Board hears spike in dropouts, district aims to re‑engage students

At Tuesday’s meeting, the board received the district’s annual dropout report for secondary grades covering the 2024–25 school year through Sept. 30, 2025.

“Some of these students have discontinued school and have not reenrolled in another district,” the presenter said while defining the district’s operational meaning of a dropout. The presenter told the board the district retains lists for outreach efforts and is planning contact campaigns to invite eligible students back into virtual or alternative programs.

Board members asked for leading indicators of dropout risk. Presenters and trustees discussed academic warning signs — failing algebra I was cited as a common risk factor in national research — behavioral flags and life circumstances such as work or family responsibilities. The presenter said some students counted as dropouts are known to have become homeschoolers, which by reporting rules counts against the district’s dropout numbers.

The presenter highlighted a local spike at Midwest City High School and said staff double‑checked coding to confirm the counts. “I went back through those just to double check because it was alarming to me,” the presenter said.

District leaders described early outreach successes: one recent high‑school student who had left reenrolled in the district’s virtual program and graduated. The board directed staff to bring additional data on leading indicators and to pursue contact strategies for students who might return.

The dropout item was informational and did not require board action beyond directing staff follow-up.