In the Mancos High School 2013 graduating class, 22 out of 25 students graduated on time, according to state data that was released in January.

The state will grade the school district for graduating 88 percent of their students in four years at the end of the this calendar year. Superintendent Brian Hanson said this is a good rate for the district.

"If they're in the upper 80s lower 90 percent, we're pleased. That's what we're shooting for," he said.

The graduation rate declined slightly from 91.3 percent for the graduating class of 2012. But with such small class sizes, percentages can vary widely with a difference of only a few students. For example, the addition of one more student would have bumped the graduating rate to 92 percent.

The district provides several programs for students who are struggling to graduate including mentoring with a Check and Connect monitor, an abbreviated schedule or vocational classes at the Southwest Colorado Community College.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota developed the Check and Connect program to provide one-on-one mentoring for disengaged students and it has been in use in classrooms since 1990.

The mentor at Mancos High School is paid for through an Americorps grant and a Colorado Department of Education Expelled and At-Risk Student Services grant.

"We're small enough, we really look at every kid individually," Hanson said.

The abbreviated schedule allows students to only take core classes without having electives in their schedule. Allowing students to take classes at SCCC also captures the attention of students, who are more focused on going into a vocational industry such as welding, and helps them stay in school, Hanson said.