SPRINGFIELD – Springfield School Superintendent Daniel Warwick called the new graduation and dropout figures for the school district “really good news.”

Warwick shared the numbers at the School Committee meeting on April 6.

He said Springfield led the state in the largest decrease in dropout rates in the past five years. Warwick explained the graduation rate is determined on the number of students in a four year-cohort who completed the course of studies and passed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Survey. The drop-out rate is examined year by year.

He noted the graduation rate has increased overall 12.2 percent.

“All schools are up,” Warwick noted. He said the High School of Science & Technology has increased almost 20 percent.

Examining the statistics by demographic sub-groups such as English Language Learners, high needs and ethnic group show improvement. Warwick said that English Language Learners has increased graduation rates 23 percent over the past five years.

As for the dropout rate, Warwick said there is also “positive direction in every school.”

Yolanda Johnson, executive officer of Student Services, explained the department has been working for years on strategies to address dropouts. She called it a “massive” problem when she started her work with Warwick, who was then serving as the assistant superintendent.

Working with principals and teachers, Johnson said much of the attention was aimed at the critical ninth grade, a time at which many students make a decision to leave school. One of the measures used was graduation coaches who work with at-risk students. She said the district started with two choaches in two schools and now all of the high schools have them.

Night and summer classes gave at-risk student additional reasons to stay in school, Johnson added.

Early warning systems alert teachers and principals of at-risk students in elementary schools where issues can be addressed, Johnson said.

She said the effort has been to “engage in meaningful and intentional strategies.”