Utah HS Grad Rates Top in Nation

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Utah leads the nation in high school graduation rates according to the latest Diplomas Count report from the national publication Education Week. Nearly 84-percent of Utah's Class of '04 graduated, compared to the national average of 70 percent.

Utah State Office of Education spokesperson Mark Peterson says the news is positive, though there are some gaps in graduation rates: girls have higher rates than boys and more whites graduate than minority students. The news comes on the heels of troubling statistics from the Utah State Office of Education that a quarter of this year's seniors failed the new high school exit exam. Peterson also notes Utah's graduation rates could suffer as next year's freshman are held to new, more rigorous graduation requirements.

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