The study shows Harris County public schools are graduating more students than they did 10 years ago, but says one-third of students are still leaving without a diploma. Some districts, including HISD, dispute that.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Children at Risk found that the graduation rate for public schools in Harris County is at 61 percent with students from low income households graduating at a lower rate than those from more affluent families. The study was done on students who entered 9th grade in 2004 and graduated in 2010.
While Children at Risk finds graduation rates for all public schools in the county are about eight points higher when using its own calculations, for HISD -- the largest district in Texas -- Children at Risk finds its graduation rate at 60 percent. But the state disputes that and says HISD's rate is higher, at 74 percent.
The TEA and some local school districts, including HISD, say it stands by the state's calculations and questions Children at Risk's data.
