Diplomas Count 2012, a publication of Education Week, was released yesterday.  As usual, the publication includes graduation rates for all 50 states and the District and Columbia.  The following is the latest state-by-state graduation rates available:

 

State  Class of 2009 Class of 1999  Change
NEW JERSEY  87.4  76.3  11.0
NORTH DAKOTA  85.9  82.9  3.1
WISCONSIN  83.8  76.4  7.4
MINNESOTA  82.6  79.4  3.1
IOWA  80.5  78.9  1.7
PENNSYLVANIA  80.5  75.3  5.1
MISSOURI  79.3  72.1  7.3
MASSACHUSETTS  79.1  73.9  5.3
NEW HAMPSHIRE  79.1  72.7  6.5
KANSAS  78.4  73.5  5.0
NEW YORK  78.4  58.5  19.9
UTAH  78.4  75.7  2.7
MARYLAND  77.9  71.8  6.1
MONTANA  77.4  75.7  1.7
VERMONT  77.4  76.9  0.5
NEBRASKA  76.6  77.6  (1.0)
COLORADO  76.4  67.5  8.9
OHIO  76.4  69.0  7.4
CONNECTICUT  76.0  75.1  0.9
VIRGINIA  76.0  73.9  2.1
INDIANA  75.8  71.1  4.7
TENNESSEE  75.8  62.1  13.7
RHODE ISLAND  75.3  70.8  4.5
MICHIGAN  74.1  68.7  5.4
WYOMING  73.9  73.4  0.5
OKLAHOMA  73.6  70.4  3.2
OREGON  73.1  64.0  9.1
ARIZONA  72.3  48.2  24.1
MAINE  72.3  68.9  3.4
IDAHO  72.1  76.5  (4.4)
TEXAS  71.5  60.2  11.3
WEST VIRGINIA  71.5  71.2  0.4
CALIFORNIA  71.3  68.7  2.5
ILLINOIS  71.2  72.4  (1.2)
ARKANSAS  70.6  70.5  0.1
KENTUCKY  70.5  62.3  8.2
FLORIDA  70.4  52.5  17.9
SOUTH DAKOTA  69.5  74.6  (5.0)
ALASKA  69.3  63.7  5.6
ALABAMA  69.2  56.7  12.5
HAWAII  69.2  59.5  9.6
WASHINGTON  68.1  68.6  (0.5)
NORTH CAROLINA  68.0  58.7  9.3
DELAWARE  67.9  57.7  10.2
LOUISIANA  64.0  59.1  4.9
GEORGIA  62.7  51.5  11.2
MISSISSIPPI  62.2  58.4  3.8
SOUTH CAROLINA  61.7  47.1  14.6
NEW MEXICO  59.4  58.1  1.3
NEVADA  59.2  69.0  (9.8)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA  52.4  65.7  (13.3)

 

Despite the state’s relatively low rank, North Carolina had the 12th highest percentage change in graduation rate.  We’re moving in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.