MARSHALL — Minnesota high school graduation rates dropped slightly in 2021, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Education on Wednesday. Statewide, 83.3% of the class of 2021 graduated, which represented a decrease of half a percentage point from 2020.

While some area school districts, including Marshall Public Schools, saw a decrease in four-year graduation rates in 2021, two area school districts bucked the trend.

For 2021, MPS had a four-year graduation rate of 81.02%. That was down from 87.6% in 2020. However, Marshall Superintendent Jeremy Williams said the district also looks at data like their seven-year graduation rate, because that includes at-risk students who may take longer to earn their diplomas. The seven-year graduation rate at MPS was 85.47% in 2021.

According to the MDE data, the Minneota school district had a 100% graduation rate for the class of 2021. In the Lakeview school district, four-year graduation rates went up about 2% from 2021.

In a media call Wednesday morning, Minnesota Education Commissioner Heather Mueller said high school students faced difficult circumstances in the 2020-21 school year.

“The class of 2021 is the first group of graduates that experienced an entire school year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mueller said.

The 0.5% decrease in four-year graduation rates in Minnesota included a 0.3% increase in the number of dropouts, the MDE said.

The dip in four-year graduation rates also emphasized a need to make sure schools have the resources they need to support students, Mueller said. She voiced support for Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed spending plan, which would add 2% to the state’s general education funding formula.

“We need the Legislature to invest in our students,” Mueller said.

Some public school districts in Lyon County actually saw graduation rates stay the same or improve between 2020 and 2021. The Minneota school district had a 100% graduation rate for both 2020 and 2021, MDE data said.

The Lakeview School District had a 97.3% graduation rate in 2021, which was up from 95.3% in 2020.

Lakeview Superintendent Chris Fenske said it was good to see the increase.

“It is always a goal for our district to try and get every student to graduate on time. We set high goals in our World’s Best Workforce plan and our staff does a great job of tracking student progress and helping them stay on track to graduate,” Fenske said.

The fact that Lakeview was able to have in-person classes during the 2020-21 school year was also positive for helping to keep students on track, he said.

“This enhanced student focus and commitment to their education. We also have very supportive parents who partner with the district to ensure their children stay on track for graduation in that four year time period,” Fenske said.

Some area public school districts saw a decrease in graduation rates in 2021. Tracy Area Public Schools had a four-year graduation rate of 92.73%, which was down from 95.7% in 2020. The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton school district had a graduation rate of 93.88%, which was down from 95.2% in 2020.

Williams said Marshall Public Schools also saw a decrease in four-year graduation rates last year, but there were different ways to look at the data for graduation. MPS does look at four-year graduation rates, which represent the number of students who complete school in four years. However, MPS also looks at seven-year graduation rates, which represent the number of students who graduate within seven years of entering high school.

The seven-year rate is a better tool for seeing how at-risk students, who may be behind in earning credits for graduation, are doing, Williams said. The seven-year graduation rate at MPS was 85.47% in 2021.

Williams said the four-year graduation rate for Marshall High School, which does not include data from MATEC and the Learning Center, was 84.26% in 2021. That was higher than the statewide average four-year graduation rate of 83.8%, he said.

Williams said there are also other ways to look at academic performance at Marshall Public Schools.

“A measure we use throughout the year to monitor progress toward graduation is the rate of students passing their classes at each grading period,” he said. Compared to last year, he said, “The percentage of students who were passing classes is approaching levels close to where they were before the pandemic. Our data showed from 7%-14% of students were failing at least one class in semester 1. This data would suggest we will see an increase in our graduation rate this year.”