RESERVE — Superintendent Kevin George said school leaders expected to see scores rise based on the work put in to ensure St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools students enter and leave high schools in four years.

Those expectations proved accurate as the district’s graduation rate climbed more than five points in 2014, the sixth year in a row the district’s rate has improved, school officials said.

The cohort graduation rate measures the number of students who enter high school as freshmen and then graduate four years later.

The district’s four-year cohort high school graduation rate reached 77.4 percent in 2014, topping the state average of 74.6 percent. It is a 5.1 percent increase from the 2013 graduation rate and a nearly 17 percent increase over the past five years.

The state average increased 7.4 percent during that same five-year time span.

“It’s great to see the scores reflect the amount of effort our employees put into this endeavor,” George said.

According to George, he has received emails from many community members expressing thanks for how the school system continues to garner positive headlines.

“Whether it’s higher ACT scores, Robotics and District Literary Winners or perfect scores on standardized testing, our students and schools are shining brightly,” he said. “With all that said, we have only just begun. Our goal is to be a top-ten school system, and we are well on our way.”

According to school officials, the St. John school district is ranked third in the state in one-year improvement among schools showing at least three consecutive years of growth.

East St. John High School’s rate grew one point to 77.6. West St. John High School’s cohort graduation rate in 2014 was 94.9 percent, a 6.4-point improvement from the year before.

West St. John High School Principal Erica Merrick said the staff’s goal is to ensure 100 percent of the students graduate, attend college or are prepared for a technical career.

“We do have students, like any other high school, that may not be as motivated to graduate,” Merrick said. “As the principal, I will call the student in if they are excessively absent, meet with the parents and let the student know that we will not let them quit. Every student counts at West St. John High, and our graduation rate is an example of this.”

George described WSJ’s cohort graduation as “phenomenal,” noting it is among the top 5 percent in Louisiana.

“Their success is extraordinary, which is why they are a top 50 school in the country,” he said. “In our district, we grow our own, meaning we take and study pockets of excellence and best practices in our district and try to replicate them at all of our school sites.

“We are doing just that with our graduation rate. We do think it is attainable on the East Bank, and it is something that we are working towards.”