McNary High School’s graduation rate continued a downward trend last year. 

According to data from the Oregon Department of Education, in the 2024-25 school year, 85% of McNary seniors graduated, down from 88% the previous year. 

That equates to 430 students from the 509 in McNary’s senior class graduating last year. 

The graduation rate was 96% for the 2020-21 school year, and has decreased each year since. The rate was slightly above 90% for the 2021-22 school year and 2022-23 school year.

Principal Scott Gragg said students who graduate on time are “better positioned” to be successful after high school, and the graduation rate data allows the school to identify areas where students need support. 

“You’re looking for gaps, right, where students are not receiving the services or the support or the attention that would help them, help us narrow the gap in (underserved demographics),” Gragg said.

He added that if there are no apparent gaps in rates for certain demographics, then the school looks to support students more broadly.

McNary’s graduation rate remains higher than the Salem-Keizer School District rate, which has been roughly 80% since the 2018-2019 school year. McNary is also above the state graduation rate, which was 83% last year. 

The school’s five-year graduation rate remains higher than the four-year graduation rate, at about 91% last year. This is a decrease from roughly 94% in the previous year. 

The five-year graduation rate was also about 96% in 2021-2022. 

Gragg said McNary’s goal is for the graduation rate to be at or above 90%.

Gragg attributes the downward trend in part to a policy allowing students to improve poor grades earned during the pandemic. He said the last class to benefit from this policy was the class of 2024, who were freshmen during the pandemic. 

“Through that initiative, through that plan, we were able to recover some students that might not have had that opportunity had they not had distance learning for a year,” Gragg said. 

Gragg said he is concerned by the graduation rate’s decrease, and he “doesn’t like to make excuses.” 

“I think we identify areas where we need to improve, and we attack the problem or situation in a way that’s proactive and productive,” Gragg said.  

Gragg said the school is placing more emphasis on state assessments than in past years, which can serve as a predictor of graduation rates. The test results indicate student proficiency in math and English, allowing educators to see where there are gaps.  

He said passing the state English exam was a graduation requirement prior to the pandemic, and has not been since. He said those scores “dramatically dropped” across the district when it was not tied to graduation. 

“When we have higher test scores, it’s likely we’re going to have higher graduation rates,” Gragg said.  

Another focus at the school is attendance, which educators are working to improve by boosting a sense of belonging that motivates students. 

“These aren’t independent strategies or initiatives,” Gragg said. “They’re braided together to support all of our goals.”

The number of freshmen who are on track to graduate is also a data point used to predict graduation rates. Gragg noted that the class of 2026 had a 3 percentage point increase in students who were on track to graduate as freshmen, compared to the class of 2025. 

For this reason, Gragg said he is optimistic the school’s graduation rate will increase next year.

Outside the overall graduation rate, students participating in Career and Technical Education programs saw a higher rate than their peers. Those who concentrated on CTE classes posted a rate over 95%.

NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].

SUBSCRIBE: Don’t miss any of the news of Keizer, produced by your professional local reporters. An online subscription is $10 a month, and takes just a moment when you go HERE.