New Statistics on Graduation Rates in New York City for Children with Disabilities

Do you know what the New York City graduation rates are for children with disabilities?  The National Center for Educational Statistics just came out with their annual Public high school 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rates (ACGR).  The report lists graduation rates (students who earned a “regular high school diploma”) by race/ethnicity and selected demographic groups, including children with disabilities.  In this article, we’ll look at graduation rates for children with disabilities, by geographic district.

In the 2018-19 school year, the percentage of all students in the U.S. graduating within 4 years was about 85.8%.  That’s up from 85.3% for the 2017-18 school year.  In New York, the rate went from 82.3% in 2017-18 up to 82.8% in 2018-19.  In 2018-19, 68.2% of Students with Disabilities graduated in the U.S., up from 67.1% the previous year.  In New York, it went from 56.9% to 58.8%, considerably lower than the nation’s average.  But how did New York City Special Education students do?

For those interested in the statistics for New York City’s geographic districts, I’ve included the Table below.  This was for the 2018-19 school year and the data was collected July 24, 2020.

As you can see, with the exception of four districts, New York City Special Education students graduated at rates lower than the State average.  All but one district had graduation rates lower than the national average – most were significantly lower.  Keep in mind, these numbers do not include New York City 504 Plan students.  New York City claims its overall 4-year graduation rate for children with disabilities in 2019 was just under 49%, but they may use a different method of calculation, so it may be lower.

If you have questions about this data or have concerns about your child, please contact me.