Many students in the Northern Lights School Division contnue to lag behind their provincial counterparts. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)
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Report shows only 30 per cent of NLSD students graduating on time

Jul 10, 2025 | 4:53 PM

For more than a decade, only one third of the students in the Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) have been graduating on time.

The school division’s most recent annual report shows only 30 per cent of students graduated within three years of reaching Grade 10 as of 2024. That’s compared to 78 per cent across Saskatchewan.

It specified 69 per cent of non-Indigenous students in the division do graduate on time compared to 27 per cent of the Indigenous students. Across Saskatchewan, 47 per cent of Indigenous students graduate on time compared to 88 per cent of the non-Indigenous population.

Director of Education Jason Young, who was unavailable for an interview for this article, attributed poor attendance rates for such numbers previously. The report shows only 23 per cent of students in the division attend 80 per cent of the time, while 70 per cent of students across the province do so.

“Attendance challenges at the older grade levels … may correlate with the division’s three-year graduation rates, and speak once again to the need for continuing efforts around Indigenization, and emphasizing cultural and historical connections to our students,” the report states.

High school credit attainment remains exactly the same in 2024 as they did in 2014. Twenty-two per cent on division students attain eight or more credits in an academic year compared to 61 per cent in Saskatchewan. Twenty per cent of Indigenous students in the division reach that benchmark, while 62 per cent of their non-Indigenous peers do.

Graph with three-year graduation rates. (Northern Lights School Division)
Graph with details about credit attainment. (Northern Lights School Division)

“The transition from Grade 9 to 10 can be difficult for some students for many different reasons, including not having reached all outcomes from each subject area in the elementary and middle grades,” the report notes.

“This measure is intended to show how well Grade 9 students adjust in the transition to Grade 10. Achieving eight or more credits per year is important for steady progress towards graduating within three years of starting Grade 10.”

While Young explained he was unavailable to do an interview for the next several weeks, he added in June the board of education approved a new strategic plan from 2025 to 2030. The plan, of which its details have yet to be made public, sets direction for the division and addresses the needs of students.

At the end of the 2023-2024 academic year, the NLSD had 3,742 students enrolled and employed 658 staff, including 223 teachers. Since 2020, the school division has lost approximately 300 students.

Read the entire 2023-2024 NLSD annual report online here.

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

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