Statewide, the graduation rate for all public schools reached 84 percent, a 1 percent increase over last year, according to data released Monday by the Utah State Office of Education. Schools in southwest Utah saw similar improvement, with Washington County at 89 percent on average, just ahead of last year’s 88 percent, and with Iron County at 87 percent, a tick ahead of last year’s 86 percent. The vast majority of the region’s typical high school students graduate — most of the larger schools came in at above a 90 percent graduation rate — but this year showed marked improvement among students who have traditionally been less likely to earn a diploma.
Washington County’s Millcreek High School, an alternative school designed to help students whose life circumstances have made it difficult to stay on course in a typical high school setting, saw its rate jump from 50 percent to 59 percent. The Spectrum
