Baltimore County: Fourth Highest Graduation Rate Among Large Districts

Baltimore County Public Schools has the fourth highest graduation rate among the nation’s largest school districts, according to data calculated by Education Week’s annual Diplomas Count report, school officials confirmed Thursday.

Using numbers from the class of 2009, Baltimore County’s graduation rate was 81.2 percent, according to the report. Maryland’s rate is 77.9 percent and the national graduation rate is 72.7.

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Baltimore County was also ranked fourth last year in the report, and has been ranked among the top six or higher since 2006, according to district data.

Superintendent Joe A. Hairston attributed the ranking and the graduation rate to the district’s focus on achievement, as outlined in its “Blueprint for Success,” a document the district follows regarding student progress.   

“[The document] set out universal standards that we have followed, and our students have worked on achievement as a result,” Hairston said through a spokesman. “This shows that it pays dividends when you have stability and consistency and great community support; we’re able to do great things as a result.”  

Montgomery County schools topped the list this year, with an 87.6 percent graduation rate. Fairfax County, VA, and Jefferson County, CO, were tied in second with 85.5 percent of students graduating, followed by Baltimore County and Broward County, FL.

Diplomas Count ranks the nation’s 50 largest school districts using the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics.