The United States’ high school graduation rate hit a record high of 83.2 percent for the 2014–15 school year, the White House announced today.
Graduation rates increased across the board for different demographics, although certain groups still lag behind the national average: Native American, Latino, and black Americans, as well as low-income students, English learners, and students with disabilities. At 64.6 percent, students with disabilities registered the lowest national rate of any singled-out group, according to Department of Education data.
“To be honest with you, we’ve still got a lot more work to do,” President Barack Obama said today while revealing the figures, USA Todayreported. He made the announcement at an outlier school: Benjamin Banneker Academic High in Washington, D.C., where 100 percent of seniors reportedly graduated last year. That figure contrasts starkly with the District’s overall record, which is the nation’s lowest at 68.5 percent — 22.3 percent below the highest rate, belonging to Iowa. Yet D.C. also improved more this past year than any state, jumping by 7 percent from 2013–14.
