NC
Strategic Scorecard |
3.2.3 High
School Graduation Rate |
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Target: Rank
among top 20 states in public high school graduation
rate (100% of US average)
Actual: 83%
of US average
US
Rank 2002: 37th ((tie);
down from 39th (tie) in 2000)
SE
Rank 2002: 4th (4th
in 2000)
SE
Region: AL
FL GA KY MS NC SC TN VA WV Updated
3/28/06
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| Primary
Performance Indicator |
Public High School
Graduation
Rate
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Performance
Trend:
The
trend depicts the degree to which actual
performance has approached the target in
recent years. |
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Comments
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Since
1993, NC (like most states) has made no real progress
in improving high school graduation rates. |
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NC’s
competitive rankings have changed little, leaving
NC with the 37th lowest graduation rate in the
US and 4th lowest rate in the SE region. |
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According
to the Manhattan Institute, the national graduation
rate for public high school students fell from
72% in 1993 to 71% in 2002. During the same time
period, the percent of students leaving high
school with the requisite skills for college
rose from 28% to 34%, an indication that higher
state graduation standards can suppress graduation
rates even as they produce more competent graduates. |
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Definition
(What Is Being Measured)
Estimated
number of public high school graduates in current
school year divided by 9th grade enrollment from
four years earlier.
Source: Manhattan
Institute for Policy Research & US Dept. of Education,
National Center for Education Statistics. |
Relevance
(Why This Is Important)
Low
high school graduation rates, or high dropout rates, reflect potential
quality problems in public school systems and, in the long term,
can undermine the competitiveness of the work force and contribute
to broader social ills. |
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| Other
Highlights |
| North
Carolina |
• |
In
2004, after four years of decline, NC’s high school
dropout rate rose (and only 39% of 2004 graduates passed
all five standard end-of-course exams). (NC Department
of Public Instruction). |
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In
2003, NC’s dropout rate for pupils aged 16 to 19
was the 16th highest in the US (tie). |
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Graduation
rates vary widely among racial groups, but NC’s rate
variances are considerably lower than the national variances.
In 2002, according to Morgan Quitno Press, the national
graduation rate differential was 24.6 percentage points
between white and African-American students and 20.9 percentage
points between white and Hispanic students. In contrast,
the NC graduation rate differential was 16.5 percentage
points between white and African-American students and
9.2 percentage points between white and Hispanic students.
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In
2002, the state's rural dropout rate was 125% of the
state's urban dropout rate (NC Rural Economic Development
Center). |
Southeast
Region |
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| National |
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| Global |
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Goal
3.2: Make
Prudent Investments in Public Education |
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