Today, Education Week officially released their newest edition of “Diplomas Count.” The report includes state-by-state graduation rates, which are calculated by Education Week (using the Cumulative Promotion Index method) and reflect those of the class of 2010.
North Carolina’s 71.7 percent rate was lower than the national average of 74.7 percent and ranked 38th out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Less than half (48.4 percent) of North Carolina’s African Americans high schoolers graduated on time. The national average graduation rate for African American students was 61.7 percent. Only four states had a lower graduation rate for African Americans, but these states had a comparatively small population of black students.
On the other hand, North Carolina had one of the highest graduation rate increases in the nation. Between 2000 and 2010, North Carolina public schools increased their graduation rate by 11.3 percent. That tied Vermont for the nation’s eighth highest increase.
