State Report: CHS Has Highest Graduation Rate in County

Cinnaminson High School has the highest graduation rate in the county, according to numbers released from the New Jersey Department of Education this month.

The graduation rate increased from 2011 to 2012 more than 4 percentage points, from 92.23 to 96.68 percent.

To see all the state's districts, click on the PDF to the right.

“Credit has to be given to staff and program in all schools that led to the success we’ve had at the high school,” said Superintendent Salvatore Illuzzi.

This is the second year in a row the state is using the new federal methodology for calculating the graduation rate. Although the graduation rates the last two years are lower than in previous years, the methodology is different and fairer.

“Having a consistent formula is a good thing,” said Assistant Superintendent Terry Luxenberg. “Because when you’re comparing districts, you’re comparing the same thing.”

Luxenberg said with this new formula, most of the districts’ graduation rates in the county have gone down as Cinnaminson’s has gone up. The formula takes into account students who enter the high school in ninth grade and those students who left the district. It also counts students who have transferred in or out during the course of the year. Cinnaminson monitors those students and their graduation schools.

Luxenberg said the district has done a stellar job with keep track of students in the district.

“It’s a follow through on when the kids leave our district, we’re determined to find out where they wound up,” Luxenberg said. “I think that’s the big difference. [We] have an idea about where everybody is and make sure they are doing okay and nobody is falling between the cracks.”

Other area Burlington County schools’ graduation rates are as follows: Moorestown, 95.64 percent; Delran, 88.19 percent; Palmyra, 86.05.

The state’s overall graduation rate increased from 83 percent in 2011 to 86 percent in 2012. And while some of the state’s largest school districts increased, some decreased. Camden’s graduation rate decreased from 2011 to 2012 to 49.27 percent from 56.89 percent while Trenton increased to 48.44 from 47.71.

That’s an average of all graduating schools in those cities.

To see the entire state breakdown, click here.