Delaware’s high school graduation rates are the highest they have been in a decade.
State graduation rates increased by just over 1.5 percent, from 86.69% in 2018 to 88.27% in 2019.
Graduation rates for African American students, Hispanic students, and students with disabilities also hit their highest levels since the state began tracking additional data in 2010.
State Education Secretary Susan Bunting says educators, families and students should be congratulated for their work, but more must be done to ensure every student receives a diploma.
“Our staff members in school are very much aware that a high school diploma is truly a key to the future," said Buntng. "And so we try to watch the progress that kids are making and figure out how we could be of greater assistance."
Bunting adds educators’ involvement in the social and emotional lives of students is making a difference. They are evaluating where extra help is needed and focusing on subgroups and individual needs.
“I think that emphasis on what our subgroups are doing has made a big difference because people are paying attention to that. They’re just not lumping all the kids into one group and that’s making a difference, from kindergarten to twelfth grade, and I think you will see that reflected in our graduation rates.”
By county, New Castle had the highest graduation rate at 90.5 percent followed by Kent County at 87.38 percent and Sussex County at 87.06 percent.