Missoula’s Graduation Matters program is celebrating its five year anniversary this month and officials expect Mayor John Engen to declare March as Graduation Matters Missoula Month.Missoula County Public Schools Executive Regional Director Trevor Leboski said the program has paid off.

"We've had great success in terms of reducing the drop out rate and in terms of increasing the graduation rate," Leboski said. "We are leading the state, for the last several years, with the lowest drop out rate in AA schools and we have the lowest five-year cohort graduation rate. "

Now, officials are attempting to raise the graduation rate to 96 percent by 2019, a task they believe will require changes in more than just school policy.

"Largely, it is not just things we can address as a school community, but as an entire community and that's largely the focus of Graduation Matters Missoula," Leboski said. "Many of the needs of our students that are dropping out are basic needs: housing, mental health, safety... just the basic needs that so many of us take for granted."

Graduation Matters planning meetings and celebrations will occur this week starting on Wednesday at Sentinel high school followed by similar events at schools throughout the county.

 

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