New Jersey's high school graduation rate improved again in 2016. See how your school or district compares to the state's best.
TRENTON -- New Jersey's high school graduation rate improved again in 2016, despite a graduation scare in the wake of new requirements for standardized testing.
Statewide, 90.1 percent of students graduated within four years, a slight increase over the 89.7 percent graduation rate for the Class of 2015. New Jersey has improved its graduation rate every year since 2011, when 83 percent of students graduated, the state Department of Education said.
"We commend the efforts of our students and educators in achieving this tremendous accomplishment," acting Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington said.
Click here to use the search tool to find the graduation rate in any public high school, charter school or school district and compare it to others across the state.
County vocational schools with selective enrollment or special academies for a school district's top students posted some of the state's highest graduation rates, including more than a dozen schools with 100 percent.
The Class of 2016 was the first to graduate under new requirements for standardized testing. Students were asked to prove their proficiency in English and math on the new PARCC exams or through a variety of other tests, including the SAT and ACT.
Dismal passing rates on the computerized PARCC tests left some seniors scrambling to take alternative tests during the second half of their senior year to prove they were ready to graduate. By the end of the year, 91 percent of graduating seniors used at least one test other than PARCC to meet the state graduation requirements, in some cases because they weren't enrolled in a course that required a PARCC test.
Future high school students, beginning with current eighth graders, will be required to pass PARCC, fueling concern that many students may miss the mark.
The new requirements will "more honestly demonstrate a graduate's preparedness for college, career and community experiences beyond high school," Harrington said.
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Carla Astudillo may be reached at castudillo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @carla_astudi. Find her on Facebook.