Still below the statewide average, 67.8% of East Baton Rouge Parish high school seniors graduated on time last year—just over a half-point increase from last year and 1.4 percent higher than the 66.4% rate posted 10 years ago.
The Louisiana Department of Education released the latest state- and district-level graduation rates earlier today.
Seventy-seven percent of Louisiana high school seniors graduated on time in 2016—a half-point decline from 2015, but 12.2 percentage points above the 65% graduation rate a decade ago.
The figures highlight long-term sustained improvements in the state’s graduation rate, the state education department said in a release, while also identifying persistent challenges in educating students at all levels.
For example, Louisiana has made gains in increasing graduation rates for African-Americans and for students with disabilities, yet both groups continue to graduate and earn credentials at lower rates than the general population. The African-American graduation rate last year was 71.4%, and 41.5% for students with disabilities.
The results also show the struggles some high schools serving large numbers of low-income students face improving graduation outcomes, as 71.2% of economically-disadvantaged students graduated on time.
