For the first time ever, no state in the U.S. has a high school graduation rate below 71 percent. According to the latest Building a Grad Nation report, there are now 39 states above 80 percent.
Civic Enterprises and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, in partnership with America’s Promise Alliance and the Alliance for Excellent Education, released 2018’s Building a Grad Nation report, the ninth annual update from the GradNation campaign.
The GradNation campaign is a nationwide effort to boost on-time high school graduation rates to 90 percent by the Class of 2020.
The 2018 report is presented by AT&T, which has supported the Building a Grad Nation series since its inception through AT&T Aspire, the company’s $400 million commitment to graduate more students from high school ready for college and career. Lumina Foundation, a leader in the field of postsecondary education, is a supporting sponsor.
“Thanks to the hard work taking place inside classrooms, living rooms, and boardrooms across the country, the nation continues to see steady growth of high school graduation rates on the state level, with most of those increases being driven by the increasing educational attainment of Black and Hispanic students,” said John Bridgeland, president & CEO, Civic Enterprises and co-author of the report.
“But this year’s report comes at a turning point for the nation as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) becomes a reality and the power of accountability shifts from the federal government into the hands of states,” Bridgeland said.
However, even with an additional three million students graduating the country has more work to do.
“The high school graduation rate is still the best on-track indicator for young adults and remains a major milestone on an education continuum that starts at birth and lasts a lifetime,” said Jennifer DePaoli, senior researcher, and policy advisor at Civic Enterprises and lead author of the report.
“We’ve seen clear growth, but in this new age of ESSA, if we ever want to reach a more equitable path for all, we must make sure states continue to do the more challenging work of raising graduation rates for key groups of students that are still behind the national average.”
Black and Hispanic students continue to make graduation rate gains greater than the national average, but their overall graduation rate (76.4 and 79.3 respectively) is still below 80 percent. Since 2008, the share of Americans ages 25 to 64 that hold a credential beyond high school has increased 9 percentage points to a record high of 46.9 percent. However, the nation remains off-pace to reaching a 60 percent postsecondary goal by 2025.
The authors recommend that policymakers and practitioners:
“High school graduates are less likely to be unemployed, less likely to fall into the criminal justice system, and more likely to have positive life outcomes, including better health and a longer lifespan,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, which just released new data on the economic benefits of graduating. “A high school diploma is not an endpoint, but a jumping off point to greater things—college, a career, or additional training—that benefit the individual, community, and the greater economy.”
In 2011, five states reported graduation rates below 70 percent. By 2016, no state had a graduation rate below 71 percent.
In 2011, no state had achieved a 90 percent graduation rate, and only nine had a graduation rate above 85 percent. By 2016, two states reached the 90 percent goal (Iowa and New Jersey), and 25 other states reported a graduation rate above 85 percent.
The states with the lowest graduation rates in 2011 (62-73 percent) all experienced growth greater than the national average (5.1 percentage points), and the gap between the states with the highest graduation rate and the lowest has been reduced by six percentage points.
“To accelerate progress and help more young people reach their full potential, states, districts and communities must make high school graduation part of a clear pathway to success in school, work, and life,” said John Gomperts, president & CEO of America’s Promise Alliance.
The GradNation campaign, led by America’s Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, Everyone Graduates Center and the Alliance for Excellent Education, focuses on raising the on-time high school graduation rate to 90 percent by the Class of 2020 and increasing postsecondary enrollment and completion.
For nearly 30 years, the nation’s graduation rate was stuck at just over 70 percent. Those who weren’t graduating were disproportionately young people from low-income families, students of color, English-language learners and students with disabilities.
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