America’s high school graduation rate reached a record new high of 83.2 percent, according to federal data released today.
While Georgia still trails the national average rate of 83.2, the state saw a surge in its 2014-2015 high school graduation rate to 78.5. Only a year earlier, Georgia’s graduation rate was 72.5.
“The 2014-2015 graduation rates released today show progress for all reported groups of students, including students of color, low-income students, students with disabilities, and English learners. Black, Hispanic, and Native American students continued to narrow the gap between their graduation rates and those of their white peers, even as all groups made progress,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Since the United States adopted a consistent, four-year adjusted measure of high school completion in 2010-2011, the high school graduation rate has risen steadily. In a speech this morning at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C., President Obama told students, “”We have made a lot of progress. I just want to be honest with you. We still have got more work to do…There are still too many states cutting back on public education.”
To read more, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.
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