Oregon’s high schoolers graduated at a slightly higher rate in 2024 than they did the previous year, the Oregon Department of Education announced Thursday. Statewide, 81.8% of high schoolers graduated in four years, up from 81.3% in 2023. That’s the state’s second highest rate, after the class of 2020, which had a graduation rate of 82.6%. The class of 2024 started high school in remote learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after their first year only 73.6% were on-track to graduate in four years, ODE officials said. “Students and staff overcame all the obstacles that COVID-19 threw in…..