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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

High School Graduation Rates – Michigan

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  • 4 of every 10 minorities or low-income Kalamazoo-area students do not graduate on time, report shows, By Julie Mack, April 20, 2012, Kalamazoo Gazette: “Nearly half of African-Americans and four of every 10 Kalamazoo-area students who are Hispanic and/or come from a low-income household do not graduate high school on time, according to the latest graduation/dropout report from the Michigan Department of Education. The statistic also is true for students diagnosed with a disability. Even six years after starting high school, a third of students in those groups still lack a high school diploma, the data shows. Numbers for the 35 school districts in the Kalamazoo area closely track statewide trends and have remained fairly consistent in recent years…”
  • Graduation data for Kalamazoo Public Schools reflects high dropout rate among African-American males, By Julie Mack, April 20, 2012, Kalamazoo Gazette: “Kalamazoo Public Schools counted 182 African-American males who started high school in the fall of 2007. Only 80 — or 44 percent — graduated on time last June, according to the state’s latest graduation report. Of the KPS African-American young men who failed to graduate, 39, or 23 percent, were recorded as dropouts and the remaining students were still in school but lacked enough credits to graduate. Among Kalamazoo’s African-American females in the Class of 2011, 68 percent graduated on time — the same graduation rate as KPS white males…”
  • Local graduation rate dips, By Justin A. Hinkley, April 15, 2012, Battle Creek Enquirer: “Michigan’s tougher new graduation requirements shaved 3 percentage points off of the local graduation rate. Locally, 77 percent of students graduated on time last spring, down from 80 percent in 2010, according to recently released data from the Michigan Department of Education’s Center for Educational Performance & Information. The local rate is the combined total of all 23 area school districts with graduating seniors. Of those 23 districts, eight districts showed improvements in their graduation rates while the rest posted declines. The Class of 2011 was the first in the state to go through all four years of the Michigan Merit Curriculum graduation requirements, which have been called some of the toughest in the country…”