Reducing the drop-out rate at Stevensville Schools has been a top priority for high school principal, Brian Gum. According to the most recently released figures from the Montana Office of Public Instruction, Stevensville’s drop-out rate has decreased from 5.7% to 1.6% since 2010. Even more impressive is the graduation rate, which has increased from 77.8% to 93.4%.
These figures are due in large part to the programs that have been implemented to target at risk students. A morning tutoring program is available to all students Mondays through Thursdays. Students with struggling grades are also able to take part in a check in/check out system in which they are paired with a mentor teacher who can help provide extra support. Each summer, Stevensville offers summer school classes that can be critical in credit retrieval for some students.
“These types of transformations take time, but as we continue to provide a caring environment created by the positive adult-student interactions that encourage high expectations, mutual respect and increased support, we will continue to see these numbers improve,” said Gum. “Graduation is not only important to our students, parents and staff, but also the community as a whole. It’s a joint effort to prepare the youth in our community to be successful at work and/or college.”