Gig Harbor High School Receives Washington Achievement Award

received the 2010 Washington Achievement Award for its extended graduation rate this week.

Principal Ted Strong received the news Tuesday, Feb. 15, from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board of Education. 

According to OSPI, extended graduates are the students who graduate after their expected graduation year. The rate is calculated by adding the number of late graduates to the total number of on-time graduates in the year they graduate. 

Based on the Washington State Report Card on OSPI's website, Gig Harbor High School's rates for both on-time and extended graduates were well above the state average. Its graduation rate in the 2008 to 2009 school year for on-time graduation was 94.7 percent and 96.4 percent for extended graduation. 

In the same year, the state average for on-time and extended graduation rates were 73.5 percent and 79.2 percent, respectively.

The graduation rates for were 79.6 percent for on-time and 81.7 percent for extended graduates.

94.7%

(374 students)

79.6%

(265 students)

73.5%

(58,687 students)

96.4%

(381 students)

81.7%

(272 students)

79.2%

(63,238 students)

According to the letter, the Washington Achievement Award was created to recognize the top-performing schools in the state and are given to all levels of schools in seven different categories: overall excellence, language arts, math, science, extended graduation rate, improvement and closing achievement gaps. The recipients are determined based on the Washington Achievement Index, which is a comprehensive measurement for school performances.

Gig Harbor was the only school recognized in the Peninsula School District. There will be an awards ceremony at Lincoln High School on April 27.