Some states demonstrated a slight increase in the number of students who graduate on time from the 2006-7 to 2007-8 academic year, according to a recent U.S. Department of Education report.

Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08, a report delivered by the National Center for Education Statistics showed that 16 states and the District of Columbia experienced a percentage point or greater increase in their averaged freshman graduation rate (AFGR), NCES’s measure of on-time graduation. Six states experienced a decrease by a percentage point.  The remaining 27 states showed changes only within a percentage point margin.

This data is important because graduation rates are an education system’s measure of success. CTE can fill the gaps to increase and improve the overall national graduation rate. It is clear that a great deal of work still needs to be done to increase the nation’s graduation rate.

Across states, AFGR varies widely. The nation demonstrated a 74.9 percent AFGR, however rates ranged from 51.3 percent in Nevada to 89.6 percent in Wisconsin.

The IES data further highlights the persistent gaps in graduation/dropout rates:

• Ethnicity (Graduation Rates)
  • American Indian/Alaska Native – 64.2 percent
  • Asian/Pacific Islander – 91.4 percent
  • Hispanic – 63.percent
  • Black – 61.percent
  • White – 81 percent
  • Gender (Dropout Rates)
    • Males – 4.6 percent
    • Females – 3.5 percent