Taft HS graduation, college persistence rates keep increasing despite drop in attendance

by BRIAN NADIG

Despite a drop in its attendance rate since the pandemic, Taft High School has experienced increases in several key academic areas.

“It’s interesting. College enrollment, graduation rates and (college) persistence have all improved, but attendance has dropped about 8 percent. Taft also gained about 800 students since school year 2018-19,” Taft principal Dr. Ryan Glowacz said. Taft’s current enrollment is about 4,200.

Glowacz presented Taft’s annual “state of the school” report at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Taft Local School Council. While Taft has challenges, “we are in a really good spot” overall, he said.

“We had 970 graduates last year — at a neighborhood school,” Glowacz said, adding that “80 percent entered college.”

About 84 percent of Taft graduates who enroll in college continue to their sophomore year in college compared to a Chicago Public Schools average of about 75 percent. About two years ago Taft’s college persistence rate was about 81 percent.

“It’s one thing to get into college, but it’s another to persist … into the second year,” Glowacz said.

The overall rigorous nature of Taft’s curriculum has helped graduates succeed in college, Glowacz said “All demographics (at Taft) have increased participation in AP and IB courses since 2020,” Glowacz said. “They see that rigor.”

Advanced Placement and international baccalaureate courses allow students to earn college credit while in high school. “Almost every junior and senior (at Taft) takes IB Language and Literature,” a two-year course that has become a “hallmark” of Taft, Glowacz said.

In another area, Taft’s graduation rate is at 91 percent, compared to an average of 79 percent for neighborhood high schools on the North and Northwest sides. Taft’s latest graduation rate is up about 1 percent from the previous year.

However, Taft continues to struggle with its attendance rate, and the school plans to make this issue a priority in its continuous improvement work plan.

“Last school year our average attendance was 81 percent, which is consistent with district wide and national trends,” Glowacz said.

About 62 percent of Taft students last school year were absent at least 10 percent of the time, regardless of whether the absences were excused or unexcused.

Lower attendance rates at schools have become a national trend since the pandemic. Prior to 2020, Taft’s attendance rate was approaching 90 percent, which school administrators described at the time as very high for a city neighborhood high school.

Glowacz said that being absent from school does not necessarily mean students are not doing their classwork, as many school resources are available online — a fact that also can encourage some students to stay home.

“It’s a Catch-22,” but for students who can’t attend school due to an illness, the array of online resources can help them stay current in their studies and not fall behind, Glowacz said.

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