PROVIDENCE – The high school four-year graduation rate in Rhode Island for the Class of 2017 increased 1.3 percentage points year over year to 84.1 percent, according to the R.I. Department of Education Friday.
RIDE noted that this reflected an 8 percentage-point increase in the state graduation rate since 2010.
In the Class of 2017, graduation rates among black students rose 4.1 percentage points year over year to 81.5 percent, while there was a 0.3 percentage-point increase in graduation rates for Hispanic students to 75.8 percent. White students had a graduation rate of 87.7 percent, a 1.5 percentage-point year-over-year uptick.
Rates for students with disabilities rose 3.6 percentage points year over year to 63 percent while low-income student graduation rates ticked up 1.2 percentage points to 76 percent. The four-year graduation rate of English language learners declined 1.4 percentage points to 72.3 percent.
“Graduation rates are an important indicator of student achievement, and we must continue to improve in order to meet our goal of graduating 95 percent of students by 2025,” stated Barbara S. Cottam, chair of the Board of Education. “Graduation, though, is just one piece of the puzzle. Getting all students to the finish line requires a comprehensive strategy that starts with a strong foundation of early literacy, includes a positive school culture and engaging curriculum, and continues on to relevant, rigorous career pathways to set our students up not only to graduate but also to excel after graduation.”
Eight schools in the state surpassed a 95 percent four-year graduation rate in 2017:
- Village Green Virtual Charter School (98.5 percent)
- The Greene School (97.8 percent)
- East Greenwich High School (97.1 percent)
- Scituate High School (97.1 percent)
- Paul Cuffee Charter School (96.7 percent)
- Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (96.3 percent)
- Portsmouth High School (95.9 percent)
- Barrington High School (95.6 percent)
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
