The Upper Canada District School Board is excited to report that for a third consecutive year, students are graduating from UCDSB schools at a higher rate than ever before. However, the UCDSB’s rate still lags slightly behind other boards in Eastern Ontario.
The 2023-24 graduation numbers show that 86.1 per cent of UCDSB students who began grade 9 in 2019-2020 graduated in four years while 89.2 per cent of those who started grade 9 in 2018-2019 graduated in five years.
For the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, the four-year rates is 86.1 per cent and the five-year rate is 91.7 per cent.
At the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’est ontarien, the four-year rate is 94.4 per cent and five-year rate is 94.1 per cent.
At the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, the four-year rate is 89.5 per cent while the five-year rate is 91 per cent.
On a provincial level, as of August 31, 2023, 84.3 per cent of students who began grade 9 in the 2019-2020 academic year graduated within four years, and 89.5 per cent of students who began grade 9 in the 2018-2019 academic year graduated within five years.
The UCDSB says, “This continuous and progressive growth underscores the effectiveness of our focus on modern teaching practices, attention to credit attainment, and our commitment to ensuring students are getting the support they need to be successful.”
“Over the last three academic years, we have seen our graduation rate move upwards and draw closer to our overall goal of achieving, and maintaining, 90 per cent,” says Board Chair Jamie Schoular. “The steady improvement we’ve seen is a testament to our strategic direction of putting reading, writing and math at the centre of our work and ensuring our students engage in purposeful learning. We are connecting better with our students and ensuring the meaning of the work is more than just passing to move on to the next grade. We will continue to strive towards reaching our 90 per cent grade rate goal, but I am proud of how far we have come.”
Adds Director of Education Ron Ferguson: “This increase in graduation rates is a reflection of the unwavering commitment to our students we see from our educators and from those who guide our system. It’s motivating to see our students reaching new heights and I’m excited to see what this year will bring.”
The UCDSB has been recognized by the Ontario Human Rights Commission more than once in the area of reading. Most recently, the UCDSB was highlighted in the 2 Year Update Right to Read Inquiry Report.
