Denton’s dropout rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point between the class of 2006 and the class of 2007, but district leaders say there’s room to improve.

The Texas Education Agency released dropout rates as part of its annual accountability ratings.

Jamie Wilson, deputy superintendent for the Denton school district, said dropouts are a main focus in everything the district does, and it wants to make sure students receive a diploma and graduate from high school.

“If there’s one kid [who drops out], you’re never really pleased. You want all your kids to graduate,” Wilson said.

Out of the 936 students who either started ninth grade in 2004 or joined the class of 2007 in the following years, 20, or 2.1 percent, dropped out.

Of the 870 students in the previous class, 20, or 2.3 percent, dropped out.

In 2003, the state Legislature redefined a dropout as students who do not graduate on time and do not return to school the following semester either to make up class credits or pass the exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exam, Wilson said.

Wilson said students who declare they are transferring to another district in the state but whose transfers cannot be verified are also considered dropouts.

The first students reported as dropouts under the new definition left school during the 2005-06 school year.

Before the new definition, students who received their GEDs were excluded from being considered dropouts, Wilson said.

At the start of every school year, Wilson said, the district makes it its mission to locate students who do not return to school for the fall. After completing the first 10 days of school, the district compiles a list of students who have not graduated and did not return to school.

The district has until Oct. 1 to either contact the students or determine why they did not return to school before they’re considered dropouts, he said.

“We’re concerned about every one of them, and we move forward to show as few [dropouts] as possible,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the district’s dropout rate is decreasing because of the administration’s support for students.

To retain students who run the risk of dropping out, the district offers counseling programs to help students get on track for graduation, credit recovery courses and partnerships with area colleges and nonprofit organizations that encourage students to focus on their studies.

One of the district’s partners is Communities in Schools of North Texas, a dropout prevention program that helps Denton County and Wise County students considered to be at risk of failing or dropping out of school.

The nonprofit program, founded in 1994, offers assistance to Denton schools that have a high rate of at-risk students who could possibly leave school. This fall, program organizers anticipate the program will help at least 100 students in 10 Denton schools with mentoring, tutoring and finding other resource they need.

Gary Henderson, executive director of the organization, said that for many students, “dropping out of school is a process, not an event.”

Many students who drop out are faced with personal resource challenges where they simply don’t have the supplies needed or help at home to do well in school. Communities in Schools offers free resources to help students succeed in school.

About 90 percent of the students who participate in the program succeed either by advancing to the next grade level or graduating, Henderson said.

“It’s our job to provide the resources … so that children stay engaged in education,” he said.

In other area school districts, dropout rates ranged from zero to 8.9 percent.

Pilot Point and Argyle school districts showed no dropouts for the second consecutive year.

Pilot Point Superintendent Glenn Barber said his district sustained that rate because it is a small district where students who are at risk of dropping out receive more personal attention and one-on-one help. Keeping students involved in activities outside the regular school day also keeps the dropout rate at zero, he said.

For those students who don’t fit into the traditional high school setting and run the risk of dropping out, Barber said, alternative programs are also provided.

Telena Wright, interim superintendent in Argyle, said that district provides early intervention options to students considering dropping out of school. When a student expresses a desire to leave school, the district provides them with choices, she said.

“They’re presented with a myriad of possibilities for continuing their education, possibilities such as an alternative high school setting,” Wright said. “There’s a great deal of counseling with them and their parents.”

The Sanger school district saw an increase of 1.2 percentage points in the dropout rate between the classes of 2006 and 2007, and administrators say that the percentage of students who left school at Sanger High is still substantially low. Recorded ratings for Sanger’s class of 2007 indicate that 11 students dropped out.

Jack Biggerstaff, superintendent of the district, said only three dropouts were recorded at Sanger High School while the other eight were recorded at Linda Tutt High School, the district’s alternative education program, which also educates students from other nearby districts.

“The definition of a ‘dropout’ was changed for alternative education campuses only in 2005-06, which made dropout numbers go up,” Biggerstaff said. “When the dropout numbers are separated between the two campuses, then the dropout rate is low for Sanger High School.”

Identifying whether or not a student is at risk of dropping out in the Sanger school district is handled with early intervention, said Jackie McBroom, assistant superintendent for educational services.

Some interventions include mentoring students, while others may resort in students transferring to Linda Tutt High. He said many students who attend the school may face a crisis that keeps them from finishing within four years, which means they are labeled as dropouts.

At Linda Tutt, dropout figures are not a main concern, McBroom said — what counts is getting students to push forward even after they’ve missed the four-year graduation mark to earn their diploma. About 95 percent of students at Linda Tutt eventually finish and earn a high school diploma.

“Typically, it may take a student five to six years to finish at Linda Tutt,” he said. “If they finish, it’s a great celebration.”

BRITNEY TABOR can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is btabor@dentonrc.com

Here is a look at the percentage of students from the classes of 2006 and 2007 who dropped out of school in area districts.

SOURCE: Texas Education Agency