Modesto City Schools reports higher graduation rates, college readiness still lags

Students in Modesto City Schools are continuing to recover from pandemic-era learning loss, with graduation rates, test scores and attendance improving over the past three years, according to a new report analyzing state data.

The report, titled "The Kids Grow 2025: Modesto City Schools," was released by GO Public Schools, a nonprofit that reviewed publicly available data to track student progress from early grades through high school.

According to the report, the district's four-year graduation rate rose to 92.9% — exceeding the statewide average of 87.5% — based on data from the California Department of Education. During the 2020-21 school year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the district's graduation rate was about 87%.

"We're almost at 93%, which is a huge increase," said Amanda Schroyer, senior director of school leadership for Modesto City Schools. "We're extremely proud of our dedicated teachers, our staff, our students and our community who supported that process."

Schroyer said the district has shifted its focus beyond simply earning a diploma.

"Graduation is not the finish line," she said. "We want our students to be college and career ready, and so that they're ready for whatever it is their next step is going to be after high school."

The district has implemented a framework called "Map Your Mission," aimed at increasing awareness of post-high school opportunities and monitoring students' progress toward college and career goals. Students use a platform called School Links to track their readiness and coursework.

"We're definitely proactive in the way that we're approaching our students' success," Schroyer said. "Just really ensuring that we're monitoring and that we're supporting their progress."

Academic achievement has also improved. In English language arts, 37% of students met or exceeded state standards, marking the district's strongest performance in more than a decade, according to the report. Math proficiency rose to 23%, continuing a gradual increase. Chronic absenteeism declined for the third year in a row and is now approaching the state average.

The report highlights gains among English learners and Latino students and says improvement is happening across schools, not just at a handful of campuses.

However, college readiness remains an area for growth. Only 37.6% of graduates completed the A-G course requirements needed for admission to California's public universities.

Schroyer said increasing A-G completion rates is a priority.

"Part of that is that our students do need to be successful in our coursework. They need to be able to obtain a C or higher," she said. "If they don't meet that mark, how are we going to support them with interventions and ways to remediate so that they can meet those qualifications?"

District leaders say the focus now is on ensuring students graduate with multiple options for their future.