Graduation and attendance in Tri-Cities schools. What the latest WA numbers show
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Tri-City four-year graduation rates rose in 2025: Pasco 80%, Kennewick 82%, Richland 86%.
- Attendance, 9th grade achievement and earned college credit also on the rise.
- Expanded opportunities, holistic intervention efforts, and focused education credited.
New state data shows Tri-City graduation rates, regular attendance and the number of students taking college credits are all on the rise.
The results of secondary school engagement are a welcome sign after spring test scores published in September showed stagnant shares of students meeting grade-level standards.
About two-thirds met grade-level comprehension in English, and more than half met grade-level math abilities.
But most metrics still remain behind pre-pandemic levels.
Four-year graduation rates grew by nearly 2 points in Pasco to 80%, more than 3 points in Richland to 86%, and nearly 4 points in Kennewick to 82%.
That growth is year-over-year, and based on spring 2025 graduation.
Washington state Superintendent Chris Reykdal said four-year graduation rates across the state are at about 83% – a “tick behind” the state’s all-time high.
Test scores don’t tell the whole story of student achievement.
Several other variables — including kindergarten readiness, strong 4th-grade literacy skills, algebraic basics by 8th grade — help to provide a clearer, balanced snapshot, Reykdal told the media.
“Personal responsibility is a big part of student achievement,” he said. “The school has a role to play, the public school system has a major role to play, but it’s also a balance with family.”
Attendance, dual credit, freshmen success rise
The share of students with fewer than two absences per month grew last school year in Richland and Pasco, and stayed steady in Kennewick.
The percent of students regularly attending class was 73% in Kennewick and Pasco, and 76% in Richland.
About two-thirds of high school students in both Kennewick and Richland, as well as more than half of Pasco students, earned some form of dual credit last school year.
The share of high school freshmen who passed all their classes also grew last year in Kennewick (65%) and Pasco (50%), and stayed steady in Richland (70%).
What’s tipping the scale?
“We are seeing positive momentum because our schools have stayed focused on high-quality instruction, targeted interventions, and strong relationships with students and families,” Pasco Superintendent Michelle Whitney said in a statement.
“This work is grounded in our Multi-Tiered System of Supports and driven by teams who are constantly reviewing data and responding to student needs,” she said.
While some of the improvements align with post-pandemic recovery, Pasco administrators believes it’s broadly a result of deliberate, student-centered systems focused on engagement, flexibility, as well as broad proactive student intervention and supports.
Pasco also has expanded dual credit and post-high school opportunities through programs like Advanced Placement, College in the High School, Running Start and career-technical education.
Tri-Cities schools also have benefited from community programs, including the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties’ “Attendance Matters” campaign, which has helped in combatting a post-pandemic slump.
Alyssa St. Hilaire, Kennewick’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said these increases happen when students “feel safe, known and valued.”
“Our leaders and staff make this a priority and are intentional about it every single day,” she said in a statement. “Through mastery-based learning opportunities, offering dual credit opportunities in high school along with summer learning opportunities, we are seeing students succeed and not just be ready to graduate but have goals for when they leave high school.”
Improving attendance and graduation rates are part of school improvement plans and principal evaluations in Richland.
Graduation rates similarly have improved though positive behavioral interventions and supports, social-emotional learning classes, as well as tracking student progress and creating education remediation plans, said district spokesperson BJ Sorenson.
Richland has focused on home visits, class incentives and family communication to help improve attendance.
And schools have emphasized College in the High School, dual credit opportunity education and expanding career and technical training classes that qualify for college credits.
