New Jersey’s high school graduation rate increased to 90.1 percent in 2016, up from 89.7 percent in 2015, according to figures released earlier this month by the state Department of Education.
The graduation rate, the highest level reached in the state since institution of a new federal calculation method, marks the fifth straight year that the statewide high school graduation rate has increased.
“We commend the efforts of our students and educators in achieving this tremendous accomplishment and remain committed to keeping New Jersey as a national leader in education by continuing to implement graduation standards that more honestly demonstrate a graduate’s preparedness for college, career and community experiences beyond high school,” Acting Commissioner Kimberley Harrington said in a prepared statement.
The Class of 2011 was the first graduating class to begin using the federally-mandated methodology for calculating the graduation rate. Since then, the state’s high school graduation rate has increased by 7.1 percentage points from 83 percent in 2011. Below is a summary of 2016 graduation rates by student subgroups compared to the 2011 results:
- African-American students graduated at a rate of 82.1 percent in 2016, an increase of 13.1 percentage points from 2011, when it was 69 percent.
- 83.4 percent of Hispanic students graduated in 2016, a 10.4 percentage point increase from 2011, when it was 73 percent.
- 94.2 percent of white students graduated in 2016, an increase from 90 percent in 2011.
- 96.7 percent of Asian students graduated in 2016, an increase from 93 percent in 2011.
- Economically disadvantaged students graduated at a rate of 82.7 percent in 2016, an increase of 11.7 percentage points from 2011, when it was 71 percent.
- 74.7 percent of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students graduated in 2016, an increase of 6.7 percentage points from 68 percent in 2011.
- Students with disabilities graduated at a rate of 78.8 percent in 2016, an increase from 73 percent in 2011.
The department also calculated the five-year graduation rate for students who began high school in 2011. While the four-year graduation rate last year was 89.7 percent for the class of 2015, the graduation rate that included students who continued on for a fifth year was 91.3 percent.
Additional information and district-by-district graduation rates can be found online at www.state.nj.us/education/data/grate/.