DOWNLOADABLE DETAILED DATA AND CHARTS AT BOTTOM OF POST! African-American high school students have made remarkable progress in graduating on time from Indiana high schools, with nearly four-in-five graduating on time in the state and in Indianapolis. According to the 2014 Graduate Rate data released by the Indiana Department of Education, the statewide Black graduate on time graduation rate is the highest ever – 79.5% for the Class of 2014. That’s up from 77.0% for the Class of 2013 and 74.0% in 2012. And it’s a great improvement over the 59.8% of Black graduates of the Class of 2008 who got their diplomas on time seven years ago. The overall graduation rate for the Class of 2014 in Indiana’s public and private high schools was 89.8%; up from 88.3% in 2013, 86.8% in 2012; 85.7% in 2011; 84.1% in 2010, 81.6% in 2009 and 77.8% in 2008.
In Indianapolis/Marion County school districts, Black graduation rates noticeably improved, including in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). IPS continued to set records for their Black graduation rate with 72.1% of the Class of 2014 graduating on time, compared with 70.3% in the Class of 2013. And it is light years away from the 50.0% IPS Black graduation rate in IPS in 2008 and 49.3% in 2009. IPS’ overall graduation rate was 71.5%. But the racial/ethnic group with the lowest graduation rate was non-Hispanic whites. Just 64.9 of whites in the Class of 2014 in IPS graduated on time.
The state’s graduation rate data was released again, quietly without fanfare, by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE).
AM 1310 The Light analyzed African-American graduation rates in school districts and charters in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area as reported by IDOE. Graduation rate data for schools and districts with less than ten African-American students in the Class of 2014 weren’t reported.
AREA BLACK GRADUATION RATES RISE – Of the eleven public school districts in Indianapolis/Marion County, 85.3% of African-Americans graduated on time in the Class of 2014; compared to 81.4% in 2013. Of suburban Indianapolis school districts, 92.8% of African-Americans graduated on time; compared to 88.8% last year. Of charter schools in the city/county, including the takeover schools supervised by the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office, the Black graduation rate was 45.2% down slightly from 47.9% in 2013. When charter virtual schools and the Excel Center charter school, both of which specialize in hard to serve students are excluded, then the Black graduation rate of Indianapolis’ charter and takeover schools increases to 70.4%, up slightly from 2013’s 69.8%. The three IPS high schools taken over by the state three years and now monitored by the Mayor’s Charter Schools Office showed improvement in their Black graduation rates for the Class of 2014. Manual High School had an 80.0% Black graduation rate for 2014, compared to 64.3% in 2013. The results were close to the 82.9% Black graduation rate in 2012. Howe’s 2014 Black graduation rate was 69.4%; up from 64.9% in 2013 and 63.5% in 2012. Arlington’s Black 2014 Black graduation rate rebounded to 41.9%, an increase from 2013’s 34.1% but below 2012’s 55.5%.
BLACK GRADUATION RATES IN KEY INDY DISTRICTS & HIGH SCHOOLS – AM1310 The Light also analyzed twenty-seven districts and key charters. African-American graduation rates rose in twenty of those districts or charters, and declined in just six. Black on time graduation rates for the Class of 2014 far exceeded 80% for every city/county district other than IPS. Beech Grove schools had a perfect 100% Black Class of 2014 graduation rate. Followed by Wayne Township (94.8%), Pike Township (94.5%), Speedway (94.4%) Perry Township (89.8%), Warren (89.6%), Decatur (86.3%), Lawrence (86.1%), Washington (82.6%) and Franklin (82.1%). African-American students in four area high schools had perfect graduation rates; Westfield-Washington High School in Hamilton County; IPS’ Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet and Ben Davis University in Wayne Township and Beech Grove High School. Rounding out the top ten Black graduation rates for area high schools were (charters and takeovers shown in italics): Herron High 97.7%; Brownsburg 97.1%; Avon 96.7%; Southport 96.4%; Indianapolis Lighthouse 96.0%; Indiana Math and Science West 95.5%. The next ten high schools with strong Black graduation rates were: Carmel 95.0%; Ben Davis 94.8%; Mt. Vernon 94.7%, Pike 94.5%; Speedway 94.4%; Noblesville 94.4%; Shortridge 94.1%; Plainfield 93.3%; Broad Ripple 92.3% and Warren Central 89.6%. Other high schools with strong Black graduations rates were: Fishers High 88.6%; Lawrence North 87.9%; Decatur Central 87.8%; Hamilton Southeastern 85.9%; Charles Tindley 85.3%; Lawrence Central 84.6%; North Central 82.6%; Franklin Central 82.1% and Manual 80.0%. Other IPS and charter high schools Black graduation rates were: Howe 69.4%; Arsenal Tech 69.1%; Irvington Community 68.8%; Fall Creek Academy 65.0%; John Marshall 62.9%; George Washington 58.3%; Northwest 57.4% and Arlington 41.9%.
OVERALL GRADUATION RATES FOR CLASS OF 2014 – Overall Class of 2014 graduation rates for Indianapolis/Marion County school districts were strong with Speedway schools 98.2% leading the pack. Followed by: Franklin Township 97.0%; Pike Township 93.9%; Wayne Township 93.9%, Perry Township 92.7%; Warren Township 90.7%; Decatur Township 89.7%; Beech Grove 88.8%; Lawrence Township 87.9%; Washington Township 86.1%, and IPS at 71.5% . Here are the overall Class of 2014 graduation rates for high schools in Indianapolis/Marion County (charters and takeovers shown in italics): Ben Davis University 100%; Crispus Attucks 98.7%; Herron 97.9%; Franklin Central 97.0%; Shortridge 96.6%; Southport 94.9%; Ben Davis 94.5%; Pike 93.9%; Indiana Math & Science West 93.3%;Broad Ripple 91.5%; Warren Central 90.7%; Perry Meridian 90.5%; Lawrence North 90.0%; Decatur Central 89.4%; Speedway 86.2%; North Central 86.1%; Lawrence Central 85.6%; Charles Tindley 85.3%; Irvington 76.1%; Christel House 72.4%; Manual 70.9%; Tech 67.8%; Fall Creek Academy 65.0%; Northwest 62.2%; Howe 61.0%; George Washington 60.8%; John Marshall 60.5%; Indy Met 52.2%; Arlington 43.5%; Nexus Academy 30.0%; Hoosier Academy 28.6%.
USE OF WAIVERS – Several years ago there was a controversy about the large numbers of “waivers” some school districts, particularly IPS, gave that allowed students, who hadn’t passed the End of Course Assessment Exams (ECA), to graduate on time. For the Class of 2014, IPS used just very few waivers; just 56 or 6.9% of all graduates. Waiver use by other Indianapolis districts were: Franklin Township 34 or 6.1%; Speedway 10 or 9.0%; Washington Township 67 or 9.2%; Beech Grove 15 or 9.4%; Pike Township 58 or 9.6%; Warren Township 78 or 10.0%; Decatur Township 39 or 10.2%; Lawrence Township 136 or 13.2%; Wayne Township 126 or 13.7% and Perry Township 147 or 15.8% of all graduates. Graduation rates in Indiana are computed by tracking each individual student in a high school’s freshman class for four years. Students not included in the graduate rate are not all dropouts. They include students who receive a GED diploma, or a Certificate of Completion, or drop out. Click Links Below To Download Data on Black Graduation Rates in Indy Area Schools & Districts and Full 2014 Graduation Rate Data for All Schools and Districts in Indiana. 2014 INDIANA GRADUATION RATE DATA ALL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS BLACK GRAD RATE CHART 2008 TO 2014
