With 95%, Red Hook High School among the top graduation rates in county

Ninety-five percent of Red Hook High School students who began in fall 2020 graduated on time last summer, and nearly half of them earned a diploma with an advanced designation. 

Red Hook finished the 2023-24 academic year tied for the second-highest four-year graduation rate among Dutchess County public schools. The 95% represents an improvement of eight percentage points over the previous year. The cohort thrived despite being the first students to begin at the high school after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We’re very excited,” High School Principal Kyle Roddey said. “We’re really proud of that growth, proud of our faculty and proud of our students for the resilience they’re showing.” 

Sixty-three of the 128 graduates earned a Regents diploma with an advanced designation, which includes additional foreign language, science and math requirements. The school in recent years has placed an emphasis on in-depth educational opportunities, such as its International Baccalaureate program; 12 earned full IB diplomas last June. 

Statewide, the graduation rate for 2023-24 was 86%. In Dutchess, Spackenkill High School had a graduation rate of 98% and Millbrook also graduated 95%. When looking at districtwide data, which includes students within the district but who may not take part in the traditional high school program, Red Hook’s graduation rate of 94% was second in the county, behind Spackenkill. 

Data included not only those who graduated in June but anyone else who completed their diploma by the end of August. 

Roddey attributed the graduation rate increase largely to Red Hook’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, or MTSS, committee. The group, composed of school administrators, counselors, social workers, psychologist, a nurse and a teacher, and led by Assistant Principal Colleen Lynch, works to identify students early on who may need additional support and provide help through an action plan to ensure they do not fall through the cracks. 

Both Roddey and Lynch said while the improvement is exciting, the goal is always to improve graduation rates and reach 100%. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Warden called the graduation rate “a collective effort” that can be celebrated by all members of the district. 

“From teachers to cafeteria and custodial staff to counselors – everyone works each day to support student achievement,” Dr. Warden said. “We’re so lucky to have a community that supports public education.” 

The superintendent also credited Roddey: “He’s very detailed. He focuses in on every single kid to meet their individual needs to thrive.” 

Red Hook has routinely enjoyed graduation rates topping 90% in recent years. Still, the 2023-24 class’ outcome represents the district’s second-highest percentage in more than a decade, even as it navigated the challenges of the pandemic and the increased social-emotional factors tied in with the rise of social media and smartphone use.  

“We’re starting to see our cohorts emerging from that storm who have built resiliency and stick-to-itveness,” Roddey said, “and I think being more focused on their own success.”