California’s high school graduation rate is continuing to rise, especially among African American and Hispanic students, according to figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
The overall four-year graduation rate reached 78.5 percent for the class of 2012, up from 77.1 percent the previous year. Hispanic students boosted their graduation rate by 1.8 percentage points to 73.2 percent. African American students had a 65.7 percent graduation rate which, while still the lowest for any ethnic or racial group, represents an increase of 2.9 percent over a year.
“While I am glad to announce that we are moving in the right direction, the fact remains that we must keep moving to ensure that every California student graduates ready to succeed in the world they will find outside our classrooms,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson during a telephone call with reporters. He said adequate funding is critical to that goal as are initiatives to boost career technical education, reduce chronic absenteeism and provide high quality preschool for children living in poverty and children who are English learners.
View Article