CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago Public Schools graduation rates continue to climb after years of strategic improvement.
The CPS five-year graduation rate rose to 83.8 percent in the past year, beating last year's record by a 1.3 percent gain, according to a press release. New CEO Pedro Martinez said it's due to academic strides made by Black and Latino students, and improved leadership in neighborhood schools.
"What I love is when I look at this data, this is such a different district than when I was here in the 80's...but I got to tell you, what's carrying this data is the neighborhood schools," Martinez said.
The district's graduation rates have been rising steadily over the past decade for an increase of nearly 27 percent points since 2011. That year, only 56.9 percent of CPS students earned their diploma.
“This is a wonderful sign of our District’s progress,” said Martinez.
“The last time I worked for CPS, our graduation rates were nowhere near where they are now, and I am so proud of each and every Class of 2021 graduate and the many teachers and family members who supported them, especially amid this global pandemic. We are excited and ready to ensure more students reach this milestone, equipped and ready to succeed in college and careers.”
Under a new methodology for tracking student success that was implemented last year, the rate has climbed steadily from just under 80 percent in 2017.
"We saw gains across our Black students, our Latino students, our white and Asian students, and we saw increases across all four groups," said Martinez.
By 2024, district leaders hope to reach a 90 percent graduation rate.
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