Posted on: Monday, September 22, 2003

Hawai'i has 70 percent graduation rate, study finds

Advertiser Staff

A new Manhattan Institute study estimated that Hawai'i had a 70 percent high school graduation rate in 2001.

That equaled the national average and placed Hawai'i 31st in the nation.

The study, Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States, was released last week. It also found that nationally, while 70 percent of all students in the public high school class of 2001 graduated, only 32 percent left high school qualified to attend a four-year college.

However, graduation rates can be difficult to track. In 2001, the National Center for Education Statistics said 91.8 percent of the Hawai'i population has graduated from high school — one of the best rates in the nation.

Hawai'i's graduation rate as reported by the Department of Education usually measures between 85 percent and 90 percent, but officials have noted that those numbers might not be accurate. When students move to other states and school districts, it's hard to tell whether they have dropped out or transferred.

Hawai'i has a compulsory attendance law that requires students to stay in school until they are 18 years old.

The study calculated how many students are college-ready by determining how many graduated from high school, took the courses that colleges require for admission and demonstrated basic literacy skills.

This study showed that public high schools are failing to serve black and Hispanic students.

Nationally, 51 percent of all black students and 52 percent of all Hispanic students graduate, and only 20 percent of all black students and 16 percent of all Hispanic students leave high school college-ready.

The graduation rate was 72 percent for white students, 79 percent for Asian students and 54 percent for American Indian students. The college readiness rate was 37 percent for white students, 38 percent for Asian students and 14 percent for American Indian students.

Graduation rates in the Northeast and Midwest were higher than the overall national figure, while rates in the South and West were lower.

The state with the highest graduation rate in the nation was North Dakota, at 89 percent, while the state with the lowest graduation rate was Florida at 56 percent.

The study was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.