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On-Time Graduation Rate Is 81.8%

Nearly 1 In 5 High School Students Failed To Hit 4-Year Mark In 2010

By Kathleen Megan

December 30, 2011

The rate of Connecticut high school students who graduated from high school in four years climbed slightly to 81.8 percent in 2010, up from 79.3 percent a year earlier, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Education.

But, put another way, that means nearly one in five Connecticut high school students failed to graduate on time or at all.

And students who are Hispanic, black, poor, in special education or learning English performed more poorly -- with about one in three students failing to graduate in four years.

Among white students, Asian students and students not eligible for a reduced-price or free lunch, the rate at which they failed to graduate in four years was about 11 percent in each of those groups.

"The statewide graduation rate gap in Connecticut subgroup populations mandates that we begin identifying exemplary schools that model preparation and success for students in our lower-performing communities," Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said in a statement.

He added that on the state and local levels, "we must redouble our efforts to graduate the next generation of leaders on time all of the time."

The state's analysis showed that in 2010, 8,092 students, or 18.2 percent, failed to complete high school in four years; that was down from a failure rate of 20.7 percent in 2009. That's a difference of about 1,000 students.

For details on four-year graduation rates by district and school, see these websites:

District: http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/GraduationRates/ byDistrict.xls

School: http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/GraduationRates/ BySchool.xls