Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott announced that the four-year graduation rate for New York City public high schools held above 65 percent in 2011, an increase of 19 points since 2005 and the tenth consecutive year of gains.
A record 52,069 students graduated four years after entering high school, up from 51,006 in 2010. The percentage of students who earned higher-level diplomas rose more than four points from last year and nearly 13 points since 2008, even as graduation standards increased for the fourth consecutive year.
New schools have nearly doubled the graduation rates of those they replaced: in 2006, all phasing-out high schools had a graduation rate of 38 percent; in 2011, all new high schools had a graduation rate of 70.1 percent.
"More students are succeeding in our schools than ever before," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Our students, teachers and school administrators should be proud, and while we still have more work to do, we are certainly on the right track."
Since 2005, when the State began using its current methodology to calculate graduation rates, New York City's graduation rate has risen by 40.9 percent. In that same period, the dropout rate has fallen nearly 10 points from 22 percent to 12.1 percent.
Graduation rates citywide and for every high school, borough, ethnicity and gender may be found here: http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/data/GraduationDropoutReports.
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