The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released its annual report on graduation and dropout statistics by state. The Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07 First Look report from October 21 presents data on the number of graduates and dropouts for grades 9 through 12 in the nation’s public schools, as provided by state education agencies for the school year 2006-2007.
So, where does Washington stand?
With a national averaged freshman graduation rate of 73.9 percent, Washington’s average of 74.8 percent looks better. And it is: in comparison to data collected for the previous year, 2005-2006, Washington’s high school graduation rate went up by nearly two full percentage points from 72.9 percent.
However, Washington is squarely in the middle of the national pack, which means we could do better. In the 48 states that submitted data, the graduation rate ranged from 52 percent to 88.6 percent, and 16 states had rates of 80 percent or higher.
Washington’s dropout rate for the 2006-2007 year was 5.1 percent as compared to the national rate of 4.4 percent. The previous year Washington’s dropout rate was 5.6 percent. The dropout rates ranged nationally from 2.0 to 7.6 percent, with 27 states at 4.0 percent or less.
To be more specific: the data show that 16,945 Washington high school students dropped out of school in 2006-2007.
Yes, we can definitely do better.
The NCES report shows data collected over five years, from 2002 to 2007, and breaks it down to illustrate graduation and dropout rates by high school grade – the numbers get worse as the kids get closer to graduation – as well as by ethnicity and gender.
