Michigan's High School Graduation Rate Shows Improvement

Michigan's graduation rate for high school students is below the national average, according to the most recent statistics from the Department of Education. President Barack Obama announced on Monday that the nation's graduation rate has improved to 83.2 percent, but Michigan lags behind with a 2014-2015 graduation rate of 79.8 percent.

Michigan's graduation rate ranks 36th in the nation if you include the District of Columbia. Michigan outperformed neighboring Wyoming, New York, Idaho, Georgia, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, Mississippi, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico and D.C. All other states had a better graduation rate than Michigan.

However, Michigan, has shown continuous improvement in the graduation rate being up slightly every school year since 2010-11. In 2013-2014, the state graduated 78.6 percent of its eligible high school students. In 2012-2013, the state graduated 77 percent of its seniors.

By comparison, the nation as a whole improved 1.8 percent versus last year, rising to 83.2 percent from 81.4 percent.

"We have made a lot of progress," Obama said, speaking at a high school in Washington, D.C.. "I just want to be honest with you. We still got more work to do...There are still too many states that are cutting back on public education.

"It's why if you're 18, you got to vote," he told the audience.

The worst graduation rate in the nation is New Mexico's 68.6 percent. The best is Iowa, which is graduating 90.8 percent of its high school students.

You can check the stats for the nation here. There are pulldown menus and different ways at looking at the information.

Image via ShutterStock