Graduation Rate For Students With Disabilities Shows Improvement
According to data from the 2016-2017 school year, graduation rates for students with and without disabilities increased. (Bettina Hansen/The Seattle Times/TNS)
The high school graduation rate for students with disabilities across the nation is on the rise again, new federal figures indicate.
For the 2016-2017 school year, the graduation rate for those with disabilities reached 67.1 percent.
That’s up from 65.5 percent the previous year and represents the sixth year in a row that the rate has increased.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
The uptick for those with disabilities comes as the overall graduation rate for students across the country grew to 84.6 percent, a record high.
The numbers come from a report released this month by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. The agency’s annual reporting measures the number of high school students who earn a diploma within four years.
Data specific to students with disabilities reflects significant variation across states, with a high of 83.8 percent in Arkansas and a low of 36.4 percent in Mississippi.
The Education Department has suggested that these disparities could be due at least in part to reporting differences.
Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.
