Rates of students graduating from high school increased again this year, with the biggest improvements seen in the underserved communities.
From the WSJ:
High-school graduation rates hit a new high of 82.3% in the U.S. in the 2013-14 academic year, according to the Department of Education, continuing a four-year trend of gains in a crucial credential for employment.
The record-high rate, up from 81.4% the prior year, reflects increases in degree completion among different racial and ethnic groups, as well as among students with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds. The achievement gap between black and white, and Hispanic and white, students also shrunk.
Hispanic students posted a 76.3% graduation rate in the 2013-14 year, up from 75.2% the prior year, while black students jumped to 72.5% from 70.7%. Asian students topped the charts with a graduation rate of 89.4%, followed by white students, who graduated at a rate of 87.2%.
Between the 2010-11 and 2013-14 academic years, the overall graduation rate increased by 3.3 points.
The Department of Education reported in October that preliminary data showed increased graduation rates in 36 states, with underserved students posting the biggest gains, but didn’t release the overall rates at the time.
Iowa was the top state with a 90.5% graduation rate, while Washington, D.C., performed the worst of all jurisdictions at 61.4%.
Since 2010, schools have been using a new common measurement for graduation rates, making comparisons to earlier years difficult.
