185 seniors were denied graduation, and most of those who graduated cleared the state requirement by appeal rather than by passing the test

What happened

Preliminary 2026 cohort data presented on September 28, 2026 records 185 students denied graduation from a twelfth-grade class of 794. Of those who did graduate, the numbers passing the state test directly were far smaller than the numbers cleared through the portfolio appeals process: at Trenton Central High School 261 in English and 105 in mathematics passed the test against 211 and 329 through appeals, and at Capital City High School 107 and 106 came through appeals. Separately, 2026 eleventh-grade results reported in August put graduation readiness at 38 percent in English and 28.4 percent in mathematics, and the district was told by the state that the results it received contained errors.

Why it matters to families

A diploma earned through the appeal route is still a diploma, but when appeals outnumber test passes in mathematics the district is telling itself something about instruction rather than about paperwork. And 185 families in one year did not get a diploma at all.

The evidence

The presentation reports 'the total number of students graduated under the portfolio appeals process … ELA for TCHS um 211, math 329, CCHS 107, math 106' and 'total number of students denied graduation from 12th grade class we have 185'.

The source