Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski (THE WESTFIELD NEWS FILE PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said Westfield’s dropout rate “dropped again” from 1.5 to 1.3 percent for the 2018-2019 school year.
Westfield High School’s dropout rate went from 1.5 to 1.6 percent, a slight increase, while Westfield Technical Academy went from 2.2 to 0.8 percent.
Czaporowski said the average dropout rate in the Commonwealth is 1.8 percent, which means Westfield is below average — one of the lowest in the area besides Southwick, which also had a dropout rate of 1.3 percent.
“We’re keeping our kids,” Czaporowski said.
The rate in other area communities for the 2018-2019 school year was Chicopee 2.6 percent; Agawam 1.7 percent; West Springfield 1.7 percent; Holyoke 3.6 percent; Gateway 2.1 percent; and Pittsfield 2.3 percent, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
“As you can see, Westfield is one of the lowest in our area and well below the state average,” Czaporowski said, adding, “While I am very pleased with our progress, I still believe that one student dropping out of school is too many. Our goal remains to achieve a 0% dropout rate,” Czaporowski said.
Czaporowski attributed the lower rate in part to the alternative high school program called Pathways, for students who need more structure and support. Located at 754 Russell Road on the grounds of Camp Togowauk, students benefit from smaller class sizes, tiered instruction and online learning, as well as opportunities for community service, work study and mentoring programs. Student referrals are made by the student’s administrative team, in partnership with parents and guardians.
He said the district has been heading in the right direction ever since the program was implemented, due to the efforts of the staff and the students for remaining engaged.
“I think it’s a tribute to our Pathways campus as part of Westfield High School, and our emphasis on our staff building relationships with our students, letting them know they care about their success,” Czaporowski said.
The district was looking into a new location for the Pathways program in order to expand it, but has had to put that plan on hold. “Hopefully we’ll be able to expand in the future. Next year, the program will remain at Camp Togowauk,” Czaporowski said.
Czaporowski said the four-year graduation rate for Westfield for the 2018-2019 school year was also better than the state average of 88 percent. Westfield HIgh School came in at 91.5 percent and Westfield Technical Academy at 88 percent. The district as a whole came in at 89.2 percent, still well above state average, the superintendent said. The four-year graduation rate notes the percentage of students that complete their course of studies for graduation within four years.
Czaporowski said what many people don’t realize is that 40 percent of the students in Westfield are economically disadvantaged, which can impact a student’s high school career. One indicator of this is that the grab and go lunch and breakfast program implemented at the start of school closure is now giving out up to 1,200 meals a day.
Asked whether he thinks the drop-out and graduation rates will be impacted by the closure this year, Czaporowski said he remains hopeful that they will not be negatively impacted.
“All of our seniors are participating in remote learning, so we anticipate there will be less dropouts this year with increased participation,” Czaporowski said, adding, “Students are able to make up any work they’ve missed.”
The superintendent said another positive development is that last week, the state decided they will waive MCAS competency requirements for this year’s seniors if they didn’t pass, as long as they took the corresponding course work.
