County’s Dropout Rate Drops to an All-Time Low

Ventura County’s annual high school dropout rate fell to an all-time low of 2.1% for the 1997-98 school year, down from a previous 2.5%, according to a state Department of Education report released Monday.

The decline paralleled statewide dropout rates, which have fallen every year since 1993. The statewide rate fell from 3.3% in 1996-97 to 2.9% last school year.

Other Southern California dropout rates for the 1997-98 school year ranged from 3.4% in Los Angeles County to 2.3% in Santa Barbara County to 1.9% in Orange County.

But some educators argue that the state’s method for calculating dropout rates doesn’t accurately reflect how many students actually quit school. They say some students fail to earn their diplomas for a wide variety of reasons but are not included in the dropout rate.

“The fact that we have a low dropout rate is a very positive sign,” said Doug Stone, spokesman for the state Department of Education. “But the rate of students graduating on time is fairly static. There is a disconnect between those numbers, and that is a problem that needs to be addressed.”

State officials won’t release graduation rates for individual counties and districts, arguing that those numbers don’t take into account students who move.

Ventura County schools Supt. Chuck Weis said he was pleased that the county’s dropout rate has continued its decline, but he voiced concern about the roughly 2,800 students countywide who quit school last year.

“The dropout problem is a very small percentage of kids that get turned off and don’t feel very successful in school,” he said. “We have to figure out what their problems are and give them what they need to succeed.”

According to state figures, the Ventura Unified School District showed the largest improvement in the county, with its dropout rate falling from 4.3% in 1996-97 to 1.4% last year. School officials attributed the dramatic drop to the district’s aggressive effort to target truancy, track down wayward students and find alternative schools for those who don’t succeed in a traditional setting.

“We really zeroed in on dropout rates,” district Supt. Joseph Spirito said. “And now that we’ve got it lower, the challenge will be keeping it there and getting it even lower.”

Oxnard Union High School District also reported a decline in its dropout rate, from 2.5% in 1996-97 to 2.3% last school year.

Oak Park Unified posted the county’s lowest dropout rate, 0.3%, followed by Ojai Unified with 0.9%.

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And although east county dropout rates were significantly below the state average, several districts reported a slightly higher rate in 1997-98 than the previous year. In Simi Valley, the rate rose from 1.5% to 1.7%. And in Moorpark, the rate jumped from 1.2% to 1.5%.

The only district with a dropout rate worse than the state average was Fillmore Unified, which posted a rate of 3.8%, up from 2.9% the year before. Fillmore Assistant Supt. Jane Kampbell said more students might be quitting school because of a new district policy that raised academic standards and required that students earn a certain number of credits before moving up to the next grade.

Next year, Kampbell said, the district plans to focus on developing more support systems for the students who can’t keep up with their peers.

“We’re going to give students as much help as we can, but not at the expense of high standards,” she said.

Education experts say dropping out generally is related to poverty, lack of mobility, poor academic performance and lack of bonds with adult role models. County Supt. Weis said all districts should track students who are on the edge, and reach out to them and their families as much as possible. A relationship with a teacher or a counselor could make the difference for a child on the verge of quitting.

Another way districts can keep dropout rates low, educators say, is to offer alternative school placements. There, students can work at their own paces, and schedules and curriculum can be tailored to their individual abilities. About one-tenth of Ventura County’s 135,000 students attend some form of alternative program, Weis estimated.

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“We have this one-size-fits-all high school program, and we know that all students don’t fit into that,” Weis said. “We can’t let any kids slip through the cracks. We really need to help every young person to graduate from high school.”

And that means more than just getting the youths to school. It also means offering them enough guidance to keep them there.

“We’ll keep going until [the dropout rate] gets to zero,” Weis said. “Any child that doesn’t get a high school education in the 21st century doesn’t have very many options.”

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STATISTICAL SURPRISE

Low state graduation rates may belie success in reducing dropouts. A1

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Dropout Rates

Paralleling a state trend, annual high school dropout rates have declined to record lows in Ventura County.

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District 1992-93 93-94 94-95 95-96 96-97 97-98 Conejo Valley Unified 1.5% 1.4% 1.8% 1.4% 1.3% 1.5% Fillmore Unified 2.6% 1.6% 2.9% 3.2% 2.9% 3.8% Moorpark Unified 2.0% 2.5% 1.9% 1.4% 1.2% 1.5% Oak Park Unified 0.4% 0.2% 0.1% 0.4% 0.3% 0.3% Ojai Unified 2.0% 4.3% 3.9% 1.7% 0.9% 0.9% Oxnard Union High 3.8% 2.6% 4.0% 2.9% 2.5% 2.3% Santa Paula Union High 3.3% 3.9% 1.7% 3.2% 2.2% 2.5% Simi Valley Unified 3.5% 2.6% 1.8% 2.1% 1.5% 1.7% Ventura Unified 4.3% 3.6% 5.0% 4.7% 4.3% 1.4% Ventura County 3.7% 3.1% 3.5% 2.9% 2.5% 2.1% California 5.0% 4.9% 4.4% 3.9% 3.3% 2.9%

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Source: State Department of Education