To encourage more students to work toward an advanced Regents diploma, he said, district personnel have reached out to parents to explain the difference between the two diplomas — passing nine Regents exams instead of five. As well, guidance counselors monitor students’ progress, so if someone lacks credits after completing ninth grade, district administrators will take notice. “Being credit-deficient coming out of 10th grade really puts you behind the eight ball,” Scannell said. Students who have fewer credits than they should after their freshman year are given full schedules as sophomores, so they have the chance to earn the maximum number of credits.

Students who need to pick up an extra class have the option to attend Hastings Academy, the district’s alternative high school, after the school day ends. There are also many students, Scannell said, who do not do well in the standard nine-period day, with larger class sizes, and work better in a small setting like Hastings. “By coming to Hastings, they are in smaller classes and get back on track to graduate,” he said.

While other districts struggle with an “achievement gap,” in which one student demographic does significantly better than another, that is not the case in Baldwin. “Once you’re graduating a high number of students, you’re not leaving anybody behind,” Scannell said.

Another program that contributes to the graduation rate is summer school, he said. Students who fail classes or Regents exams can make up the work over the summer to stay on track. “We know the kids need it,” Scannell said, “and we know that would have a significant detrimental impact on the graduation rate if you took secondary summer school away.”

Over the summer, he said, he would continue examining the data to see if any recommendations can be made for next year. He added that he expects the figures from this year’s graduating class to be about the same when they are released next year.