FAYETTE — The number of Jefferson County School District students to graduate is on the rise over last year with fewer students dropping out of high school, a recent report from the Mississippi Department of Education states.

Jefferson County school officials said the district’s graduation rate topped the national and state averages for two consecutive years and the district is listed among the state’s top 10 districts with the lowest dropout rate.

The MDE report indicated only 3.4 percent of students in the Jefferson County School District dropped out while an average of 10 percent of students dropped out of high school throughout all of Mississippi’s public schools.

The graduation rate increased from 86.2 percent in the 2016-2017 school year to 87.6 percent for the 2017-2018 school year, which is higher than the state and national average of 84 percent.

“We are very proud to see that we are continuing to make gains and graduating more and more students from the Jefferson County High School,” superintendent Adrian Hammitte said.

The district, Hammitte said, is focusing its attention on groups of students with the highest dropout rate in order to have more students earn their diplomas.

The National Center for Education Statistics found that 76 percent of black students are graduating from America’s public schools while 89.7 percent of blacks are graduating from high school in Jefferson County.

Mississippi’s report also found that 93.3 percent of female students graduated and 81.1 percent of male students graduated. Officials said the district is taking a close look at some of the reasons why fewer males are graduating.

“We have taken a close look at the data and see that we can celebrate, but we need to put a laser-like focus on some groups of our students,” Hammitte said. “Our goal is 100. We are committed to getting 100 percent of our students across the stage.

“Once we have the answers, we will immediately address the challenges and build tools for success to get every one of our students to the high school credential.”

Starting this school year, Jefferson County schools officials said, Mississippi schools utilized new diploma options approved by state board of education that will give students the opportunity to earn an endorsement with their high school diploma, while also providing the majority of students with disabilities an opportunity to earn a traditional diploma.

The new diploma options include a traditional diploma for all students and an alternate diploma option for students with significant cognitive disabilities, officials said.

Students also have the opportunity to meet additional requirements to qualify for a traditional diploma, officials said, with a career and technical education endorsement, an academic endorsement or a distinguished academic endorsement; students can earn more than one endorsement.

“These new options are not just good for us, they are great for the boys and girls that we serve,” Hammitte said. “They offer more options for our students to be college and career ready once they leave the Jefferson County School District.”