(The Center Square) – Tennessee reported an 89.8% graduation rate and an 8.6% dropout rate in a new report with updated numbers from the 2021-22 school year from the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office.
The Comptroller’s Office of Research and Education Accountability is required to produce the graduation rate numbers annually.
Tennessee’s graduation rate was seventh in the nation in the most recently available information for the 2019-20 school year.
The rate went from 88.5% in 2017-18 to the most recent 89.8%.
The rate for most of Tennessee’s school districts – 96 of 132 – was 90% or higher while nine districts were at 98%. Four districts had rates below 80%, including West Carroll, the Tennessee Schools for the Deaf, Achievement School District and the Tennessee School for the Blind.
The state’s dropout rate is up from 6.6% in 2020-21, 6.7% in 2019-20 and 6.5% in 2018-19 but like the 8.3% rate from 2017-18.
“National dropout data from the past three years is unreliable due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the suspension of state policies used to categorize dropouts and inconsistent attendance tracking,” the report says. “Additionally, states use varying definitions for dropout rates, so national data is difficult to compare.”
