According to data released Monday, more high school students across the city and the state are graduating, but the city continues to lag behind the state.
Numbers released by the New York State Department of Education show the city's four-year graduation rate increased to 56 percent in 2007, up from 50 percent in 2006. Another 10 percent of students graduated in five years.
Although the numbers do show improvement, the state is now including students who graduated in August, after attending summer school. Without those students, the graduation rate would have been 52 percent.
"Despite this heart-warming progress we've still got a long way to go in our reforms. There is still enormous room for improvement," said Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.
"Graduation rates are improving, they're improving gradually, as the chancellor said, and they need to improve more," said Robert Bennett, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. "What we see, the improvement where we see it, is good, but we need to see even more. These overall rates are still too low."
Statewide the graduation rate is 71 percent.
August 11, 2008
City High School Graduation Rates Up Slightly
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