New Hanover, Brunswick Counties schools dropout rate lowers

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – New Hanover County Schools’ and Brunswick County Schools’ dropout rates for the 2015-2016 school year have improved slightly, according to the 2015-16 Consolidated Data Report posted by the State Board of Education on Wednesday.

According to the report, the NHCS dropout rate is 1.65 percent for the 2015-2016 academic year, a slight decrease from the previous year’s rate of 1.92 percent.

The report states that this is the third year in which the dropout rate has improved.

“The continued reduction of our dropout rate is a credit to our teachers and principals who work every day with our students,” said Dr. Tim Markley, NHCS Superintendent. “It is also the result of a strong commitment by our Board of Education to this issue.”

An NHCS news release also credited the improvement to the district’s Drop Out Prevention Committee, a group comprised of high school principals and central office administrators which aims to help students complete their high school graduation requirements.

The release said that the committee meets monthly to discuss drop-out prevention issues such as behavior, mental health, discipline and data analysis.

Brunswick County Schools saw a 13 percent decrease in the number of students who dropped out.  The overall dropout rate for the district in 2015-2016 was 3.26 percent, representing a decrease from 3.82 percent in the 2014-2015 school year.

Like Dr. Markley, Brunswick County Schools Superintendent Les Tubbs credited the hard work of the school’s teachers and principals in developing personal relationships with students.

“We believe all students in our district should be known by and have at least one adult advocate who support and encourage them,” he said. “This continues to be our goal.”