‘We are on the rise’: RPS hits record graduation rates
For the past three years, Eva Lorenzo and ShaNiya Carter have watched upperclassmen advance through classes and graduate from John Marshall High School. Now seniors themselves, they are preparing to join those ranks—following the school’s historic achievement of a 100% graduation rate this past school year.
“I feel like this senior year has not disappointed me at all, and I feel like it will not disappoint me in the end either,” said Carter, this year’s homecoming queen.
The school’s success is a trend that is in concert with the entire school division. Just over 80% of Richmond Public School students graduated this past school year, the highest rate the district has seen since 2016.
Even more substantial are the graduation rates among the division’s Black and economically disadvantaged students. Rates reached highs of 88% and 84%, respectively, the highest in recorded history. The State Department of Education started tracking graduation rates in 2008. Graduation rates among students with disabilities also grew to 83% this past school year.
Similar to John Marshall, Franklin Military Academy, Richmond Community and Open high schools had 100% graduation rates last school year.
“That means not a single student did they allow to fall through the cracks,” said Superintendent Jason Kamras at a press conference last week. He dyed his hair blue at John Marshall’s graduation ceremony in celebration.
Kamras said funding from the state and especially the city helped RPS reach this goal. That money went into staff, courses and alternative programs that can adequately meet the needs of students in ways traditional schooling can’t. The city’s investment in RPS has gone up over the past decade, rising about 64% since fiscal year 2017, when former Mayor Levar Stoney took office. Kamras thanked him and current Mayor Danny Avula for their efforts.
Despite this, Kamras said the division is “still short several billion” from the state, referring to a finding from the state’s independent watchdog, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which said the state’s formula severely underfunds Virginia’s public schools.
“So as we head into election season, it is important that we prioritize education funding for our kids to make sure that we can continue these successes because when we invest in our kids, and we do so wisely, there's absolutely nothing that they can't achieve,” he said.
'Strategic investments'
Kamras said the division made multiple strategic investments that have been implemented over the last several years, including alternative programs that cater to students' needs.
“Kids who, the traditional day doesn't exactly work for them because of life circumstances and they need to do evening classes or they need to have a flexible schedule, we have a program for them," he said. "Kids who've dropped out and need a non-traditional way to get back in, we have a program for them."
One of those programs is the Secondary Success Center, which allows students who dropped out to complete high school in a flexible school setting. The program began in 2019, and 76 students have graduated from it.
At-risk students who don’t have many credits can catch back up through accelerated, small classrooms in the division’s THRIVE Academy. More than 50 students are currently enrolled in that program, and the academy has guided 41 students to earn credits and receive their diplomas since 2022.
The division also began implementing ¡Con Ganas!, a year-long program catered to multilingual learners who can’t attend traditional day school due to work, childcare or other personal responsibilities. The program offers flexible courses allowing students to work at their own pace and time to receive their diploma. More than 80 English learning students have graduated from the program since 2021.
“I think we now understand the purpose of ¡Con Ganas! and Secondary Success Center and THRIVE, and we’ll continue to think outside of the box because we know that for every student, the traditional path may not work,” said Solomon Jefferson, the division’s academic officer for secondary education, speaking to the Richmond School Board at an October meeting.
The school administration also put more attention on middle schoolers. The division applied a staggered start for incoming 6th graders, giving them an extra day to become familiar with school property and staff before other students return. Richmond middle schools also discontinued non-credit bearing classes that weren’t approved by the State Department of Education, Kamras said. RPS replaced them with higher level courses that aim to better prepare students for high school.
As part of THRIVE Academy, the division also recently created THRIVE Middle School, which began last school year and is designed to address students who are considered over-age in the 8th grade – that is, they are 15 years or older. The students will receive high school credits in THRIVE before transferring to their zoned school as 10th graders.
The division also invested more in employees, including teachers, Kamras said, allowing the division to retain and attract educators.
“Change in education does not happen overnight,” Kamras said. “We didn't get where we were in one or two years. It was decades of disinvestment, and we're not going to get to where we want to be in one or two years – it takes time.”
Areas for growth
While programs like ¡Con Ganas! are in place, Kamras admitted that graduating English learning students is an area that needs the division’s attention.
Despite the successes, the division saw a decrease in the graduation rates of multilingual and Hispanic students. Sixty percent of Hispanic students graduated last school year, down from 65% in the 2023-2024 school year. It was even lower for multilingual students – 48%, down from 59%.
The graduation rates among both groups have fluctuated over time.
“I believe that this dip was caused by several cultural factors and concerns that were very specific to the graduating class cohort of 2025,” Jennifer Blackwell, RPS’ director of multilingual learner success, said during an October meeting.
Victoria A. Ifatusin
Officials pointed to the federal government’s crackdown on immigration that has resulted in raids and mass deportations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It has also made it harder for immigrant families to come into the country, let alone Richmond.
“We also need to do more to support our kids’ families who are struggling in an environment right now where federal policy makes it pretty scary sometimes to be out and about,” Kamras said. “We know with some of the ICE raids that are going on that has caused families a great deal of anxiety and concern, and so that impacts their mental health well-being and it also can impact other academic factors.”
The division plans to expand more of its programs catered to English-learning students. Kamras said the division has hired 55 more teachers for multilingual students. It also wants to hire more bilingual staff and conduct more training for teachers that will support students.
Kamras added that while there has been improvement in graduation rates for students with disabilities, the group’s graduation rate is not at an all-time high. The highest rate the division has seen for the group was in 2015, when nearly 85% of those students graduated. He said he was confident that RPS will get back there soon.
Both Lorenzo and Carter said they are grateful to the principal, teachers and staff at the school who “surround us with love and care.” The students were also shocked when they saw school Principal Monica Murray spray blue paint in Kamras’ hair during graduation to celebrate the milestone.
“We are on the rise,” said Lorenzo, the school’s class president.
Kamras told reporters that if all five Richmond high schools reach a 100% graduation rate, he will permanently dye his hair the multiple colors of each school.
Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org
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