Citywide attendance campaign Gladstone Shows Up has been a stunning success, as confirmed by official data that the Oregon Department of Education released on Oct. 3.
All four of Gladstone’s schools posted gains in regular student attendance, with a 6 percentage point increase districtwide according to the official data. Especially impressive were John Wetten Elementary’s 11 percentage point increase and a 14 percentage point increase in regular attendance during the 2023-24 school year at the Gladstone Center for Children & Families.
Gladstone students who have ever been identified as English language learners saw some of the highest rates of attendance in our district. Students who spoke a language other than English at home attended Gladstone schools regularly at a rate 7 percentage points higher than the district average.
Superintendent Jeremiah Patterson expressed pride in the work of all Gladstone staff and involved citizens who participated in helping raise citywide awareness last year around the importance of attendance to student success.
“Teachers and support staff can’t do their jobs if students aren’t here, so regular attendance is really a gateway to student achievement,” Patterson said.
Academic success by Gladstone students was also in evidence from the recent release of state data. The number of Gladstone students achieving high science scores increased by over 4 percentage points last year, and the percentage of students meeting grade-level expectations for English language arts remains higher than the state average.