The four high schools in the Lakes Region each had lower dropout rates in the 2008-2009 school year as compared to the state average, though some of the schools fell behind the state average for graduation rate, according to data released this week by the Maine Department of Education.

Schools around the state averaged a 3.4 percent dropout rate for the 2008-2009 school year. The statewide graduation rate was nearly 81 percent.

This is the first year the graduation rates were calculated using a federal formula that only counts students who graduate within four years of starting high school. Students who ultimately graduate in five or six years are not counted, nor are those who earn an alternative diploma such as a GED.

Windham High School had a dropout rate of 2 percent in the 2008-2009 school year, meaning 2 percent of the students who entered Windham High School starting in the ninth grade had dropped out during the 2008-2009 school year. There were 210 graduates with a total of 1,048 students attending Windham High School in 2008-2009. Of those students attending Windham during the 2008-2009 school year, 21 students dropped out.

Windham had an 88 percent graduation rate in 2008-2009, meaning 88 percent of the number of students who entered ninth grade at Windham High School graduated four years later from Windham, taking into account students who transferred in or transferred out.

Bonny Eagle High School had a dropout rate of 3 percent. Its graduation rate was 83 percent. In total, 272 students graduated in 2008-2009, including one early graduate. A total of 1,281 students attended grades 9-12 at Bonny Eagle during the 2008-2009 school year. A total of 39 students dropped out.

Lake Region High School had a dropout rate of nearly 3 percent during the 2008-2009 school year. A total of 131 students graduated making the graduation rate among those who started and ended their high school careers at Lake Region totaled nearly 74 percent. Enrollment in the high school (grades 9-12) was 603 students. A total of 17 students dropped out of high school during the 2008-2009 school year.

Gray-New Gloucester High School had a dropout rate of 2.5 percent. There were 590 students in the high school with 15 dropping out during the 2008-2009 school year. The school’s graduation rate was nearly 75 percent. Gray-New Gloucester had the highest early-graduate rate in the state at 11 students, with 145 total graduates in 2008-2009.

An effort by state officials is currently under way to pinpoint the factors impacting graduation rates.

The Maine Legislature passed a law in early 2010, sponsored by Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Cumberland County, requiring that all high schools graduate at least 90 percent of their students by 2016. The federal government requires states to report annually on how well schools are meeting targets in reading and mathematics, as well as on graduation rates. If a school fails to meet targets in any area, including the 80 percent graduation rate target, it is considered as “not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)”. Schools that do “not make AYP” are subject to corrective action and, if they are Title I schools, receive support from the Maine Department of Education in improving student achievement.

Locally, Gray-New Gloucester High School and Lake Region High School both failed to reach the 80 percent graduate rate mark according to the state’s statistics. Phone calls to administrators at the two schools were not returned as of deadline.