Surrey students are completing high school and graduating at a slightly higher rate than their counterparts across the province.
According to completion rate statistics released by the Ministry of Education, more than 83 per cent of students – compared to 80 per cent provincewide – got their Dogwood diploma within six years of starting Grade 8.
At 86 per cent, the female completion rate in Surrey is the highest its been in four years. About 81 per cent of males finished high school in the same time.
Still, just 54 per cent of Surrey's aboriginal students got their diploma within six years – a figure on par with the provincial average.
While low compared to the general student population, the aboriginal rate in Surrey has increased nearly three per cent since the 2009-2010 school year.
"We have a long road in front of us, but we are heading in the right direction," said Trustee Laurie Larson, who said she is of aboriginal heritage herself.
Completion rates differ from graduation rates in that they’re determined by tracking the number of students entering Grade 8 who finish high school within six years. The graduation rate tracks students enrolled in Grade 12 as of Sept. 30 who graduate within one year.