Alabama holds nation's 2nd-largest high school graduation rate increase

(WAFF) - High school graduation rates were up across the country in 2013 and 2014, and preliminary data indicates that those numbers will be up in 2015 as well.

According to a Washington Post report, 81 percent of the Class of 2013 graduated on time, the highest number since standard calculations began in 2010.

In Alabama, 80 percent of students graduated on time in 2013. That number was up 6.3 percent to 86.3 percent in 2014, the second biggest increase in the country. Delaware recorded the largest increase, jumping from 80.4 percent to 87 percent. Oregon came in third, rising 3.3 percentage points to 72 percent.

Five states and the District of Columbia saw a decrease in graduation rates, with Oklahoma recording a 1.9 percent decrease to 82.7 percent.

"To be clear, there are still hundreds of thousands of kids every year who are dropping out. What chance in life do they have?" U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the Post. "Progress is good, but we've got to get better faster."

The study also shows that minority students are closing the graduation rate gap with white students, although the study says the gaps are still large. In 2013, 86.6 percent of white students graduated on time, while only 75.2 percent of Hispanic students and 70.7 percent of black students did the same.

That gap narrowed in 28 states in 2014 for white and black students. The gap between white and Hispanic students narrowed in 32 states in that same time period.

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