Tennessee reached a record-high graduation rate for 2019, with almost 90% of its public high school students earning their diplomas within four years, according to data released Monday by the state Education Department.
The graduation rate of 89.7% followed two years of hovering at 89.1% and represents a climb of more than 4 percentage points since 2011.
Tennessee continues to outpace the nation, where the overall rate stood at 84.6% in 2017, the most recent year for which figures are available from the U.S. Department of Education.
The numbers from Tennessee’s class of 2019 included gains from historically underserved groups, too. Black and Hispanic students boosted their rates by 1.5 percentage points each to more than 82%, while the rate for English language learners increased by a full percentage point to almost 72%. Rates for students who have disabilities or are considered economically disadvantaged rose by slightly less to almost 73% and 83%, respectively.
All four urban school systems saw increases. Nashville led the way with a jump of more than 2 percentage points to 82.4%, and Knox County’s rose by more than 1 percentage point to 91.2%. Hamilton County went from 86.6% to 86.9%.
The uptick for Shelby County Schools was small — from 79.2% to 79.3%. That number is below the benchmark of 80% set by Tennessee’s largest district to reach its goal of achieving a 90% graduation rate by 2025.
The urban school systems were among 67 districts statewide that improved their graduation rates. Those with the highest gains included Tennessee School for the Deaf (29 percentage points), Lewis County (10 percentage points), Hancock County (7 points), and Trousdale County (6 points).
A third of Tennessee districts had graduation rates at or above 95%, and 32 schools graduated 100% of their seniors on time.
Below, find your school’s graduation rate in our searchable, sortable list of Tennessee high schools.