By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
There are many ways to measure success in a high school. State assessment scores are one way, but Great Bend High School Principal Tim Friess told the USD 428 Board of Education that graduation rates are an even bigger number during Thursday's luncheon at GBHS. Friess also turned those numbers into actual people based on last year's graduation rate of 92.8 percent.
"One hundred sixty-eight out of 181 graduated," he said. "Now we're talking about 13 kids. Now, instead of a number, we're talking about 13 people we didn't get through."
That number is an improvement. The graduation rate just five years ago was 83.5 percent. Friess also broke graduation rates down by race and socioeconomic status. Five years ago, just 80 percent of Hispanic students graduated. That number was up to 94.3 percent last year. Just 77 percent of students on free and reduced lunches graduated five years ago. That number rebounded to 90 percent last year. Friess said that success comes from a concentrated effort on individuals.
"I think the numbers will justify that it works," he said. "Will it work for every kid? No. Do we have kids here that absolutely- they're not going to finish. I hate to say I will never in my lifetime be able to see 100 percent graduation unless we just say, 'Here, we're done, you can have it.' But we don't do that. We still hold them to a standard."
Friess said the approach has worked for all students. There are 42 seniors at the alternative learning center this year, and 30 have already graduated. GBHS has met or exceeded the state ACT average for each of the past four years, and 17 percent - 33 of 198 seniors this year - have a grade-point average of at least 4.0.