Drop out rate: half of state average

Churchill County School District is at the top of the class in preventing students from dropping out and reaching graduation, according to figures recently released by the Nevada Department of Education.

In 2006, Churchill County had 36 dropouts - 17 boys and 19 girls - or 2.4 percent of the local high school population, almost half the state average of 4.6 percent.

According to the Nevada Department of Education, three dropouts were ninth-graders, seven were sophomores, 11 were juniors and seven seniors.

The state also reported 84.9 percent of CCSD students graduated in four years compared to the state's average of 67.5 percent.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Keith Rheault said the Churchill County numbers are among the best in the state.

He added the Clark County School District skews the numbers, as there were 4,564 dropouts and a 63.5 percent graduation rate within four years there.

CCSD Superintendent Carolyn Ross said there are more opportunities for drop outs who live in larger cities, but in Churchill County there are very few jobs available for students without a high school diploma.

Teenagers in Las Vegas, she said, can leave school and earn $50,00 to $60,000 a year by working in a casino or as a valet. She added there is no such industry in Fallon.

Ross also said the small size of the community helps the district keep students in school.

"That is part of it," she said. We are able to get one-on-one with the kids," she said in explaining how they try to influence students to stay in school.

"We look at programs to keep them in school," she said, like the alternative high school.

"We call it a net recapturing program," said Barbara Westermann, a counselor for the district. "That is one of the roles of Lahontan Valley High School."

Westermann said dropout numbers are often misleading.

Students earning general equivalency diplomas or taking adult education classes are not counted as dropouts.

A better gauge, she thinks, is tracking freshman classes for four years to determine the number leaving school.

The school district received a grant of almost $20,000 last year to find students who left school. Sue Chambers, federal programs facilitator for the district, and community members surveyed students between the ages of 14 to 22 for reasons why they dropped out of school.

Chambers said the goal was to identify traits that caused students to disconnect from school.

"What we found was relationships matter between students and teachers," she said. "Students want help and encouragement from adults."

The survey revealed students do not feel they belong when not involved in school, social clubs or activities.

"Without one of these you will see early signs of problem behavior," Chambers said.

Identifying reasons children leave school is a start to solving the problem.

"Now, we know where to go with some special development," she said. "We need more resources in school for social and academic support."

The survey, she said, was not intended to get students back in school.

Chambers said the district is now moving forward with another project to determine if students feel safe at school, another reason children drop out.