CCSD program gives students extra year to earn diplomas

More than 300 high school students in the Clark County School District were able to earn their diplomas, thanks to the district’s five-year graduation program.

The program permits students who did not meet the requirements to graduate in four years to have an additional year to get their degree, district officials stated in a news release.

“I’m grateful for our students’ determination,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Brenda Larson-Mitchell stated. “I am also appreciative of the educators who supported them in their journey to earning a high school diploma.”

The 315 students who benefited from the five-year program helped raise the graduation rate for the class of 2022 from 81.3 percent to 82.5 percent in 29 district high schools, as measured by the Nevada Department of Education, the release said.

Four high schools achieved a 100 percent five-year graduation rate, the release said. Those schools are Indian Springs High School, Sandy Valley High School, College of Southern Nevada High School-East and College of Southern Nevada High School-South.

Sierra Vista High School’s graduation rate, adding in the five-year students, rose from 81 percent to 90 percent and Indian Springs’ rate increased by 14 percent to 100 percent.

The graduation rate for all student groups together increased by 1 percent with the rate for Pacific Islanders growing the most, by 2.4 percent, the release said.

The five-year graduates also overcame the challenge of working outside a traditional school environment by participating in almost a full year of distance learning, district officials stated.

Contact Jeff Burbank at jburbank@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0382. Follow him @JeffBurbank2 on X.