U.S. high school graduation rate tops 80 % for the first time

U.S. public high schools have reached a milestone, an 80 % graduation rate. Yet that still means 1 of every 5 students walks away without a diploma.

Citing the progress, researchers are projecting a 90 % national graduation rate by 2020.

Their report, based on Education Department statistics from 2012, was presented Monday April 28,2014  at the Building a GradNation Summit.

The growth has been spurred by such factors as a greater awareness of the dropout problem and efforts by districts, states and the federal government to include graduation rates in accountability measures. Among the initiatives are closing 'dropout factory' schools.
In addition, schools are taking aggressive action, such as hiring intervention specialists who work with students one on one, to keep teenagers in class

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday April 28,2014 the country owes a debt of gratitude to teachers, students and families whose hard work helped the country reach the 80 % mark.

"But even as we celebrate this remarkable achievement, our students have limitless potential and we owe it to all of our children to work together so they all can achieve at higher levels," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said

The rate of 80 % is based on federal statistics primarily using a calculation by which the number of graduates in a given is year divided by the number of students who enrolled four years earlier. Adjustments are made for transfer students.
In 2008, the Bush administration ordered all states to begin using this method. 

States previously used a wide variety of ways to calculate high school graduation rates


Iowa, Vermont, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Texas ranked at the top with rates at 88 % or 89 %. 

The bottom performers were Alaska, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon and Nevada, which had rates at 70 percent or below.

Idaho, Kentucky and Oklahoma were not included because these states received federal permission to take longer to roll out their system.

Graduation rates increased 15 % points for Hispanic students and 9 % points for African American students from 2006 to 2012, with the Hispanic students graduating at 76 % and African-American students at 68 %