Case Study: Everett Public Schools achieves a 65% increase in graduation rates with Naviance by PowerSchool

Everett Public Schools Focus on SEL Increases Graduation Rates by 65%

Everett Public Schools, serving about 21,000 students in Everett, Washington (39% qualifying for free/reduced lunch and 14% English learners), faced a graduation crisis in the early 2000s when only 58% of students were graduating on time. District leaders shifted to a holistic, district-wide focus on social-emotional learning (SEL) to better understand and support students beyond test scores.

By partnering with Naviance by PowerSchool and integrating its College, Career, and Life Readiness curriculum, Everett gave educators a fuller, data-informed view of each student, created individualized readiness plans, and embedded SEL across all grade levels. The results: on-time graduation rose from 58% to 95% (a 65% increase), dropout rates fell by 50%, the district consistently outpaced the state graduation rate, and attendance and student‑teacher relationships improved.

Everett Public Schools

Cathy Woods

Director of College and Career Readiness & On-time Graduation