Graduation Rate Increases Among Ethnic Students In AACPS

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The graduation rate of African-American students in Maryland climbed to its highest point in a decade and Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ graduation rate for the Class of 2019 once again outpaced that across the state, according to data released by the Maryland State Department of Education.

AACPS’ graduation rate of 88.30 percent, which reflects the percentage of students who graduated within four years of starting high school, is less than one percentage point below that of a year ago and trails only Montgomery County among the state’s five largest jurisdictions. The biggest gain came among special education students, where the graduation rate climbed 2.47 points.

The graduation rate of 87.72 percent for African-American students, however, is 1.34 points higher than a year ago, and the rate for students who identify as two or more races rose by 1.29 points. The gap in graduation rate between African-American and Caucasian students narrowed by 2.2 points compared to last year and is 4.8 points less than it was when the four-year cohort model was first reported by MSDE in 2011.

Among schools, the biggest gain came at South River High School, where the increase was 2.9 points and there were no declines among student groups. Chesapeake High School saw its graduate rate climb by 1.54 points, Glen Burnie High School saw a 1.18-point increase, Southern High School’s rate grew by 0.74 points and Meade High School saw a 0.58-point gain.

“There is a lot of very good and difficult work that has been done to achieve some of these results,” Superintendent George Arlotto said in a statement. “I am pleased that we continued to close the gap for African-American students and students of two or more races, and with the third consecutive year of increases for special education students. However, we have an immense amount of work to do to get to where we need to be.”

Glen Burnie High School’s graduation rate has grown by 12.45 points – the largest in the county – since 2011 and Chesapeake High School’s rate has increased by 6.87 points since 2011. Northeast’s graduation rate has grown by 7.20 percentage points in that same time period.

Other school highlights include:

• Broadneck High School: Gain of 10.33 points for African-American students.
• Chesapeake High School: Gains of 16.66 points for special education students, 7.77 points for Hispanic students, 7.70 points for students who receive free and reduced-price meals, and 4.77 points for African-American students.
• Chesapeake Science Point: 100 percent overall graduation rate for the Class of 2019.
• Glen Burnie High School: Increases of 11.33 points for special education students and 8.99 points for African-American students.
• Meade High School: Increase of 7.67 points for students who identify as two or more races.
• North County High School: Increase of 12.99 points for English Language Learners.
• Northeast High School: Increase of 7.69 points for Hispanic students.
• South River High School: Increases of 9.08 points for students who receive free and reduced-price meals, 8.11 points for Hispanic students, 7.23 points for special education students, and 6.25 points for African-American students.