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New H.S. Graduation Rates: RCSD Lowest Percentage In NYS

New numbers out Thursday from theNYS Education Department shows little change in  high school graduation rates for the Rochester School District over the last several years, and the city school district has the lowest graduation rate among the larger school districts in the state.

The four-year graduation rate for high school students who graduated in June of this year in Rochester was 43.4 percent. That's slightly higher than the 43 percent graduation rate for students who graduated in June of last year.

But if you take into account students who went to summer school in Rochester, and graduated in August, the numbers look a little better. By that measure, the graduation rate was 51 percent, compared to 48.1 percent last year.

Statewide, the overall graduation rate increased to 76.4 percent from 74.9 percent the previous year. State officials say these numbers reflect the achievement of the first group of students who entered grade 9 following the state's adoption of the Common Core standards in 2010.

State Education Commissioner John King says that many students are still exiting their fourth year of high school unprepared for college or the workforce. He says a budget request released by the Board of Regents this week is designed to help address that situation through increased support for things like full-day pre-kindergarten, career and technical education and expanding the regionalization of school district services.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.