SANTA ANA, CA (May 9, 2017) – As the school year winds down, and students are working hard to finish their final projects and exams, the Santa Ana Unified School District is celebrating a significant increase of 11.5% in graduation rates over the last seven years.

The District, which serves approximately 53,000 students in grades K-12, has a 91.6% graduation rate, surpassing the state average of 83.2% and the county average of 90.8%.

“This is an example of the strong focus of the Board of Education on academic excellence and the hard work and dedication of our teachers and staff to ensure that our students are getting the support and resources that they need to excel, graduate from high school, and go on to college or directly into the workforce or military,” said John Palacio, President of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education.

Middle College High School, the District’s Early College High School located on the campus of Santa Ana College, has a 100% graduation rate while Segerstrom High School has a 99.2% rate and Godinez Fundamental High School has a 98.3% rate.

The District’s other four traditional high schools – Century, Saddleback, Santa Ana, and Santa Ana Valley high schools – have all made significant gains, with Saddleback leading with a 24.2% leap within the last seven years.

The school’s efforts to implement programs and resources to support student achievement and prepare students for college was recently noted in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best High Schools List. Middle College, Godinez, and Segerstrom were also included on the list.