Overall, despite the many challenges of educating more diverse students, I think our country is better off educating more people.
Table 1: Percentage of Students Graduating from High School* Year Percentage
1899-1900 6.4
1909-1910 8.8
1919-1920 16.8
1929-1930 29.0
1939-1940 50.8
1941-1942 51.2
1943-1944 42.3
1945-1946 47.9
1947-1948 54.0
1949-1950 59.0
1951-1952 58.6
1953-1954 60.0
1955-1956 62.3
1957-1958 64.8
1959-1960 65.1
1961-1962 69.5
1963-1964 76.7
*This table is reproduced from Kenneth A. Simon and W. Vance Grant, Digest of Educational Statistics, Office of Education, Bulletin 1965, No. 4 (Washington, D.C., U.S. Government Printing Office, 1965).
U.S. High School Graduation Rates | Safe & Civil Schools
"....A new analysis from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center finds that the graduation rate for America's public schools stands just shy of 75 percent for the class of 2010, the most recent year for which data are available.
The graduation rate, which has risen nearly 2 full percentage points from the previous year and 8 points in the past decade, has reached its highest point since 1973. At the current pace of improvement, the portion of students earning a diploma could surpass the historical high of 77.1 percent within the next few years....."
U.S. Graduation Rate Highest in 40 Years | NEA Today