The Best and Worst U.S. Districts for Graduation Rates
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Jill Hare
Jill is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and received her Masters from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before becoming the editor of TheApple, Jill was a elementary teacher for eight years. Most recently, Jill taught in Atlanta Public Schools, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2003.
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Jill Hare, Editor | TheApple.com
We all know it is important for students to attend school, but isn’t it even more important that they graduate? Just as students across the U.S. represent a diversified population, the graduation rates for each state and their districts vary widely. The data for the 2005 school year has just been made available and analyzed by Education Week in Diploma Counts 2008.
I’ve highlighted four areas of interest: the ten best and worst overall U.S. districts, and the ten best and worst of the nation’s largest districts. In the first section, I’ve listed the townships and/or counties in the top districts. In the second section, you can click on the link to view the map where the worst districts are located and the towns they encompass.
The 10 Best Overall Districts
1. 92.6% Graduation Rate:
New Jersey District 5:Audubon Borough, Barrington Borough, Bellmawr Borough, Brooklawn Borough, Camden City, Deptford Township, Gloucester City, Haddon Heights Borough, Hi Nella Borough, Lawnside Borough, Magnolia Borough, Mount Ephraim Borough, Runnemede Borough, Somerdale Borough, Stratford Borough, Westville Borough, Woodbury City, Woodbury Heights Borough, Woodlynne Borough
2. 92.4% Graduation Rate:
New Jersey District 11: Allenhurst Borough, Asbury Park City, Atlantic Highlands Borough, Avon By The Sea Borough, Belmar Borough, Bradley Beach Borough, Brielle Borough, Deal Borough, Eatontown Borough, Highlands Borough, Interlaken Borough, Lake Como, Loch Arbour Village, Long Branch City, Monmouth Beach Borough, Neptune City Borough, Neptune Township, Ocean Township, Rumson Borough, Sea Bright Borough, Sea Girt Borough, Spring Lake Borough, Spring Lake Heights Borough, Wall Township, West Long Branch Borough
3. 92.0% Graduation Rate:
New Jersey District 7: Beverly City, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson Township, Delanco Township, Delran Township, Edgewater Park Township, Florence Township, Maple Shade Township, Merchantville Borough, Mount Holly Township, Palmyra Borough, Pennsauken Township, Riverside Township, Riverton Borough, Westampton Township, Willingboro Township
4. 91.0% Graduation Rate:
Illinois District 13: Cook County, Downers Grove Township, DuPage County, DuPage Township, Homer Township, Lemont Township, Lisle Township, Lockport Township, Lyons Township, Naperville Township, Orland Township, Palos Township, Plainfield Township, Wheatland Township, Will County, Winfield Township, York Township
5. 90.8% Graduation Rate:
New Jersey District: Colts Neck Township, East Windsor Township, Englishtown Borough, Fair Haven Borough, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Hightstown Borough, Little Silver Borough, Manalapan Township, Marlboro Township, Millstone Township, Oceanport Borough, Red Bank Borough, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls Borough
6. 90.0% Graduation Rate:
Pennsylvania District 6:Counties: Berks County, Chester County, Lehigh County, Montgomery County
7. 88.9% Graduation Rate:
New York District 3: Towns Entirely in the 3rd District: Bayville, Bethpage, Brookville, Cedar Beach, Centre Island, Cove Neck, East Norwich, Gilgo Beach, Glen Cove, Glen Head, Glenwood Landing, Harbor Isle, Hicksville, Island Park, Jericho, Lattingtown, Laurel Hollow, Levittown, Lido Beach, Locust Valley, Long Beach, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Matinecock, Mill Neck, Muttontown, Oak Beach, Old Brookville, Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay Cove, Point Lookout, Seaford, Wantagh, West Islip
8. 87.9% Graduation Rate:
