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Wisconsin's 91% Graduation Rate
Just over 90% of Wisconsin high schoolers are graduating on time, and the state’s school managers are thrilled about it.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released the latest graduation update on Thursday.
DPI says 91.1% of kids are graduating in four years. That’s the highest number since DPI started tracking four-year-graduations back in 2009.
“This achievement reflects the hard work and commitment of Wisconsin’s students and teachers,” State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly said in a statement. “It’s the result of countless hours, determination, and the strength of our community. This success shows what we can achieve when we work together.”
A 91.1% graduation puts Wisconsin above the national average, which is just 87%. It also puts Wisconsin ahead of Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota which the National Center for Education Statistics all say have graduation rates in the 80s.
DPI did not talk about individual school districts in its release. But the numbers tell the story.
Milwaukee Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, had just a 68% graduation rate. Madison Metropolitan Schools had a n 84.7% rate. Affluent, suburban ElmBrook Schools had a 98.5% graduation rate.
“The reality is that students of color and other marginalized students are not doing as well, although those cohorts are also seeing some improvement. We need to double-down on making investments for those kids who need it the most. We should also be concerned that the federal government seems to want to end the collection of disparities data, which would hide these challenges rather than solve them,” Underly said.
DPI also bragged about its attendance numbers.
DPI says chronic absenteeism is down to just 17.7% and attendance rates climbed to 92.4 %.
Both of those numbers are better than last year, but DPI admits that they continue to be worse than in the years before COVID closed many of the state’s schools.
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