Holyoke Public Schools continues to see gains in its graduation rates, as reflected in recently published data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The district’s 2023-24 graduation rate reached 77.1 percent, an increase of 2.5 percentage points compared to 2022-23 and an increase of more than 15 percentage points as compared to the 2014-15 school year (the year prior to receivership). The 2023-24 graduation rate is the highest for HPS since prior to the start of receivership.
Last year’s graduation rates for subgroups of students were also significantly higher as compared to 2014-15:
English Language Learners — up more than 32 percentage points, from 35.5 percent in 2014-15 to 67.9 percent in 2023-24.
Students With Disabilities — up almost 31 percentage points, from 32.1 percent in 2014-15 to 63 percent in 2023-24.
Hispanic/Latino Students — up more than 20 percentage points, from 55.6 percent in 2015-16 to 76.2 percent in 2023-24.
Similarly to graduation rates, the district’s dropout rates have overall declined since the year prior to the start of receivership. In 2023-24, HPS saw a dropout rate of 4.9 percent, down from 7.6 percent in 2014-15. However, the dropout rate increased during the 2020-21 school year during the COVID-19 pandemic and has fluctuated since then. Improving the high school completion rate and decreasing the number of dropouts remains a high priority across the district.
“I am incredibly proud of the efforts of our students, families, and staff members—and our community that supports them,” shared Mayor Joshua Garcia. “It takes tremendous commitment to persevere through challenges, strive to do your best in school, and graduate high school prepared for life, career, and college.”
The graduation data provided to date reflects the state’s previous requirements that students pass certain MCAS tests in order to graduate. Following a successful ballot initiative vote in November 2024, Massachusetts eliminated its MCAS graduation requirements and now allows individual school districts to establish their own competency determination requirements. Graduation decisions for the 2024-25 school year will not be determined by MCAS results, even though HPS students are continuing to take these assessments.
Holyoke released a High School Redesign Plan during the 2016-15 school year. This plan was intended to transform the high school experience to ensure that every student has a high-quality educational option. The opportunities that are a part of the redesign plan, including theme-based academies, early college learning, hands-on learning, career and vocational technical education, and alternative pathways, allow for students to experience success in many different ways.
“The redesign of Holyoke’s high school programming at the start of receivership set the district on a path for providing a variety of high-interest pathways for students, which lead to greater engagement in school,” said Superintendent Anthony Soto. “Over the past four years, we have invested significantly in instructional leadership, standards-aligned curriculum, high-quality teaching practices, and social emotional support for our students. This is contributing to greater success for our students at all grade levels.”
While HPS celebrates these improvements, there is still more work to be done to ensure that all students reach their full potential, educators inspire, families are partners, and the community thrives.
“In 2011, nearly 10 percent of Holyoke high school students dropped out of school and less than 50 percent of students graduated from high school,” said Jackie Glasheen, a long-time Holyoke Public Schools employee who will take on the role of assistant superintendent on June 1. “While the improvement in our graduation rates is significant, we will not be satisfied until every one of our students graduate from high school prepared to excel in higher education or their chosen path.”