SANFORD —
Lee County Schools’ dropout rate, which was 2.94 percent for the 2013-2014 school year according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, has come a long way since 2006, when it was 7.8 percent.
“We had a lot of work to do, and we’ve done a lot of work to change that number,” said LCS Superintendent Andy Bryan. “Last year, [the dropout rate] was 3.14 percent. We’re still slightly above the state average [2.28 percent], but we’ve made great progress.”
The district’s dropout rate has fallen every year since 2006 and Bryan attributes this trend to increased efforts to identify and support students at risk of dropping out.
“It takes district-wide approach to reduce the number,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard to set a strong foundation at the elementary level, and we’ve really tried to connect school to life after high school.”
Bryan pointed to a strong Career and Technical Education program, the Advancement Via Individual Determination program and the National Academy Foundation offerings at schools throughout the district as crucial to keeping students active and involved in their education.
“We view the dropout rate as a system number,” he said, “not reflective of just high schools, but of the entire district. We try to provide additional support to any student who needs it whether it’s mentoring, extra tutoring, additional guidance — all those things come together.”
Bryan applauded the partnerships the school district has forged with businesses and other organizations throughout Lee County.
“We have a number of community partnerships with local businesses, community groups and faith-based organizations,” Bryan said. “We have a lot of people collaborating with us to support students and really help us target at-risk students.”
The dropout rates for surrounding school districts are:
* Chatham County Schools – 1.88 percent
* Harnett County Schools – 3.47 percent
* Moore County Schools – 0.97 percent