Newberg High School continues to see a decline in the number of students dropping out of high school. The dropout percentage for the 2010-11 school year is 2.18 percent and represents 36 students.

The Oregon Department of Education released dropout and graduation rates Friday. Newberg High School’s four-year graduation rate is 70 percent. That percentage increases to 79 percent over a five-year period. Explaining that some students need more time, Superintendent Paula Radich says that the persistence students demonstrate is commendable, even if it doesn’t fit in the traditional four-year program.

The state calculates the graduation rate by looking at a cohort of students who entered high school in the 2007-08 school year and tracks how many graduated with a regular high school diploma in four years. Students who receive a modified diploma, GED, adult high school diploma or alternative certificate are not counted as graduates in this model. There are 483 students in the NHS four-year cohort; 339 students received a regular high school diploma.