Thursday was the first day of school for 380 kindergarten students spread throughout 16 classrooms in Newberg and Dundee schools. They arrived with varying degrees of readiness and enthusiasm, some in full-day programs, most in half day classes.

What sets this class apart is the fact that Oregon has an official goal of graduating 100 percent of students by 2025. The “40-40-20” goal states that 40 percent of graduates would go on to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, 40 percent an associate’s and 20 percent a high school diploma.

Graduation rates for the Class of 2012 have not been released by the state yet, but 70.2 percent of the Class of 2011 graduated from Newberg High School. When figuring in an additional year, the graduation rate climbs to 79.5% for students who graduated in 4 or 5 years in June 2011.