M. Park schools on-time grad rate ahead of curve

By Kipp Hanley

Published: October 9, 2008

In a recent book by University of Virginia professor Daniel L. Duke titled “The Little School System That Could: Transforming a City School District,” Manassas Park Schools was lauded for turning itself around in the last decade.

The book highlighted the system’s recommitment to education and the construction of several new schools.

This week, Manassas Park Schools can brag about even more.

On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Education released its newly formulated on-time graduation rates and Manassas Park High School was nearly 4 percentage points ahead of the state average of 81.3 percent.

Superintendent Thomas DeBolt said he was very pleased with the high school’s on-time graduation rate of 85.1. DeBolt, who has been principal at large high schools like Mills Godwin in Richmond and a smaller one like James Monroe in Fredericksburg, said some of the reason for Manassas Park’s success is more than just good teachers and administrators.

Manassas Park had just 141 seniors in 2008, which means smaller class sizes and a more personable relationship between teacher and student, teacher and administrator and even student and administrator.

“As principal of James Monroe, a school of 700 kids, I knew every one of them,” DeBolt said. “And I knew all of the teachers.”

When it comes to a school’s success, DeBolt said there has to be [academic] rigor, relevance and relationships and that’s easier to do when you have a smaller group to educate.

DeBolt also praised his district, given that it is so diverse.

The state findings reflected that both African American and Hispanics lagged behind their white counterparts in many school districts throughout Virginia. Yet Manassas Park Schools — with a 41 percent Hispanic population and more non-whites than whites — compared favorably with small city school districts in the area.

Manassas City Public Schools is approximately 40 percent minority and graduated just 74.5 percent of seniors on time this spring. Fredericksburg City Schools is nearly 50 percent minority and graduated just 72.6 percent on time.

GEDs do not count towards the on-time graduation rate, which raises Manassas up to 83.5 percent.

DeBolt said because of the new formula for on-time graduation rates, it is difficult to compare numbers from when he started in the city in 1995. However, he did say that there were more dropouts then than now.

Ultimately, DeBolt would like to statistically determine how well Manassas Park students do with their academic careers after they graduate. Until then, he would like to see the school system improve to a 95 percent graduation rate.

“We just look at our kids as Cougar kids,” DeBolt said, referring to the high school’s mascot. “They are entitled to the same education as any high school in the state that gives a traditionally good education.”

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.