When Kneico Daniels takes the stage Wednesday to graduate from Elizabeth Andrews High School, he'll join a growing number of students who get their diploma, only to still be counted as a dropout.
Daniels didn't get serious about high school until an incident last year made him realize going through life without a diploma was not going to be a life at all. At 25, he's receiving his diploma finally from a program that gives students a second chance after failing to succeed in a traditional program.
The nation’s high-school graduation rate for the 2013-14 school year was 82.3 percent — the highest it’s ever been. Elizabeth Andrews reported a graduation rate of 17.9 percent for the 2014-2015 school year, up from 9.3 percent the previous year.
Most Elizabeth Andrews students failed to graduate within five years of starting high school, and so can be classified as dropouts. Many come from impoverished backgrounds and had to work full-time jobs. Others struggled with homelessness and family instability. Many at the school were not academically successful in a traditional program.
The school holds up to four graduations per year to accommodate students as they finish coursework. In March, 26 received diplomas. Four of those graduated within four years of their freshman year, 13 within five. According to statistics, nine dropouts received diplomas that day.
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