Case Study: Newark High School achieves credit recovery and on-time graduation with Edmentum (Plato Courseware)

Plato Courseware Helps Students Recover Credits and Graduate on Time

Newark High School in Newark, OH—a 1,482‑student high school serving a community with significant economic challenges—faced a persistent graduation problem. With graduation rates hovering around 70–75% and budget cuts that closed an alternative learning academy, the school needed a scalable way to help at‑risk students recover credits and stay on track to graduate.

To address this, Newark implemented Plato Courseware in a dedicated computer lab staffed by two teachers, placing students who were failing core classes into credit‑recovery sessions instead of study hall. The program helped students catch up quickly: in 2012–13 students earned 250 half‑credits districtwide, and individual students have earned as many as 11 credits in a year to graduate on time—outcomes teachers credit with enabling many graduates who otherwise might not have finished.

Newark High School

Marc Montella

Teacher