Danville, Va. – Danville Public Schools have announced a plan to improve on-time graduation rates, which remain below the state average.

Across Virginia, the Virginia Department of Education reported a 93 percent on-time graduation rate for the class of 2021 with a 4.3 percent dropout rate.

For Danville Public Schools, these rates show that 79.2 percent of the 375-students who graduated did so on time. That compares to an 81% on-time graduation rate the previous year.

At George Washington High School 75% of the class of 2021 graduated on time with just under two percent getting their GEDs, nearly eight percent still enrolled, and 11 percent dropped out.

The numbers are much higher at Galileo Magnet High School, where 97% of the class of 2021 graduated on time with 3% of students having received their GED.

“I am so proud of the 2021 Galileo graduates, and all they did to meet graduation requirements while in the midst of a pandemic,” Galileo Principal Michelle Ramsey said. “As we move forward, we are working to keep the graduation rate high in hopes of all students graduating on-time.”

After 18 months of distance learning, the school system worked to provide opportunities for high school students over the summer with a three-week summer school program. Three hundred high school students participated in the program, and 32 students received diplomas in July.

GWHS has launched its “Operation Graduation” to improve on-time graduation numbers.