Spokane County residents who weren’t able to graduate from high school can now get a diploma at their local public library.
The Spokane County Library District is offering a free program for everyone in the county except residents of Liberty Lake and Spokane, which have their own, separate library systems.
Stacey Goddard, the county library’s Public Services Manager, said the program is designed to allow students to progress at whatever pace works for them.
“If someone had to leave school at the end of their junior year, and they just had one more year of school to finish for their diploma, and there super motivated and they have the time to devote to it, they could get their diploma in as little as three months.”
She said students with tough work schedules, or children, take six months on average to complete one grade level, graduating with a degree in two years.
According to the Spokane Trends, an Eastern Washington University Project that analyzes census and other data, around 5.4% of Spokane County residents don’t have a diploma, or GED equivalent.
Goddard said the program, Excel Adult High School, when paired with the library’s rural locations and other programs, such as borrowing a hotspot, will hopefully increase educational access in rural communities. She said students also have access to library support specialist, and the program has resources for English Language Learners.
Adults who have completed an eighth-grade education and are at least 25 years old are eligible. You can sign up on the library’s website, or call 509-893-8400.
