbank, we’re focused until that child’s done,” said Burbank Unified Supt. Matt Hill during a recent school board meeting.

When Hill was hired to helm Burbank Unified in 2015, he said that reaching a 100% graduation rate would be among his top priorities. Data from recent years revealed that, overall, Burbank Unified was sending more than 90% of its seniors off into the world with diplomas year after year, but the percentage never rose above 95%.

In his first year as superintendent, Hill and his staff made personal phone calls to students who didn’t graduate — and their parents — to encourage them to finish their studies.

The goal of reaching a 100% graduation rate remains Hill’s “biggest passion,” he told school board members last week, and that achievement requires a district-wide effort by not just instructors, but also counselors and teacher specialists who can help intervene when students earn Ds or Fs.

“The systemic approach we’re taking here in Burbank requires every single employee,” Hill said.

Part of the district’s approach involves administrators closely tracking those who don’t graduate.

Since last May’s graduation ceremonies for Burbank, John Burroughs and Monterey high students, 18 students completed their degrees over the summer, said John Paramo, director of secondary education for Burbank Unified.

Another 63 are currently enrolled at Monterey, Burroughs or Burbank high schools — or the Burbank Adult School — to complete their degrees, he said.

One student is working on their degree in a home-study program, while another is enrolled in an independent-study program. Three are enrolled in Options For Youth, a charter school, and two have moved outside Burbank Unified.

Beyond the class of 2016, Hill and fellow administrators are still tracking 11 students who were part of the class of 2015 but did not earn a diploma and are not enrolled anywhere currently.

Meanwhile, another 32 students who were part of the 2015 class are currently enrolled in Burbank campuses or in other districts to finish their degrees, Paramo said.

As school officials encourage students to graduate, it’s important to “learn their story,” Hill said.

“Some may take six years, seven years, eight years,” he added.

Of the 11 students in the 2015 class not enrolled anywhere, some have faced medical issues, while others have worked to sustain their families or have dealt with other personal hurdles.

“There’s no way a couple of these students could have graduated in four [years]. They’re not going to graduate in five. And we’re hopeful we can get them through this year,” Hill said. “I think we need to be accountable to know when these students are going to graduate eventually.”

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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan