Will Increases in High School Graduates Lead to a Higher Percentage of College Grads?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of high schools that graduated 60% or fewer of their students in four years decreased by 112 between 2008 and 2009. 15.5% of the decline of low performing schools was in rural districts. Although the decline is a step in the right direction, 1,600 schools in the U.S. are still graduating less than 60%.

These statistics were released Tuesday as part of report to coincide with the Grad Nation summit in Washington. Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the administration’s goal to increase the proportion of college graduates to the largest in the world by 2020.
"Right now about 40% of our young adults have a college degree," Biden said. "In order to meet that goal by 2020 of being number one in the world, we have to raise that to 60% of young adults having completed a college degree. That's a significant task."

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