At Minerva High School in Ohio, students have a choice. It’s education or poverty, in the view of school leaders. And they’re not shy about saying so.

Minerva High School will not permit a student to drop out of high school. It will do everything it can to prevent failure. Educational leaders take a hard, matter-of-fact approach to this work of keeping kids in school and pushing them to graduate high school.

“We are a little more assertive,” said Minerva Local School Superintendent Dr. Douglas Marrah. “We need to look for every opportunity to keep them in school. The 720 days they spend in Minerva High School (over four years) are make-or-break for our kids.”

Minerva educators take Ohio high school graduation rates seriously

Why look at Minerva High School among the 18 comprehensive high schools in Stark County? Results are a reason. Minerva High has raised its high school graduation rate 13.9 points in eight years, from a 79.3 high school graduation rate from the class of 2001 to 93.2 from 2008, the most recent year for Ohio high school graduation rates reported by the Ohio Department of Education.

That 13.9 percent jump was one of three double-digit increases recorded in Stark County during those seven years, and it put Minerva comfortably above the state of Ohio’s standard for graduation rates, which is 90 percent.

“We tell the kids they have four career paths,” explained Minerva High Principal Mike Riley. “They are college, a trade, the military or poverty.” For students in Minerva, dropping out of high school is no option. Educators work tirelessly to ensure that students graduate high school.

Educators do everything possible to prevent students from dropping out of school

“When you’re in school, you’re on a conveyor belt for 13 years. Then there is a harsh stop. You can either fall off or fly off,” he said.

Guidance Counselor Katie Billet reinforced the fact that children under 18 cannot drop out of Minerva High School. School officials will not sign the waiver required to permit it.

“So they’re in school, accumulating credits,” she said. And if they fall behind, students are placed in the school’s credit recovery program. A program called Plato permits students who have failed a class to relearn the subject matter at their own pace.

“And every teacher here is willing to help students before and after class,” she said.

In Minerva Local, a district that serves an impoverished region, economic realities reinforce the school’s insistence on academic progress. “There is pressure at home when there’s no money, and kids know this.”

Beyond high school graduation, the school is urging students to pursue advanced education, in college or in a trade school.

“We ask kids, ‘Where do you want to live? What kind of car do you want to drive? You can’t have them if you only finish high school,” Marrah said.

Regarding life after high school graduation, the guidance counselor said, “You have to have a plan here. Kids are hearing the message that you should take four years of math, science and foreign language.” all meant to prepare them for higher education.

“We have a lot of kids who would qualify for college financial aid, if they just would fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).