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

US High School Graduation Rate

  • US high school graduation rate ticks up to 82 percent, By Jennifer C. Kerr (AP), December 15, 2015, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “The U.S. high school graduation rate inched up to 82 percent and the achievement gap narrowed, according to new federal data that raise concern among education officials and others that too many students still aren’t getting a diploma. The latest figures released Tuesday by the Education Department showed wide disparities in graduation rates according to where students live. Leading the way was Iowa, with a graduation rate of nearly 91 percent. The District of Columbia had the lowest rate, 61 percent…”
  • High school graduation rate hits all-time high; 82 percent finish on time, By Lyndsey Layton, December 15, 2015, Washington Post: “The national high school graduation rate hit an all-time high in 2013-2014, with 82 percent of students earning a diploma on time, according to federal data released Tuesday.  The data shows that every category of student — broken down by race, income, learning disabilities and whether they are English-language learners — has posted annual progress in graduation rates since 2010, when states adopted a uniform method of calculating those rates…”