PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island’s four-year high school graduation rates have improved slightly, but substantial racial and economic gaps remain.
The state Department of Education announced Friday that 84.1 percent of the state’s class of 2017 graduated - a 1.3 percentage point increase from the previous year.
But the numbers show that urban school districts’ graduation rates are much lower than suburban districts.
Students learning English saw a 1.4 percent drop in graduating rates.
The state did make small gains among certain subgroups, including black students, students with disabilities and low-income students.
Statewide, girls graduated at a rate of about 88 percent compared to about 80 percent for boys.
Deputy Education Commissioner Mary Ann Snider says the state is “trending in the right direction.”
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