High School Graduation Rate Hits Record High in U.S., What About Florida?

WASHINGTON, DC — President Barack Obama announced new data Monday showing national graduation rates at record highs, with improvements across most states and every demographic. Florida is behind the national average, but the state has seen progress at a faster pace.

The new report released by the National Center of Education Statistics covers graduation rates from the 2014-15 school year, with a national graduation rate at 83.2 percent — up more than 4 percentage points since the 2010-11 school year.

Florida's graduation rate was 77.9 percent — that's up from 71 percent in the 2010-11 school year.

Asian students graduated at a 90.5 percent rate, compared with 76 percent among American Indians, 82.7 percent of White students, 76.7 percent of Hispanic students and 68 percent of Black students.

In specific groups, Florida still lags behind national averages.

• "Economically disadvantaged" students had a graduation rate of 70.4 percent, compared to 76.1 nationally.
• Students with a limited English proficiency had a graduation rate of 59.5 percent, compared to 65.1 percent nationally.
• Students with disabilities had a graduation rate of 56.8 percent, compared to 64.6 percent nationally.

More: National High School Graduation Rate Hits a Record High

The District of Columbia made the greatest one-year progress between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years, improving its graduation rates by seven percentage points.

"You're an example of a school doing it the right way," Obama told the students Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in D.C., where the graduation rate is 100 percent. "When I took office almost eight years ago, we knew our education system was falling short when it came to preparing students… you are the reason we've made progress."

Obama stressed that a high school education is not enough to succeed in the modern job market.

"You've got to get a little bit more than what you're getting in high school," he said. "In order for you to succeed in the marketplace, you've got to be able to think creatively, you've got to be able to work in a team."

Those skills come from some amount of higher education, and the president stressed how important it is for students to apply for grant and scholarship funding for college. "We've made it simpler than ever," he told the students.

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