NEW YORK (AP) _ A new report shows New York ranks 34th in the nation for students graduating on time, with 77 percent of high school students who entered the ninth grade in 2008 earning their diplomas in 2012.
The report was released Monday by foundations including the America's Promise Alliance headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
It finds that 77 percent of high school students in New York graduated on time, slightly below the national graduation rate of 80 percent.
An income gap was also at play.
Low-income New Yorkers had a graduation rate of 68 percent, while those from wealthier families had a graduation rate of 84 percent.
The report credits New York City with successful programs like an anti-truancy drive undertaken by Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration in 2010.
