FROM STAFF REPORTS

The graduation rate for Iredell-Statesville Schools increased to nearly 90 percent for the 2019-2020 school year, but Superintendent Jeff James said there is no room for complacency.

“While we are happy to hear that our graduation rate is up across Iredell-Statesville Schools, we realize that anything less than 100 percent means that we still have work to do,” James said in a news release. “The 2020-2021 school year will be a critical year to make sure that we are connecting with our students and keeping them engaged.”

The N.C. State Board of Education approved the 2019-2020 Graduation Rate on Wednesday. The North Carolina four-year cohort rate is 87.6 percent.

I-SS reported an 89.1 percent graduation rate, up from 86.5 in 2018-2019.

In addition to an overall increase across the district, graduation rates at North Iredell High, Statesville High School and West Iredell High School all improved.

The district’s early college programs — Crossroads, CCTL and ASEC — all boast 100 percent graduation rates for 2019-2020.

Among traditional high schools, Lake Norman had the highest graduation rate in 2019-2020 at 90.6 percent, but that number was down from 94.1 percent a year earlier.

North Iredell High showed the most improvement from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020, as its graduation rate jumped from 84.9 percent to 90.6 percent.

Source: Iredell-Statesville Schools