DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa’s high school graduation rate climbed to a record high of 91.6% in the 2018-19 school year, the Iowa Education Department said.
The department said the class of 2019 figure was up two-tenths of a percentage point from the 91.4% in the class of 2018. Since 2011, the department said, Iowa’s four-year graduation rate has increased 3.3 percentage points overall, with gains in nearly every student demographic group. For example, graduation rates for Hispanic students have climbed by 9.3 percentage points and the rates for African American students have gone up 8.4 percentage points.
“More Iowans are graduating high school better equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century economy,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Whether it’s through computer science, STEM or work-based learning, we are changing the way our students learn and removing barriers that exist for underserved communities.”
Iowa graduation rates are calculated with a formula established by the U.S. Department of Education. Iowa’s rates typically are among the nation’s highest high school graduation rates.
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