Recent education data released by the provincial government on Friday shows the Prince Albert Catholic School Division meeting or exceeding graduation rates in comparison to the rest of Saskatchewan.
The province monitors graduation rates for Non-First Nation, Métis and Inuit (non-FNMI) students, First Nation, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) students, and all students combined. The graduation rates for Ecole St. Mary High School have met or outperformed the provincial results in all categories since the province started a growth plan in 2020 focused on eliminating the disparity between FNMI and non-FMNI students.
Roughly 63 per cent of Prince Albert Catholic School Division FNMI students graduate within three years of starting high school. That’s well above the 40 per cent three-year graduation rate for FNMI students across the rest of the province. For non-FNMI students, 94 per cent graduate within three years in the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, while the provincial rate is 84 per cent.
Of the PA Catholic FNMI students who do not graduate within three years, 84 per cent graduate in five years. For the rest of Saskatchewan, that number is 62 per cent.
“When that occurred we quickly made some plans and we have been working through all of them and getting better every year, Prince Albert Catholic School Division education director Lorel Trumier said. “This year I am so pleased to say that we have changed the disparity in our system and that’s what we are celebrating.
“We have met or outperformed the province in every category and we did it during COVID,” she added.
Trumier said she believed this was the first time they had met or exceeded in all categories.
On average, Ecole St. Mary High School FNMI students graduate on time (within three years of entering high school) at a rate 14 per cent higher than FNMI students across the province. For non-FNMI St. Mary students, the graduation rate is five per cent higher. The data covers an 11 year period.
When students who graduate within five years of entering high school are included, St. Mary’s FNMI graduation rate increases to 19 per cent higher than the rest of the province. The Non-FNMI graduation rate remains five per cent higher than the rest of Saskatchewan.
“We are really pleased and I think these are stories of persistence for, of course our staff, but more importantly our children,” Trumier said.
“There is a lot of work that has happened from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. It’s the whole team that gets our children there and that includes the parents, the students themselves and our staff and it’s a long term effort, so we are really celebrating that today when we see our results,” she added.
When all graduation rates are combined, 78 per cent of Prince Albert Catholic Division students graduate. The provincial rate is 76 per cent. The five-year graduation rate for the Catholic Division is 89 per cent while the provincial rate in 86 per cent.
“These graduation rates demonstrate that École St Mary High School is a place where all students can learn,” school board chair Suzanne Stubbs said in a press release. “Whether students are involved in the arts, sports, practical and applied art courses, trades and skills, sciences or all academics, there is a pathway for all students at École St. High School.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
