Despite the disruption of the pandemic, a higher percentage of New York City high school seniors graduated in four years in 2020 than the year before, according to data from the state Education Department released Thursday -- with an acknowledgement that relaxed graduation requirements likely contributed to the increase.
The percentage of New York City students who began high school in 2016 and graduated in four years was 78.8 percent in 2020, compared to 77.3 percent for the students who graduated in 2019.
Statewide, the four-year graduation rate was 84.8 percent, compared to 83.4 percent for last year’s graduating class.
Part of the reason for the increase was the state relaxing graduation requirements because Regents exams were canceled last year, the NYSED acknowledged.
“The Regents Exam exemptions were a factor in the increase in the 2016 Cohort graduation rate; however, the Department cannot say to what extent. In addition, the 2020 exemptions will affect 2017 and 2018 Cohort students as well,” the department said in a press release.
In a press release Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio pointed out the four-year graduation rates has increased for New York City students 10.3 percentage points since 2014, and that the number of graduates who go on to a two or four-year college program, vocational or public service program reached a record 62.8 percent.
“Our record-high graduation rate during a global pandemic is a testament to this administration’s unwavering commitment to equity and excellence for every child in every borough,” de Blasio said in the release. “I am confident our longstanding investments in education will continue to open doors for countless students to come.”
“No matter the circumstances, New York City students continue to make record progress and exceed our expectations,” said Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza in the release.
The Department of Education also recorded a record low number of dropouts at 5.8 percent for 2020, a 2 percent decrease from last year.
“During the pandemic, we all have been forced to adjust how we go about our daily lives,” said state Education Chancellor Lester Young, Jr. “When our schools were abruptly required to close last March, the Board took the necessary action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students while providing them with the opportunity to progress academically. We thank school communities for their tireless efforts to ensure continuity of learning for all students during this unprecedented time.”
De Blasio said the gains in graduation rate and decrease in dropouts were across all five boroughs. When analyzed by race, most racial groups improved their graduation rates while white students slightly decreased:
A screenshot of data provided by the city Department of Education on the racial breakdown of four-year graduation rates.
Students learning English also improved their four-year graduation rates. Among students who had ever been enrolled as English Language Learners and exited that program, their graduation rates increased from 87.7 percent to 89 percent. Current English Language Learners who were still in ELL programs during the 2020 school year also improved their four-year graduation rate from 40.9 percent in August 2019 to 45.7 percent in August 2020.
But one educational advocacy group said these rates don’t tell the whole story of what graduating students may have lost in the 2020 school year.
“The increase in the high school graduation rate for the Class of 2020 masks urgent equity questions about historical and persistent opportunity gaps,” said Dia Bryant, deputy director and chief partnerships officer for The Education Trust–New York, in a release. "With the unprecedented interruption of classroom instruction and learning due to the pandemic last March and no Regents exams or other consistent measures of student readiness for many students, we are deeply concerned about whether the Class of 2020 left high school ready for college and the workforce."
