The graduation rate is improving at Bloomington High School, with an estimated 89% of students in the 2026 school year on track to graduate. This is up from 76.5% in the 2025 school year.
Nicole Rummel, assistant superintendent, told the District 87 School Board the key has been the district's focus on credit recovery. This is a chance for students who have failed a class to study the material again and recover those credit hours. Rummel said over 100 failed classes were recovered during the last school year.
In the past, students were only able to pursue credit recovery after school hours. Moving this support to the school day has been key, said superintendent David Mouser.
"We have invested a lot of time and energy in trying to provide extra supports to those students. And the proof is in the data," Mouser said.
"It's good for kids," Rummel said. "It's good for our community if we can get them graduated with some skills and ready to go into the workforce, or college, or trade."
Not only are more students on track to graduate, but more have college credit when they do. Thirty-one percent of graduates this year had already earned college credit through Advanced Placement [AP] courses, Rummel said.
AP courses allow students to take an exam and earn a score of one through five, explained Mouser. Students who score a three, four or five usually earn college credit for the associated class.
Rummel said of the 262 students who took at least one AP course, 199 were able to earn college credit by scoring at least a three on the exam.
"Our kids are excelling in our AP courses that we're offering," Rummel said.
"We've got just incredible numbers. Kids are doing great," Mouser added.
Other business
The school board also heard updates on each individual's school improvement plans during Tuesday's meeting. These are written by each school's administration, with teacher input. Goals align to a strategy set by the school board, said Rummel.
The district has been improving its planning process over the past several years. This is the first year that the upcoming school year's plan was finalized before summer break, Rummel said.
"It was a big shift, but I think the principals feel calmer now, and ready to go into the school year with a focus. Ready to roll," she added.
The school board heard updates from Mouser about progress on the strategic plan. Future efforts will remain focused on five key areas: communication, facility progress, finance improvements, safety and security, and technology improvements.
