Almost three-quarters of students at New York City high schools are graduating in four years, according to statistics released Wednesday by the city.
The 2017 graduation rate is 74.3 percent, up 1.2 percent over the previous year, officials said. Queens saw the largest percentage increase, 1.7%, while Manhattan saw the smallest, 0.1%.
And though graduation rates improved for all ethnic groups, there is still a sizable gap. The four-year graduation rate for Hispanic students is 68.3 percent and for Black students it’s 70 percent while it is 83.2 percent for white students.
Asian students have the highest four-year graduation rate at 87.5 percent.
The drop out rate for students was 7.8 percent, a 0.6 reduction over 2016.
“Our graduation and dropout rates continue to improve steadily and show that we’re on the right track,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “This is a day to recognize the incredible impact our educators have on our children’s lives, and to celebrate their dedication to their craft.”
Graduation rates have steadily improved in recent years. At the same time, state education officials have eased some graduation guidelines, allowing students to appeal if they did not pass all their Regents exams. Disabled students also no longer are required to pass the Math and English regents if they can show proficiency in those skills or meet other standards under “safety net” options.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a statement, seized the opportunity to use the news to underscore the success of his administration’s vision.
“If we are going ot make new York City the fairest big city in America, it starts with giving our kids the education we deserve, and we are executing that vision every day,” de Blasio said.
While dropout rates did fall across the board — none by more than 1% — the racial disparities seen in graduation rates were mirrored here as well. Black and Hispanic students dropped out at a rate of 7.9% and 10.7%, respectively, while White and Asian students dropped out at rates of 4% and 4.4%.
