Courtney Coles, Student at Dudley High School

What are the issues?

Guilford County like many school systems struggled with high school graduation rates. Data showed low student attendance, high levels of school suspensions, and record numbers of drop-outs. In fact, one of Guilford County's high schools, Dudley High School, was called the "Dropout Factory" in an Associated Press report.

Courtney Coles, at 16 years old, despairingly said, "I just stopped coming in my 11th grade. I felt like the work was too hard and I wasn't going to be able to do it and catch up."

According to the February 7, 2008 GCS News Brief, "data analysis found that almost one-third of all dropout events continue to occur during the ninth-grade year with 25 percent of dropouts leaving in tenth-grade and 22 percent of them dropping out in eleventh-grade. Dropout rates increase in frequency as students reach 16 years of age. Seventy-eight percent of dropout events occurred between the ages of 16 and 18." Dropouts negatively impact a community. They drain a community's resources, are unable to contribute to the community's growth, and cannot fill the community's business employment needs. Getting potential dropouts to finish high school is serious business indeed

Cynthia Williams, Graduation Coach, Dudley High School

What are they doing?

By August 2007 Guilford County Schools placed fifteen graduation coaches in all regular (non-middle or early college) high schools. These coaches mentor drop-out students and get them to return to high school, find their way back to class, and obtain their diplomas.

Graduation coaches work on an individual level with those students who need to be coaxed back to obtain their high school English, math, and other requirements. Coaches might tutor students, help them in the computer lab, or just listen to student's worries.

How does this make a difference?

Supported by a GCS Graduation Coach, Courtney Coles is catching up. She's back in school. When most students are calling it a day, Courtney's logging on for three more hours in the computer lab to make up credits. With a smile, Courtney says, "I'll be the first one in my family to graduate."

"Guilford's overall graduation rate is the best in the state," former GCS Superintendent Terry Grier claims. "A few years ago the drop-out rate was 5.97% and this year it dropped to 2.99%." The rate was cut almost in half since the 1999-00 rate.

The following chart, from the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction in its 2006-07 Annual Dropout Report, compares the Guilford County dropout rate to other large districts in the state, as well as the rates of surrounding counties:

According to the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction (in its 2006-07 Annual Dropout Report), Guilford County Schools' dropout rate of 2.99 percent is not only significantly below the state average of 5.24 percent, but it is also the lowest among the largest districts in the state. Additionally, it is believed that GCS' dropout rate ranks among the lowest of the nation's 50 largest districts.