More Maryland students earned high school diplomas last year than ever before, according to data released Tuesday by the Maryland State Department of Education.
The four-year cohort graduation rate reached 86.39 percent in 2014 -- more than 4 percentage points higher than the 81.97 percent registered in 2010. The graduation rate jumped more than 1 percent over 2013.
Tuesday's report also highlighted that while an achievement gap still exists, students from minority groups are making gains. The graduation rate for African Americans rose five percent over four years, from 76 percent to 81 percent. The rate for Hispanic students rose from 72 percent to 78 percent in the same time period.
In the D.C. area, Montgomery County Public Schools topped the state average with a graduation rate of 89.7 percent for the class of 2014. That's a 1.4 percent increase over 2013. Prince George's County Public Schools saw its graduation rate jump 2.5 percent year over year, to 76.6 percent.
