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Graduation and proficiency rates trending up over time across the District

Graduation and proficiency rates trending up over time across the District

With graduation season approaching, Acting Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services Dr. Marie Gaboton-Swift, presented the improving graduation and proficiency rate trends throughout the District at the Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.  

Overall, English language arts proficiency has increased 26% and math proficiency has increased 29% District-wide in the past 10 years. In that time, the graduation rates have risen from 58% to 74%, an increase of 16%. 

“In the last 10 years, the Mount Vernon City School District has made great progress academically," said Dr. Gaboton-Swift. "We have slowly been making these gains because of the programs we have instituted throughout the years. While the rest of the country was fearful of the educational loss due to the pandemic, Mount Vernon students in our various grades have improved their ELA and math proficiency compared to pre-pandemic scores. Our graduation rates also continued to rise during the pandemic” 

In the past five years, students from all three high schools have enrolled into over 20 prestigious colleges and universities, including Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Cornell and Columbia.  

“These trends are the result of a firm commitment to our scholars over the past several years by our District’s teachers and administrators,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith. “We have introduced new programs in pre-K to 12th grade classrooms in order to advance student achievement, and we have seen tremendous results in test scores, graduation rates, college acceptances and scholarships received.” 

View the trends below:  

Year 

ELA Proficiency 

Math Proficiency 

Graduation Rates (District) 

2013-14 

16% 

12% 

58% 

2014-15 

12% 

15% 

53% 

2015-16 

14% 

13% 

61% 

2016-17 

23% 

16% 

68% 

2017-18 

28% 

22% 

68% 

2018-19 

34% 

28% 

70% 

2019-20 

36% 

31% 

68% 

2020-21 

No Data 

No Data 

72% 

2021-22 

39% 

24% 

79% 

2022-23 

42% 

39% 

74% 

Click here to view the full presentation. 

ELA + Math proficiency
Graduation Rates
84 % graduates go to 4 year college
Prestigious College Enrollment
College Acceptances
College Acceptances

 

Students holding I voted signs.

Students in the Academic and Career Exploration (ACE) Program at Mount Vernon High School visited City Hall on Friday, November 1, 2024, to cast their early votes in the 2024 General Election. The trip incorporated independent living skills that they have been learning about for the past two to three years. With teacher supervision, they walked from MVHS and caught the Beeline bus, using metro cards for the first time.

A group of friends posing together in front of bouncy castles.

The Graham School field and parking lot were filled with crisp leaves, loud music and sounds of enjoyment, as hundreds of Mount Vernon residents walked from table to table, enjoying fun activities, snacks and live performances.  On November 2, 2024, the Mount Vernon City School District held its annual District-wide Fall Festival to promote unity and connection amongst the community. 

Click here to view the photo gallery!

         

Students wearing costumes.

Creative costumes filled Mount Vernon City School District hallways on Thursday, October 31, 2024, as students celebrated Halloween. Among the celebrations, high school students at Rebecca Turner Academy handed out candy and painted faces of pre-K children, building community through collaboration. At Benjamin Turner Academy, parents, staff and students in the upper grades handed out candy to younger students in the library. At Graham School, the hallways were decorated with tables, and students walked around collecting treats. Hamilton School also held its annual trunk or treat.

Sheba Serna

Sheba Serna, a Mount Vernon High School Class of 1992 graduate, was recently awarded as Rebecca Turner Academy’s Teacher of the Year for the 2023-2024 school year by the Mount Vernon City School District. Ms. Serna worked in the Sundown Alternative Program prior to the founding of RTA, and she values her work deeply because she feels that she would have been an RTA student herself. The support she received at MVHS helped to propel her towards a teaching career within the District.

View the Q+A with Ms. Serna here!

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Dr. K. Veronica Smith, Acting Superintendent of Schools: 

This morning, we held a meeting with Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, Mount Vernon High School, Rebecca Turner Academy and Denzel Washington School of the Arts stakeholders regarding student searches at arrival and are working towards a resolution of this matter. These searches were implemented to keep all students in the building safe, and we are looking for an equitable solution that maintains our safety standards while providing a positive school culture and ensuring students are respected. We will continue to work with stakeholders to create a safe environment at all Mount Vernon City School District schools.