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CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The graduation rate for Nevada's Class of 2014 went down just slightly to 70 percent but still retained much of the dramatic gain it made from 2012 to 2013, education officials said Friday.
The Nevada Department of Education said the latest number is less than 1 percentage point below last year's rate of 70.7 percent. The number of graduates was up by 897 last year.
"Although the overall rate is essentially flat, I am pleased to see that many Nevada schools and districts continue to demonstrate significant increases in their graduation rates," state Superintendent Dale Erquiaga said. "Despite these gains in many districts and schools, certain student populations and schools continue to struggle."
Among individual subgroups, English Language Learners saw the biggest improvement and posted a 4 percentage point gain from the year earlier. But their graduation rates remain among the lowest in the state, at 28.6 percent.
Other findings about specific subgroups:
—The graduation rate for males was 66.6 percent, much lower than the 73.6 percent rate for females. Both saw a slight drop in their rates compared with the Class of 2013.
—The Hispanic student graduation rate ticked up just slightly, from 64.4 percent to 64.6 percent.
—Black students in the Class of 2014 posted a graduation rate of 53.9 percent, down from 56.7 percent a year earlier.
—The Asian student graduation rate was 84.3 percent, up from 82 percent in 2013.
—White students graduated at a rate of 76.9 percent, down from 77.2 percent in 2013
—Poorer students graduated at a rate of 63.6 percent, down slightly from 64 percent a year earlier.
—Students in career and technical education programs had a 76 percent graduation rate, significantly down from 87.9 percent the year earlier.
Nevada has long had one of the nation's lowest graduation rates. Erquiaga said he applauded Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval's recent proposal to target more funding to struggling sub-groups, like English Language Learners and children from low-income families.
"I am confident that these efforts, if approved by Nevada legislators, will help Nevada's graduation rate improve," Erquiaga said in a statement.
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