Wisconsin’s High Graduation Rate Doesn’t Apply To All

Wisconsin’s high graduation rate may not be representative of all students, according to latest data.

Wisconsin has the third-highest graduation rate in the country, with 88.6 percent of students graduating in 2014. But the state’s success isn’t equal across every racial and ethnic group. Wisconsin has the largest gap between graduation rates for white and black students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

John Johnson with the state Department of Public Instruction said officials hope their current initiative will address the continued gaps between white and minority students.

“A number of successful schools that close gaps, they sent some exemplary educators to help us identify different techniques and different initiatives that any educator in any school can take on to target achievement for all kids,” he said.

Johnson said Wisconsin has had strong rates of student success in the past.

“In Wisconsin, we’ve traditionally invested a lot of our resources in public education, and over time, those investments pay off — both in higher education and in K-12,” he said.

Johnson said he thinks the state needs to continue to make public education a priority among budget issues because of its positive effect on Wisconsin in other areas.

“High graduation rates draw employers to Wisconsin. I think you can ask anybody that and they’d share that with you,” Johnson said. “It adds value to what we present as a state competitively across the nation.”

According to the data, American Indian and Latino students both significantly increased their graduation rates from 2010. Black students saw a smaller improvements, with 65 percent of students graduating in 2014.