Minnesota high school graduation rate nudges up
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A national report out Tuesday shows improvement in Minnesota's high school graduation rate.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010, 88.2 percent of Minnesota students graduated after four years in high school. That's up a point over the year before, and up nearly four points over seven years.
Only Wisconsin, Vermont and North Dakota have higher rates.
The study also says that across the U.S., the dropout rate for male students was 3.8 percent. For females, it was 2.9 percent.
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The dropout rate was higher among males in every state. The percentage gap between male and female dropouts was largest in Connecticut and Rhode Island, at 1.7 percentage points. The national dropout rate was about 3 percent overall, down from the year before.
Numbers from the Minnesota Department of Education paint a less rosy, although more accurate, picture of the state's graduation rate.
The most recent data from the state shows a four year graduation rate of 76.9 percent in 2011, with only slight increases in recent years.
Minnesota data is collected using something called the adjusted cohort graduation rate, a more precise way of determining how many students get a diploma in four years. Federal officials say they'll collect graduation data that same way moving forward.
STATE-BY-STATE REPORTS
| State | Graduation Rate | Dropout Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 71.8 | 1.8 |
| Alaska | 75.5 | 6.9 |
| Arizona | 74.7 | 7.8 |
| Arkansas | 75 | 3.6 |
| California | 78.2 | 4.6 |
| Colorado | 79.8 | 5.3 |
| Connecticut | 75.1 | 3 |
| Delaware | 75.5 | 3.9 |
| District of Columbia | 59.9 | 7 |
| Florida | 70.8 | 2.3 |
| Georgia | 69.9 | 3.8 |
| Hawaii | 75.4 | 5.2 |
| Idaho | 84 | 1.4 |
| Illinois | 81.9 | 2.9 |
| Indiana | 77.2 | 1.6 |
| Iowa | 87.9 | 3.4 |
| Kansas | 84.5 | 2.1 |
| Kentucky | 79.9 | 3.2 |
| Louisiana | 68.8 | 4.8 |
| Maine | 82.8 | 4.2 |
| Maryland | 82.2 | 2.7 |
| Massachusetts | 82.6 | 2.8 |
| Michigan | 75.9 | 4.3 |
| Minnesota | 88.2 | 1.6 |
| Mississippi | 63.8 | 7.4 |
| Missouri | 83.7 | 3.5 |
| Montana | 81.9 | 4.3 |
| Nebraska | 83.8 | 2.2 |
| Nevada | 57.8 | 4.5 |
| New Hampshire | 86.3 | 1.2 |
| New Jersey | 87.2 | 1.6 |
| New Mexico | 67.3 | 6.9 |
| New York | 76 | 3.6 |
| North Carolina | 76.9 | 4.7 |
| North Dakota | 88.4 | 2.2 |
| Ohio | 81.4 | 4.2 |
| Oklahoma | 78.5 | 2.4 |
| Oregon | 76.3 | 3.4 |
| Pennsylvania | 84.1 | 2.1 |
| Rhode Island | 76.4 | 4.6 |
| South Carolina | 68.2 | 3 |
| South Dakota | 81.8 | 2.6 |
| Tennessee | 80.4 | 2.7 |
| Texas | 78.9 | 2.7 |
| Utah | 78.6 | 2.6 |
| Vermont | 91.4 | 2.4 |
| Virginia | 81.2 | 2.1 |
| Washington | 77.2 | 4.2 |
| West Virginia | 78.3 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | 91.1 | 2.2 |
| Wyoming | 80.3 | 6 |
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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