The number of Surrey students graduating from high school within six years was the highest ever last year, with nearly 89 per cent successfully completing Grade 12.

A recently released Ministry of Education report shows Surrey's "completion rate" rose 2.7 per cent in the 2013-14 school year from the year prior.

Surrey's rate was four per cent higher than the provincial completion level of 84.2 per cent.

Surrey students, including those with English as a second language, outperformed those across B.C. in almost all categories.

The high school completion rate for students with special needs in Surrey was slightly lower than the provincial average – 60.6 per cent compared to 62.2 per cent provincewide – while aboriginal student completion rates locally were on par with the B.C. average at about 61 per cent.

A significant jump in the performance of Surrey's aboriginal students helped drive the district's percentages up.

While the rate of aboriginal students graduating is still less-than-optimal at 61 per cent, it's 13 per cent higher than it was the year prior, when fewer than half successfully finished Grade 12. However, the pool of aboriginal students is relatively small – about 250 – so even a handful more students graduating bumps the percentages up considerably.

“A second successive year of significant improvements in our six-year completion rate for all students is a testament to all the hard work put in by students and staff in Surrey schools,” said Trustee Shawn Wilson, chair of the Surrey Board of Education.

He said while pleased to see high results for aboriginal students, "there is still a long way to go.”

Females in Surrey continue to do better than males with 91 per cent finishing Grade 12 in six years, compared to 86 per cent of boys.

Completion rates differ from graduation rates in that they’re determined by tracking the number of students entering Grade 8 who finish high school within six years. Graduation rates track students enrolled in Grade 12 as of Sept. 30 who graduate within one year. Surrey's graduation rates remained steady around 92 per cent for the past five years.

Delta rates steady, above average

In Delta, the completion rate stayed the same as last year, with 88 per cent of students finishing high school within six years – four per cent above the provincial average.

Delta's rates were higher than the B.C. numbers across the board, with English learner and special needs students in that district faring significantly better than their peers across the province. The completion rate for aboriginal students in Delta was 68 per cent, which is markedly higher than the B.C. average, but still well below the success rate of the general student population.

To see the completion and graduation rates for Surrey, check http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/graduation/036.pdf

For Delta's, check http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reports/pdfs/graduation/037.pdf