Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre joined the Saskatchewan Schools Board Association [SSBA] at their annual Fall Members Council. The meeting was held in Saskatoon to celebrate more students in the province graduating from high school.

New data from the 2016-17 school year shows that the graduation rate has increased to 76.5 percent, which is the highest it's been in the last 20 years. This is up from 75.6 percent in 2015-16.

Eyre said that she is pleased to see more students graduatiing.

“Graduation is a vital step toward future success, which is why we have made it a priority to see more students graduating. Thank you to all the teachers and staff in our school divisions for the work you have done to help our students achieve this goal.”

The graduation rate for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students has also increased to 43.2 percent in 2016-17, up from 41.9 percent in 2015-16.

In 2014 theEducation Sector Strategic Plan was approved by all 28 school divisions and established the goal of increasing the provincial graduation rate to 85 percent.

The provincial on-time graduation rate is defined as students graduating within three years of starting Grade 10 and includes students from provincial school division schools, First Nations schools, and independent schools.