Facts and Figures About States With Low Rural Graduation Rates


Last Updated: September 27, 2011
 

This article appeared in the September 2011 Rural Policy Matters.

Question: In which states are average graduation rates for rural students below the average national rural rate? (Hint: U.S. rural graduation rate is 69.2%.)

Answer: Graduation rates for rural students are lower than the U.S. rate in 12 states. Those states are South Carolina, which has the lowest rural graduation rate at 52.3%. South Carolina is followed by Alaska (55.9% rural graduation rate); Georgia (56.2%); New Mexico (58.4%); Arizona (59.7%); Alabama (62.4%): Delaware (62.6%); Mississippi (63.4%); Florida (64.1%); Louisiana (64.9%); and North Carolina (66.5%);

(Source: Why Rural Matters, 2009)

Read more from the September 2011 Rural Policy Matters.