New Jersey District 3: Alloway Township, Bridgeton City, Carneys Point Township, Clayton Borough, Commercial Township, Deerfield Township, Downe Township, East Greenwich Township, Elk Township, Elmer Borough, Elsinboro Township, Fairfield Township, Greenwich Township (Cumberland), Greenwich Township (Gloucester), Harrison Township, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Logan Township, Lower Alloways Creek Township, Mannington Township, Mantua Township, National Park Borough, Oldmans Township, Paulsboro Borough, Penns Grove Borough, Pennsville Township, Pilesgrove Township, Pittsgrove Township, Quinton Township, Salem City, Shiloh Borough, South Harrison Township, Stow Creek Township, Swedesboro Borough, Upper Deerfield Township, Upper Pittsgrove Township, Wenonah Borough, West Deptford Township, Woodstown Borough, Woolwich Township
9. 87.0% Graduation Rate:
Wisconsin District 5: Counties: Jefferson County, Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Washington County, Waukesha County
10. 86.6% Graduation Rate:
Illinois District 10: Arlington Heights, Bannockburn Barrington, Beach Park, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Glencoe, Glenview, Green Oaks, Gurnee, Highland Park, Highwood, Hoffman Estates, Indian Creek, Inverness, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, North Chicago, Northbrook, Northfield, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Riverwoods, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Vernon Hills, Waukegan, Wheeling, Wilmette, Winnetka
Source: Diplomas Count 2008, Education Week
OldArmyGuy
2 months ago
72 comments
I'm impressed. New Jersey has 5 of the Top 10! Someone is doing something right. Could it start with teacher pay and incentives? New Jersey is one of the highest paying states. Maybe the districts listed at the bottom of the list should send a team to NJ and take notes.
ITeachtheabcs
2 months ago
114 comments
Alright, so the "worst" ones have been labeled. Time to stand back, reassess, and work toward improving these districts instead of letting them remain another example of a failing statistic.
kgepps
2 months ago
4 comments
It does not say what the variables are. How were the rates determined? I would love to know what was the rate of students that passed with GED's etc.
mpcassaro
4 months ago
2 comments
Yes, it might be politically incorrect, but it's also a pretty narrow view. I have been teaching in Hunt's Point for a long time, which has, by far, the lowest graduation rate in the nation. On a whole, parents want the best for their children. To say that the community doesn't invest in it's children is not only shortsighted but thoughtless. You probably don't teach in one of those districts, do you?
hotteacher1976
4 months ago
368 comments
Frank108, more often than not it's these districts that are dealing with inexperienced or drained teachers. Not only that, but they are also dealing with communities that don't invest in their own children (sad and politically incorrect, but true). Is it the teachers overall that cause the low graduation rates? The communities hold the lion's share of the blame.
Frank108
4 months ago
6 comments
Graduation rates are more of a function of the community the students come from than any other factor. The quality of education, what does this mean anything.
If a doctor worked in an area with lots of disease is HE a bad doctor? Of course not.
If he worked in an area with lots of healthy people does that make him a fabulous doctor?
If a policeman worked in a high crime area is HE a bad policeman.
If he worked in rather low crime area, does that make him officer of the year?
This web site has to be the most teacher dis-empowering site on the internet!
teacherfam
4 months ago
2 comments
Being from Louisiana and knowing how strapped for cash and resources education was even BEFORE Katrita (Yes, that's correct--natives often put the two hurricanes together into one word. Others forget how much damage Rita did, too, but we don't.), I am surprised we didn't do worse! Big thanks are in order to the states and caring people that helped us. These people educated our kids, fed them, clothed them and cared for them when we couldn't. And nearly three years later, they are still here! Thank you so much! We can never repay it and can only humbly accept the gifts of time, work, money and care.
We have our future hopes pinned to a rising young star--Bobby Jindal. He is our new governor and has already proved what education means to him. With luck, time and the smile of providence, maybe Louisiana can finally be more than the corrupt, bankrupt banana republic of the past.
hotteacher1976
4 months ago
368 comments
The worst districts are disarming, to say the least.