The Iowa Department of Education reports Marshalltown Community School District’s 2020 graduation rate is 90.1 percent, the first time the district has topped 90 percent in more than a decade.

Additionally the 2020 dropout rate for grades seventh through 12th is at 2.8 percent, the lowest dropout rate of the past 12 years.

“We’re always excited about little accomplishments like that,” Marshalltown High School Principal Jacque Wyant said.

She gave credit to several specific programs the district implemented with the 2020 class, made possible through funds the class received through Iowa’s GEAR UP Iowa grant.

Freshman House, started in 2016, is a program aimed at helping freshman students make the transition from middle school to high school. An administrator and counselor was appointed to be dedicated to helping freshman transition. Freshman classes are positioned closer together in the Freshman House, with the principal and counselor in the Freshman House and not in the main office.

“That is done by design so they are close to students to provide the social-emotional help freshman students tend to have, so students aren’t having to wander a large building looking for people to talk to,” Wyant said.

The district also ramped up their programming aimed at the transition after high school for students. The district offered more opportunities at college credit and was able to expose students to more college visits than previous years.

“That was significant,” Wyant said. “You had to get students out there and get them exposed to options, exposing them to what’s available to them.”

She didn’t want to underscore the importance of exposing students to potential options other than college, having also expanded the amount of apprenticeship opportunities available at the district.

“Those also put kids in a good spot, giving them a couple handfuls of credits underneath their belt, and they can go straight into the workforce and that’s huge for them,” Wyant said.

The district holds a second graduation in the summer, giving some students an extra month to complete credits they need if they do not meet the deadline for the first graduation.

This year’s graduation ceremony is planned for May 30 with specific guidelines and official plans yet to be announced.

Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753 -6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.