Cal Baptist University’s largest graduating class in history.

Riverside promotes a culture of lifelong learning and a greater quality of life through the diverse array of educational and developmental opportunities ranging from K-12 to institutions of higher education. The 2011-2012 school year has shown great results for efforts made in Riverside through Completion Counts, a partnership between the City and local schools to advance educational attainment at all levels of learning. The collaborative effort is critical in strengthening Riverside’s regional competitiveness and our long-term economic growth.

High School Graduation Rates on the Rise

2010 Census data shows that citywide, 79% of students in Riverside graduate from high school, 42% enroll in college, 14% graduate from a 2-year college, and 66% graduate from a 4-year university. Riversiders can be proud to see that community-driven efforts to improve these numbers and cultivate an educated workforce have gained momentum. A June 2012 Press Enterprise Article emphasized the steady progress made in Riverside, stating that “In Riverside County, nearly 81% of students who began high school as freshman in 2007 graduated with their class in 2011, 3% more than in 2010.

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The article also noted that “Most Inland schools are doing better than the state average graduation rate. The top Inland schools, Chaparral High School in Temecula and King High School in Riverside, have the region’s highest graduation rate of 96.5 percent.”

This is on track with the Completion Counts Action Plan to raise these numbers by 2020: 90% of high school students will graduate, 62% of students will go on to college, 42% of students who start at a 2-year college will complete or transfer, 72% of students who start at a 4-year college will complete their degree.

Record Breaking University Graduation Numbers

Riverside is home to four internationally recognized universities and colleges: University of California, Riverside; Cal Baptist University; La Sierra University; and Riverside City College. These institutions for higher education offer a wide array of degree and credential programs and range in size from about 20,000 students to 2,000. The chart below provides a summary of enrollment and graduation numbers as well as degree programs offered at each school.

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University of California, Riverside (UCR) graduated the largest class in the its history with a total of 5,016 graduates. California Baptist University’s (CBU) Class of 2012 was the largest in CBU’s 62-year history, numbering 1,330 graduates and surpassing the 1,000-graduate mark for the fourth consecutive year. Although La Sierra University’s graduating class of 343 did not set a new high, the 2012 graduating class showcased the University’s diversity with students who arrived from 36 countries, represented 22 faiths and ranged in age from 21 – 66.

Riverside has tremendous intellectual capital and its schools are devoted to excellence in teaching and learning. These invaluable assets serve as the foundation for the most desirable attributes in a unified city – a strong innovative economy, an able workforce, opportunities for intelligent growth, welcoming places to gather and be entertained, art in all its forms, quality health care and respect for one another. These attributes of a high quality of life make the City of Riverside a location of choice to pursue an education and grow in your career.

Related articles

• Read the full article from the June 27, 2012 Press Enterprise article, “EDUCATION: Inland graduation, dropout rates improve.”
• Read more about UCR’s largest graduating class in University history from Chancellor White’s June 15, 2012 “Friday Letter.
• Read more about CBU’s record breaking commencement numbers in the May 7, 2012 New Release.
• Read more about La Sierra’s Class of 2012 commencement ceremony in the June 22, 2012 News Release.
• Riverside Shows Commitment to Student Success with 2020 Plan (seizingourdestiny.wordpress.com)
• UCR Holds Commencement for its Largest Graduating Class in Campus History (seizingourdestiny.wordpress.com)