The gap in the rate of black students and white students who graduate from Wisconsin schools has grown to the largest in the country, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Education.
The graduation rate for African American students held steady at 66.1 percent and failed to keep pace with gains seen by their Wisconsin counterparts and those in almost every other racial, ethnic, and special-needs category. The graduation rate for African-American students ranked 40th among the states.
The graduation rate for white students rose to 92.9 percent — putting it in a tie for third-highest in the nation. But it also widened the racial gap to more than 26.8 percentage points. The graduation rate for Latino students in Wisconsin rose from 74.3 percent to 78.1 percent. The rate for American Indian students rose from 76 percent to 81 percent.
The report offers a first glimpse at graduation rates reported by states for the 2013-’14 school year. According to the data, Wisconsin’s overall graduation rate rose by more than half a percentage point to 88.6%.
The Department of Education data shows 36 states saw increases in overall graduation rates when compared with the 2012-2013 school year, six saw decreases and eight were unchanged. According to the federal government, the nation has posted record graduation rates for the last two years, with the highest rate ever of 81 percent announced in March.
“While these gains are promising, we know that we have a long way to go in improving educational opportunities for every student — no matter their ZIP code — for the sake of our young people and our nation’s economic strength,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a statement.
The National Center for Education Statistics is expected to release final graduation rate data in coming months.
