MARSHALL — Marshall High School had an overall graduation rate of 87.68% in 2023 — a decrease from the previous year, according to new data released by the Minnesota Department of Education.

However, four-year graduation rates don’t necessarily give the whole picture for MHS, said Marshall Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Williams. MHS is still working to meet the needs of students who are learning English, or who had limited schooling before coming to Marshall, he said.

For those groups of students, “The seven-year (graduation) numbers have been a little better,” Williams said.

MHS and other area high schools had higher 2023 graduation rates than the statewide rate. Across Minnesota, 83.3% of the class of 2023 graduated, the MDE said. That was a decrease of 0.3% compared to the class of 2022.

On Thursday, the MDE released 2023 graduation data for high schools across the state. While graduation rates made a slight decline compared to 2022, there were gains made for some student demographics. White students and students of two or more races saw increased graduation rates. American Indian students and students receiving special education services retained graduation rate increases seen in 2022.

“High school graduation is a crucial milestone for every student in our schools; it’s essential for individual success and the well-being of our communities,” MDE Commissioner Willie Jett said. “Over the past year, we’ve begun implementing key initiatives such as structured literacy, Minnesota Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MnMTSS), and increased mental health supports. I am confident these tools will change outcomes for students, including increased graduation rates, and we are committed to continuous improvement in our schools and at MDE.”

MDE spokespeople said Thursday that some of the decline in statewide graduation rates came from an increased number of students whose enrollment was not able to be tracked by school districts and the MDE. This “unknown” category of students includes students who leave their school district, or leave Minnesota, without notifying schools.

Some area high schools, including MHS, showed a decrease in graduation rates in 2023. MHS’s graduation rate was 87.68% in 2023, compared to 92.43% in 2022. However, graduation rates improved when looking at the numbers of students who graduated within five, six or seven years.

Certain demographics of Marshall students graduated at lower rates than others, according to the MDE data. In 2023, English language learners had about a 44% graduation rate. Hispanic or Latino students had a 55.56% graduation rate, and Asian students had a 78.57% graduation rate.

Williams said those differences in four-year graduation rates included populations of students who were new to the country, who were learning English, or who didn’t have much formal education before enrolling at MHS. One of the next steps for the school district would be to look at the data and work with English learning students and staff to help meet students’ needs, Williams said.

“I think overall, we’re happy with the numbers,” he said.

Some other area schools had decreased graduation rates in 2023, but were still above the statewide graduation rate. Lakeview High School had a 92.8% graduation rate in 2023, compared to 94.1% in 2022. Tracy Area High School had a graduation rate of 87.6% in 2023, compared to 91.4% in 2022.

RTR High School had graduation rates of about 90% in both 2023 and 2022. Minneota High School had 100% graduation in both 2023 and 2022.

In a conference call with the media on Thursday morning, Jett said schools across Minnesota were still feeling the effects of the COVID pandemic. “Everyone is trying to make up, or recover from the role the pandemic played,” Jett said.

Williams said that held true for Marshall Public Schools as well. There were a few different changes the school district was dealing with since the pandemic.

“Attendance is a struggle,” and a topic that was discussed at a recent Marshall school board meeting, Williams said. He said mental health concerns and behavior issues were also something schools were seeing, even at younger age levels.