Graduation Rates

U.S. Sets High School Graduation Rate Record

• By Sri Ravipati
• 10/17/16

The United States has set a new record for high school graduation rates, reaching 83.2 percent (up a percentage point from last year). According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number has steadily increased from 79 percent in the 2010-11 academic year, with the District of Columbia improving the most (by seven percentage points). Furthermore, the data reveals growth for all reported groups of students, including graduation rates for white students (87.6 percent), black students (74.6 percent), Asian students (90.2 percent) and other subgroups.    

A White House fact sheet points to several key investments in education made throughout the Obama Administration that may have attributed to higher high school graduation rates. First, the ConnectED initiative, launched in 2013, set out to connect 99 percent of students to high-speed broadband by 2018 and so far has helped thousands of districts and 20 million students leverage digital learning resources. The national push for STEM excellence through the Computer Science for All initiative has also made significant strides, with 31 states now counting computer science education toward their high school graduation requirements. 

President Obama delivered the news earlier this morning at Benjamin Banneker High School in Washington, D.C. For more information, watch the following video footage of the event.