© 2024 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We received reports that some iPhone users with the latest version of iOS (v17.4) cannot play audio via the Grove Persistent Player.
While we work to fix the issue, we recommend downloading the WSHU app.

Conn. Graduation Rate Hits Record High Of 87.2 Percent

John Walker
/
Flickr

The high school graduation rate in Connecticut hit a record high last year. Governor Dannel Malloy announced the new graduation numbers at a press conference in Hartford High School on Monday.

“We are here to announce that Connecticut has reached a record high graduation rate of 87.2 percent, surpassing the national average. Even more importantly, we are continually working towards closing the achievement gap.”

Officials say data from 2015 show that the graduation rate for black students reached 78 percent, up nearly seven points since 2011. In that time, the rate for Hispanic students went up about 11 points to almost 75 percent.

Malloy praised educators and parents for the rise in the rates. He also said Connecticut invested more money in education while other states were cutting back.

Connecticut’s funding for education came under some tough scrutiny as state lawmakers sought to close a $1 billion budget hole in the legislative session that ended last week. This resulted in some cuts to education spending  for the next fiscal year that begins July 1.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.