Maricopa graduation rates higher than falling state average
By Adam Wolfe | inMaricopa
With Arizona graduation rates declining, Maricopa High School has seen a rise in both total graduation and minority graduation
Image credit: inMaricopa While the overall graduation rate in Arizona schools has dropped in recent years, MHS has moved ahead of the state.
rates.
“Our goal is for Maricopa High School to be an A school,” Maricopa Unified School District Superintendent Steve Chestnut said. “One of the things that we are working on to make that happen is to improve our graduation rate, and we are making progress on that issue.”
According to statistics recently released by the U.S. Department of Education, Arizona is one of only four states that have seen their graduation rates fall since the 2010-11 school year. The most recent numbers are from 2013.
Across the nation, total graduation rates have risen by 1 percent, and minority graduation rates have risen by nearly 4. Arizona, however, had a decline of 3 percent in both categories from 2011 to 2013.
Unlike the state average, Maricopa High School has seen a 1.6 percent increase in its total graduation rate since the 2010-11 school year. The school has also seen a 6.3 percent rise in African-American graduation rates, and 1.2 percent rise in Hispanic graduation rates. The Asian student body increased its graduation rate by 13.2 percent.
