Ninth-grade success programs get continued state funding

The state legislature has allocated $3 million to continue the ninth-grade success initiative in its supplemental budget. The initiative provides grants to schools across the state to boost freshmen passing rates. In Whatcom County, Lynden High School has seen the biggest leap due to the program: in the 2021-22 school year, only 66.3% of ninth graders were passing all of their courses. By the 2022-23 school year, 87.4% of freshmen passed all classes. [Read more: Lynden High School sees dou