High School graduation rates released; IN receives high marks

A slight increase in the high school graduation rate in the United States will help Education Secretary Arne Duncan leave the office on a high note.

That’s the highest rate since the 2010-11 school year, when states adopted a uniform method of calculating graduation rates, according to the Department of Education.

The highest overall graduation rate was Iowa at 90 percent, and the lowest was District of Columbus at 61 percent.

Just over 82 percent of high school seniors graduated in 2014 – up from 79 percent three years before, according to data released Tuesday. For several years, Florida has consistently seen improvements in its graduation rate, becoming the “Cinderella Story” in national education.

Duncan has been a polarizing figure in large part because student loan management under his watch, but for the second straight school season the USA high school graduation rate trended upward.

The data showed that black and Hispanic students made progress closing the achievement gap with their white counterparts.

In Illinois, 90.1 percent of white students graduate.

The national rate climbed from 81 percent in 2012-13 or 82.3 percent the next year.

Still, state comparisons aren’t reliable because states have different graduation requirements and testing systems, critics say.

Vast differences exist across the country at the state level.

New Jersey and Wisconsin rounded out the third place slot with a graduation rate each of 88.6 percent. It requires states to track students who start as freshmen and see how many earn diplomas in four years, with adjustments for transfers in and out. The new method gives a more accurate count of how many actually finish high school.