In 1969-1970, the rate was 78.7 percent. It fell as low as 71 percent in the 1990s, before inching higher in the current decade.
Ethnic Groups
In the most recent round, Asian-American students had the best performance, at 93.5 percent, trailed by whites at 83 percent. The Hispanic graduation rate of 71.4 percent rose from 65.9 percent, the largest increase of any ethnic group. For blacks, the percentage rose to 66.1 percent from 63.5 percent.
The new report doesn’t offer reasons for the improvement, said Jack Buckley, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which collects the data. It could result from a weak economy, which makes it less likely for teenagers to leave school for work, he said in a press briefing.
Steady, recent improvement undercuts that explanation, said Richard Murnane, a Harvard University economist and education professor who has studied graduation rates.
It’s more likely a result of significantly improved achievement in elementary grades among the lowest-performing students, Murnane said. National standardized math test scores have been rising for those students over the last 10 or 15 years, he said in a phone interview. To a lesser extent, they have risen in reading, as well.
“Kids are getting to high school a little more prepared to do high-school work,” Murnane said.