The largest school district in Central Texas has hit a record high graduation rate. But the Austin school district still lags behind the state average.
In the five years that former Austin ISD superintendent Meria Carstarphen oversaw the district , graduation rates rose by ten percent. In 2013, it hit a new high of just over 84 percent. And the increases in graduation rates were across all student groups in AISD, including Hispanics, African-Americans, economically disadvantaged and special education students.
English language learners saw the biggest gain in graduation rates 鈥� rising by more than 5 percent to almost 70 percent. But Austin ISD is still playing catch-up with other school districts.
The statewide graduation rate was 88 percent 鈥� also a record high 鈥� but four percentage points higher than AISD. Texas-wide graduation rates for Hispanics and African-Americans also exceeded those within the Austin school district.
