Leaving Boys Behind: Public High School Graduation Rates

• NCJ Number: 214793
• Author(s): Jay P. Greene; Marcus A. Winters
• Date Published: April 2006
• Length: 26 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Corporate Author: Manhattan Institute For Policy Research
• Sale Source: Manhattan Institute For Policy Research
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Civic Report No. 48, April 2006; downloaded July 10, 2006.

Annotation

This report on the calculation of public high school graduation rates for the Nation, each State, and the 100 largest school districts in the Nation addresses overall graduation rates and graduation rates by race and gender, using the most recent available data (the class of 2003).

Abstract

The overall national public high school graduation rate for the class of 2003 was 70 percent. Nationally, the graduation rate for White students was 78 percent, compared with 72 percent for Asian students, 55 percent for African-American students, and 53 percent for Hispanic students. Seventy-two percent of female students graduated, compared with 65 percent of male students. Nationally, approximately 5 percent fewer White male students and 3 percent fewer Asian male students graduated compared with female students of the same race; 59 percent of African-American females graduated compared with 48 percent of African-American males. Fifty-eight percent of Hispanic females graduated compared with 49 percent of Hispanic males. New Jersey had the highest overall high school graduation rate for the class of 2003 (88 percent), followed by Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, each with 85 percent. South Carolina had the lowest overall graduation rate at 54 percent, followed by Georgia (56 percent) and New York (58 percent). Each of the Nation's 10 largest public high school districts, which enroll just over 8 percent of the Nation's public school students, failed to graduate more than 60 percent of its students. Among the Nation's 100 largest public school districts, the highest graduation rates were in Davis, Utah (89 percent) and the Ysleta Independent School District in Texas (84 percent). Among he 100 largest districts, the lowest graduation rates were in San Bernardino City Unified District (42 percent), Detroit (42 percent), and New York City (43 percent). The calculation of graduation rates for each State and several school districts used enrollment and diploma data reported by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The calculations used to arrive at the various graduation rates are described in detail. Appended data tables