ST. CLOUD -- St. Cloud area schools are seeing a rise in graduation rates.

According to new data from the Minnesota Department of Education, St. Cloud area schools saw a graduation rate of 72.7 percent, up from 72 percent the year before. The rate has been rising since 2013.

The local rate is a combination of eight sites, including Apollo and Tech, along with the alternative programs covered by the district.

The 2016 rate falls short of the statewide rate of 82.2 percent. While the overall area numbers are low, both Tech at 84.6 percent and Apollo at 87.7 percent, are both above the state average of 82.2 percent.

While there is good news on the graduation front, the number of district students considered "on-track" for success is at a new low of 43 percent.

The Department of Education defines "on-track" as the percentage of students who were deemed "proficient" in the prior year on state metrics.

Other area schools did very well in grad numbers. Sauk Rapids-Rice was at 94.5 percent, Sartell-St. Stephen 99.2 percent, and Rocori Schools were at 94.2 percent

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