Ventura County high school graduation rates have risen slightly from pre-pandemic levels, an indication that across-the-board improvements made in 2022 are working. However, Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) statistically hasn’t been able to keep up with the 2022 to 2023 gains, as did most districts. Here’s a breakdown of how VUSD fared across other districts countywide, and how Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) mitigates graduation.
The campus closures amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic depleted graduation rates across every one of the nine public school districts with high schools in the county. In some districts, the numbers continued to fall in 2021, while campuses were still adapting to online learning. To mitigate the risks for the then-incoming classes of 2021 and 2022, the California State Assembly Bill 104 was passed in July of 2021, a law that had to reduce graduation requirements for the two classes.
The extra boost, as well as other individual improvements, helped the county recover in 2022, with most districts in 2023 maintaining their numbers, even without the prior law. Of the class of 2023, countywide, 91% of them collected their diplomas, which is a half point down from 2022 but still remains higher than the 89.3% of those who graduated back in 2019 (the last full academic year before the pandemic).
VUSD, which has 5,300 high school students in five schools, topped their pre-pandemic graduation rate in 2022 with 91.9% but then fell again in 2023 at 87.1%, two points lower than in 2019. Currently, Oxnard Union High School District (Oxnard Union), which accounts for more than a third of the county’s high school students, remains just at the statewide average mark for four-year cohort graduation rates after experiencing a dramatic arc throughout the pandemic. Oxnard Union now stands at 89.5%, which is still above that of VUSD.
A different story pans out with Simi Valley Unified School District (Simi Valley Unified), of which shared about the same graduation rate with VUSD of 89.3% back in 2019, but has since steadily remained three full percentage points above. The district holds 5,400 high schoolers across six schools, and of its class of 2023, 92.3% of them were able to collect diplomas. One of the more dramatic declines happened to Santa Paula Unified, which held a tremendous 94.3% of graduates before the pandemic but fell to 90.1%, near the upper end of the statewide total.
Foothill Tech’s graduation rate has consistently remained above the rest of VUSD’s graduation rate total, and therefore well above the total statewide, but it has also still experienced some fluctuations as a result of the pandemic. The school was at a 100% mark during the last full academic year but experienced a three-point drop as the pandemic started. It rose again to be on par with its former mark while the mitigating measures were in place, but as of 2023 the percentage has fallen to 94.5%. It’s still inconclusive to determine if the number will continue to drop.
Part of Oxnard Union and Simi Valley Unified stable marks has been accredited to improvements within student support systems, such as tailored online course programs that have proven more flexible, as well as subsequent student interventions that center around mental health and faster proactive support for any classes students may be falling behind in. Foothill Tech has also similarly adopted its own system.
Most recently, the school has opened a wellness center, a space dedicated to several mental health resources and tools for students to enhance their emotional and social health, and is an inviting safe space where students can comfortably unwind or talk if need be. Many relaxing activities are held by the wellness center, such as the notorious petting zoo and the Crochet Club. The center offers support groups for those exposed to alcoholism or dealing with grief and anxiety. The center has shaped a more welcoming campus community that positively impacts emotional and student success, especially after the adverse effects of the pandemic.
Another key support has been a special advisory period (FIRE) specifically made for upperclassmen who are at risk of failing. This daily 30-minute period is dedicated to supporting educational goals, where assigned students work one-on-one with a designated advisor to formally plan and execute a pathway to meet graduation requirements on time. An independent study program available at the main three high schools, including Foothill Tech, is FLEX. Accessed via counselors, the program allows students to remain enrolled in the same classes they perform well in, and switch online for the others in order to better focus on a few structured classes at a time.
If there’s a silver lining to be had by the drastic graduation rate fluctuations countywide and throughout the state, it’s the notable difference several schools are making to reflect on how best to support their students now and allow the rest of their future success to follow. While the previous events left an expected decline in graduation for the cohort of 2023, hopefully districts can continue to implement and change student support systems that will make a positive turn for all student success. The following data and individualistic information can be found on California’s Department of Education’s website.
