Tucson Unified School District, Mesa Public Schools' Graduation Rates Increase Greatly, National Study Says Among Country's Best

PHOENIX - May 21, 2009 - An improvement in graduation rates within two of Arizona's largest school districts over a 10-year period is raising eyebrows in academic circles nationwide.

According to Cities in Crisis 2009: Closing the Graduation Gap, an April, 2009 report prepared for America's Promise Alliance by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Council, the Tucson Unified School District witnessed a 22.7-percent increase in graduation rates from 1995-2005, placing it second behind Philadelphia for the largest statistical increase over a 10-year period among the predominant school district's in the nation's largest 50 cities.

The report also reported great news from Mesa Public Schools, which enjoyed the nation's top graduation rate among the largest 50 cities in 2005 (76.6-percent). Tucson Unified School District finished an impressive third on the list, with the Class of 2005 graduating at a 71.6-percent rate.

Like Tucson, Mesa Public Schools also witnessed an impressive increase in graduation rates during the 10-year period, finishing ninth overall with a 12-percent increase.

Kathy Bareiss, the director of community relations for Mesa Public Schools said the district employs multiple strategies to keep its students engaged, including:

• Providing a full array of electives, clubs, athletics and activities appealing to the individual interests of its students
• The district's high schools and junior highs offer transition programs welcome new students as they begin class at a new level
• The district offers multiple academic options including the Mesa Academy for Academic Studies, International Baccalaureate, focus schools with lower enrollment and smaller campus areas and distance learning
• The district's teachers are able indentify the strengths and weaknesses of classes and individual students and modify curriculum to strengthen necessary AIMS skills

Phoenix Union High School District, the only other Arizona school district cited in the report, finished 20th overall among the top 50 cities with a 2005 graduation rate of 58.0-percent.

The good news from Tucson and Mesa unfortunately wasn't echoed throughout all the top 50 cities - the report says the average graduation rate of the nation's 50 largest cities was well below the national average of 71-percent from 1995-2005. Overall, 19 of the top 50 cities witnessed the graduation rate at their principle school district decline during the period.

"The 10-year graduation rates show that progress is being made in some of America's largest cities, but significant work remains," said Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise Alliance in a news release discussing the report. Powell's husband, Gen. Colin Powell was the Alliance's founding chair in 1997.

To view the entire Cities in Crisis 2009: Closing the Graduation Gap report, please visit by clicking here.